One of the most popular pastimes for hockey reporters the last couple of seasons has been to make “contraction” lists.
The reporters, including yours truly, were usually from traditional NHL cities and were of the firm belief that many of the NHL’s problems result from the league being in cities in which it shouldn’t–such as Raleigh, N.C.
Well, despite what I might have thought and what many hockey people still probably believe, Raleigh is as deserving of an NHL team as any city in the United States–including Chicago, Boston and New York.
Two trips to the Stanley Cup finals in a four-year span–something the local franchise has managed just once in the last 33 years, by the way–should take a team off the “contraction” list.
So Carolina and Edmonton will meet for the Stanley Cup, not exactly the marquee matchup that will make TV executives salivate.
What may not be good for TV, though, may be very good for the NHL’s future in a market many hoped would disappear.
