Don't Hate: It's Good to Have the NHL Conference Finals in Non-Traditional Markets

The past few days have been particularly annoying on hockey Twitter, and you know that's saying a lot if you've spent any amount of time hanging out there. For example, these gems..

The current discourse is as hypocritical as it is insufferable.

And folks, the matter at hand is non-traditional markets. With Edmonton's loss to Vegas, there will be zero Canadian teams in the Conference Finals and a Canadian team won't win the Stanley Cup for the 30th year in a row.

Is this because there are only seven Canadian teams, at least three of which have flagrantly mismanaged their assets for the better half of the decade? No, don't be silly! According to some of our best and brightest, it's because the league that "rigged" the lottery for Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid to be in Toronto and Edmonton is rigged in favor of the four teams left standing: Carolina, Florida, Vegas, and the Stars.

Of course, Commissioner Gary Bettman wants the non-traditional markets to succeed. He has a vested interest in those markets succeeding. But he also has a vested interest in the traditional breadwinners continuing to succeed, and speaking of rigged, weren't people just arguing that the draft lottery is rigged because the No. 1 pick went to a big market?

Take a long, hard look at yourself in the mirror if you seriously think the NHL wants the Toronto Maple Leafs and/or the best player in the league Connor McDavid to lose.

Now that that's out of the way, there's a second bad take floating around that is more sinister because it feels more logical on the surface: "No, the NHL isn't rigged, but it's 'bad for the league' that the final four teams are from non-traditional markets."

Riddle me this: What kind of league do you really want and what do you think it takes to get there?

Former NHL goalie and current NESN studio analyst Andrew Raycroft was one of the loudest voices calling the Hurricanes-Panthers Eastern Conference Final a "disaster" if you are hoping for a higher salary cap.

Raycroft mentions hockey-related revenues and escrow, and sure, a single ticket costing $800 in Toronto is going to bring in more money than a single ticket costing $200 in, say, Florida.

Let's stick with Florida for our example. There's so much room for potential growth that whatever the margin ends up being for individual ticket prices will likely be negligible. Meanwhile, as Sean Shapiro points out, Florida Live Arena is one of the biggest arenas in the league.

The cheaper prices will bring in more new fans who could get hooked for life. Over time, that's way more money than one ticket. Plus, you need to consider merchandise sales, and not for nothing, the Panthers had some of the best reverse retro merch on top of their funny new playoff merch. This matters.

As for TV ratings, why are we blaming these small-market teams for ratings? (that hasn't even happened yet, mind you) when they're just being resourceful and winning fairly? Just take a look at all four teams and their journeys to the Cup Final. They're engaging.

The Golden Knights have had a drama-filled existence in terms of a revolving door of players and coaches since coming into the league. But they've managed to make it work and are headed to their fourth Conference Final in six years.

After struggling throughout most of the regular season, the Panthers turned it on during the postseason and have caught fire at the right time. Matthew Tkachuk is a pest, but he can also play and is a driving force during their playoff run.

You have the Stars and Hurricanes with veterans Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns. Look away, Sharks fans, but wouldn't it be great to see one of those guys lift the Cup?

And you're going to get the folks who love the sport no matter what. You see it every year – no matter how long the Sabres' playoff drought lasts, Buffalo is always one of the most well-represented markets when it comes to American playoff ratings. Boston and Chicago are typically up there, too. Diehard hockey fans and big markets are tuning in regardless.

If you're thinking long-term vs. short-term, isn't it better to bring new fans in and retain them? The Hurricanes franchise is a perfect example of this. Since they went from the league's longest playoff drought to five years of making the playoffs, they've sold out most games, jumping from an average of 11,776 per night in 2016-17 to 19,526 in 2022-23 at 99 percent capacity.

Maybe we could all use a dose of Occam's razor while we're here. All four of the teams left standing have played excellent hockey and deserved to win.

Nothing is rigged, these matchups aren't bad for hockey and long-term, new fan retention is (gasp) good for the sport. Maybe you are just being a hater.