Chicago Vs New York Final Would Be Good For NHL

As hockey fans, we sometimes forget that the sport is actually a business. And in order for that business to be successful, you need to make money.

So, it makes more sense for the NHL to be rooting for both the Chicago Blackhawks and New York Rangers to make it to the Stanley Cup Final.

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Why? Well New York and Chicago are HUGE markets, much bigger than Anaheim (as there are three California teams and I am sure fans of the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings don’t care to watch their enemy hunt for the Cup) and Tampa.

Chicago making the Stanley Cup Finals would be ideal. It is like the Mecca of the hockey world (sorry Detroit). But it’s true. Chicago is on the verge of building a dynasty and the city and the rest of the state live for hockey.

It is the one of the most successful teams in the state of Illinois, winning championships in recent years—2010 and 2013.

And what better opponent for a big-city team like Chicago than the team that occupies the city that never sleeps! New York Rangers have a very loyal and decent-sized fan base.

I mean, when you are in the city that produces champions—fans have watched the New York Giants and New York Yankees win multiple rings—the people expect to be the home of winners.

The Rangers have gotten more publicity and hype in the media over the last few years and last year’s playoff run introduced hockey to a broader audience in the city. While New York does get a lot of bandwagon fans (who are beyond intolerable), it does have fans located across the Tri-State area.

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  • With New York and Chicago meeting in the last round for the Cup, the NHL would increase its chances of a more successful final with more viewership and better ticket sales. What does this equal: MORE MONEY.

    So while Gary Bettman and NHL executives will never come out and say they want Chicago and New York, all of us smart people have already figured it out. It is the best scenario for the League to make a profit.

    Right now, the dream of Chicago-New York is still alive. The Rangers forced Game 7 and Chicago is still hanging by a thread. If the Blackhawks can do what the Rangers did and live to play another day than I think Bettman and the rest of the League’s brass will sleep a little more soundly tonight.

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