Lace your skates, Europe
NHL officials believe expanding across the Atlantic is ‘inevitable’
The London Knights. The Berlin Bears. The Stockholm Syndromes. The Helsinki Slush. The Paris Lights. The Swiss Army Knives.
May as well start playing with possible names for European NHL teams because — even with expansion to Seattle not even officially approved — league types are calling expansion across the Atlantic “inevitable.”
“There’s a lot of hockey markets that would embrace it,” says Maple Leafs goalie Frederik Andersen, who was born in Denmark. “Europe has the most passionate fans. You don’t have quiet games. You have loud cheering and loud singing throughout the games with the drums.
“It could be hostile road city to go do. It always gets like a trance. You listen to it all game long. It’s an exciting atmosphere to play in.”
He wasn’t alone in loving the idea.
“It would be great if there was a division there, too,” says Leafs forward Par Lindholm, a Swede. “Knowing the NHL is the biggest league in the world, it would be cool to bring it to Europe.”
Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said it on radio last week, and he and commissioner Gary Bettman were asked about it again over Hockey Hall of Fame weekend.
“I was asked whether we’ll ever have franchises overseas. I said, certainly. Not in the short to medium term, but I thought with the continued growth to the sport … that franchises in Europe at some point in time is probably inevitable,” said Daly. Bettman poured a small amount of cold water on the idea.
“The context of what he said was: If we were going to have a presence in Europe, it would have to be more than one team. The logistics would require a division for it to work,” said Bettman. “That doesn’t mean we have any plans to do that.
“We have a great deal of respect for the existing professional leagues that are in the countries where hockey dominates.” Comparatively speaking, Bettman has used much stronger language to pooh-pooh any push for teams in Quebec City and Hamilton. The difference might be money. There are no shortage of potential owners overseas, Daly says.
TV revenue might be a big motivator. Sports continue to drive ratings as appointment viewing, and hockey is popular in Europe. The NHL has games set for1p.m. every Saturday and Sunday — 50 in total — so they can be broadcast in European prime time.
“It’s been enormously successful,” says Daly. “Television and the ability to translate your game to new audiences is very, very important.”
So, a European division of the NHL would mean more money from European broadcasters, but there are significant obstacles:
Few arenas in Europe are up to NHL standards.
Fans there are not used to paying North American prices, or to the length of the season.
The existing European leagues would offer up some resistance, though Russia’s KHL has absorbed teams from those countries f or i ts pan-Eurasia league.
Then there’s travel. Those would be long road trips, especially any involving teams in the Pacific time zone. The New Jersey Devils opened their season against the Edmonton Oilers in Gothenberg, Sweden. The Devils then had four days off before their second game, at home to Washington.
“We had plenty of time to acclimate. The way we travel, it’s a charter flight, everyone is comfortable, it’s first-class seating,” said Devils coach John Hynes. “That part of it is really nice. We had a couple of days. For us, it seemed as though it worked out really well.”
It hasn’t been an issue for the Toronto Wolfpack of the British Rugby Football League, the first transatlantic franchise in pro sports.
“The international fan base is important. It’s an important way to grow the game,” Daly said. “Our player base has never been more international, with 30 per cent non-North American players. We’re more international now than we’ve ever been, and we want to strengthen that bond with the international fan base.”