A Survival Plan for the NHL: Can Hockey Survive in America?

The National Hockey League has certainly seen better days. Two years removed from its unprecedented lockout, the NHL is frantically struggling to survive in an era where many Americans hardly consider ice hockey to be a sport. Attendance in arenas around the league has been at an all-time low, and NHL owners are looking for someone to blame. Some say that the rough economy in the Midwest (a hockey mecca) is responsible for fans being unable to afford to get tickets for games. Other people blame the salary cap, which is set lower than any other major American sport. Perhaps bad promoting on the behalf of the NHL's executives is causing the decrease in viewer-ship; after all, the Versus network isn't available in many areas without a deluxe cable package. The reasons for the NHL's decline are apparent, and one thing is for sure: something must be done about it.

I believe that the best thing that the sport can do is downsize. The 1980's and 1990's brought about rapid, nationwide expansion into markets that weren't necessarily ready to support a hockey club. If the league was to decrease the number of NHL cities from 30 to around 20, perhaps they could save enough money to nurse the game back to health. Besides, many west coast teams are hemorrhaging money, and the new profit-sharing plan under the collective bargaining agreement forces flourishing franchises to bail out the teams who aren't drawing fans. If the league was reduced by 1/3, the talent pool would become stronger and the whole NHL would benefit from teams with more stars. Here is my team-by-team plan for restructuring the National Hockey League:

Anaheim Mighty Ducks: The club was founded in 1992 and was named after a corny Disney movie. The market for hockey teams in California just isn't strong enough, especially to support more than one teams. If the NHL was to downsize, Anaheim should lose its franchise.

Atlanta Thrashers: Although Atlanta is a city with a hockey history (The Atlanta Flames in the 1970's), the re-introduction of a hockey team into the deep south in 1999 just wasn't a great idea. The team has struggled immensely from the start, and an empty Philips Arena during the hockey season should indicate a good enough reason to take the team out of Georgia.

Boston Bruins: An original six franchise with a fanatical fan base. No argument here, Boston stays.

Buffalo Sabres: From Pat Lafontaine to Ryan Miller, the Sabres have a rich hockey history. They've been around since the 1970's, and have shown some promise in the last couple of seasons. Buffalo keeps their franchise.

Calgary Flames: It's tough to move any team out of Canada, considering that most people north of the border actually care about the sport. Calgary stays.

Carolina Hurricanes: Despite winning the Stanley Cup in 2006, this franchise has been plagued ever since they moved from Hartford. Maybe they should move back, but either way, there isn't room for this squad in a 20 team league.

Chicago Blackhawks: Another original six team, another hockey-crazed city. A no-brainer to keep the 'Hawks.

Colorado Avalanche: Colorado is a swing team. They've drawn fans and made rivalries over the years, and they've undoubtedly had playoff success. Hell, at least it's cold in Denver. The Avalanche stay.

Columbus Bluejackets: Nope. Another expansion club in a struggling Midwest. There are too many competitive teams for Columbus to survive- they're out.

Dallas Stars: An annually competitive franchise that originated in Minnesota and has one of the loudest arenas in the NHL... Dallas makes the cut.

Detroit Red Wings: Original six. Perhaps the most eccentric hockey fans nationwide. Duh.

Edmonton Oilers: Again, denying the Canadians any of their old hockey teams would result in World War III. Edmonton is a keeper.

Florida Panthers: Florida has two hockey teams. This one hasn't had a whiff of success since 1996- plus, they play in an arena called the National Car Rental Center. I think Florida has rented this team long enough, it's time to move on.

Los Angeles Kings: It would be unfair to take hockey completely out of California, but I think it is Wayne Gretzky's saving grace that keeps this team in my restructured league.

Minnesota Wild: See Columbus Blue Jackets. Besides, Minnesota's hockey team is already flourishing in Dallas.

Montreal Canadiens: Original six. 24 Stanley Cups. THE Canadian team. I'm not messing with it.

Nashville Predators: You couldn't fill the Gaylord Entertainment Center if you told fans that Elvis would be performing during the second intermission. Bye bye Nashville, we hardly knew ye.

New Jersey Devils: Hockey has survived in New Jersey for a combination of two reasons. One, is that Martin Brodeur is God, and the other is that the Nets suck. New Jersey keeps their team.

New York Islanders: A high profile team in the 1980's that still have a cult following. They get to stay in the league under one condition- that the divisions are restructured so that they are in the same division as the Rangers. The citywide rivalry of playing them numerous times a year would forge an awesome rivalry that would attract a full house of fans.

New York Rangers: Original Six. Four cups. Wayne Gretzky. Yep, no doubt.

Ottawa Senators: Although there aren't many teams with names more boring than the "Senators," this team plays in Canada, so I give them natural respect.

Philadelphia Flyers: Another team that had its glory days in the late 70's and early 80's. However, that is the precise era we are trying to bring the league back to, so congratulations Philly, you still have a hockey team.

Phoenix Coyotes: Ice melts in the desert, and even with The Great One coaching the team, Phoenix was destined for failure. If the team would consider moving to Canada, I might give 'em a spot in favor of a team like St. Louis.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Mario Lemieux did amazing things for this team, even after his playing days were done. They just got the legislation passed to build a new arena, and I think that this young team has a lot of potential in the next few years. The Pens stay.

St. Louis Blues: This one is a coin flip. Heads... damn, the Blues are still in the league.

San Jose Sharks: If it weren't for the fact that this team (for some reason) has the loudest arena in the NHL, they wouldn't be in a 20-team league. But they do, so they are.

Tampa Bay Lightning: Nope, sorry. There have to be cuts somewhere, and I'm not sure anyone will miss the Lightning. Plus, Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavlier will look really good on the free agent market.

Toronto Maple Leafs: CANADA.

Vancouver Canucks: See every other team from the great white north.

Washington Capitals: There are more pressing issues in our nations capital to deal with than supporting a hockey team. Hasta La Vista.

There you have it, a 20 team league. The laborious 82-game season should be reduced to somewhere around 50-60 games, running from October until March, so that you never have to watch hockey with your air conditioning blaring. Any thoughts?

Sources: tmlfever.com, nhl.com