Lindbergh Reference or ABA Reference?
It’s weird. When you hear markets that’re struggling or non-traditional, or even “marginal,” people tend to mention Florida, Phoenix, and some California teams. Howard Baldwin, the ex-owner of the Hartford Whalers listed all of those markets and more, like a possibly spiteful poke at the Carolina Hurricanes (the former Whalers) and…
The St. Louis Blues?
St. Louis is marginal, but they’ve always been marginal. It’s fascinating, St. Louis. From the day they came into the NHL, I bet you they’ve had more ownership changes than any team.
So, ownership changes make for a marginal market? That’s interesting, especially when you consider that the Blues had the fifth best television ratings of the year last season, drew well over half a million people, and had 18,755 average per game attendance (9th in the NHL).
Of course, it says a lot when he talks about how he was excited for the Columbus Blue Jackets because the market reminded him of Hartford. It’s fairly questionable when he says that they need to just make the playoffs to taste success, while blowing off the Panthers as non-viable.
And to include St. Louis as a non-viable market? Maybe he’s just jealous that they practice in a mall instead of play in one.
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Edited by Dan Moore
Dan Moore has been writing about baseball on the internet since that was a novel thing to do. A graduate of the University of Missouri, he lives in Springfield, Illinois. See my profile
