A question on the pre NJ history [Archive]

Big#D

07-03-2008, 09:37 AM

The Sonics moving to OKC despite no real reason got me thinking. Did anyone care in Kansas City or Colorado about the teams before they were supposed to move? Or were they just apathetic due to the lack of hockey interest/ how bad the team was.

Colorado was fairly well supported despite their record and general team play. It was the business situation (i.e. better money to be made elsewhere) and the new ownership (McMullen) that made the move happen.

Denver was / is a good hockey town. You can see that by the fact that the Avalanche sold out every home game from the time the Nordiques moved there up until just this past season.

Who knows if it is a case of the fans realizing what they were missing once the Rockies left or whether it was the fact that the Avs have been a winning team almost their entire time in Denver?

In retrospect, it might have been better for the team to have stayed in Denver and improved and gained fan support. They wouldn't be overshadowed in a market with a team that has one once in 50 years despite winning three Cups and the Nordiques might never have left Quebec City to go to Denver. Then again, they might not have won 3 Cups in the Western Conference facing Dallas, St. Louis and Detroit all those years. It might have been the Nords with 3 Cups instead ... or split between Detroit, Dallas, Quebec, etc. But now I'm just rambling.

Hope that helps clear it up for you. I don't have any numbers or anything to back up my claims. I am just going based on all the stories I remembered from that era when I was a Rockies fan as a kid. Some of the facts might be clouded by my youthful opinions at the time and the fact that I followed the team from afar. There are other old Rockies fans on the board that can either confirm what I've written or clear up some of the facts. Some are still Devils fans like me. Others are Avs fans now. Some are just general hockey fans. Hopefully some of them will add to what I've written (even though I've already written what seems like a novel here).


	HFBoards > NHL Eastern Conference > Atlantic Division > New Jersey Devils > A question on the pre NJ history PDA A question on the pre NJ history roomtempature 07-03-2008, 01:20 AM The Sonics moving to OKC despite no real reason got me thinking. Did anyone care in Kansas City or Colorado about the teams before they were supposed to move? Or were they just apathetic due to the lack of hockey interest/ how bad the team was. fortheloveof666 07-03-2008, 01:25 AM they were too busy doing disco and LSD to care about hockey. roomtempature 07-03-2008, 01:27 AM they were too busy doing disco and LSD to care about hockey. Would explain their records for those years. Gunnar Stahl 30 07-03-2008, 01:30 AM un like the sonics in seattle, the rockies and scouts had no success in the past or tradition. plus they werent there that long Big#D 07-03-2008, 09:37 AM The Sonics moving to OKC despite no real reason got me thinking. Did anyone care in Kansas City or Colorado about the teams before they were supposed to move? Or were they just apathetic due to the lack of hockey interest/ how bad the team was. Colorado was fairly well supported despite their record and general team play. It was the business situation (i.e. better money to be made elsewhere) and the new ownership (McMullen) that made the move happen. Denver was / is a good hockey town. You can see that by the fact that the Avalanche sold out every home game from the time the Nordiques moved there up until just this past season. Who knows if it is a case of the fans realizing what they were missing once the Rockies left or whether it was the fact that the Avs have been a winning team almost their entire time in Denver? In retrospect, it might have been better for the team to have stayed in Denver and improved and gained fan support. They wouldn't be overshadowed in a market with a team that has one once in 50 years despite winning three Cups and the Nordiques might never have left Quebec City to go to Denver. Then again, they might not have won 3 Cups in the Western Conference facing Dallas, St. Louis and Detroit all those years. It might have been the Nords with 3 Cups instead ... or split between Detroit, Dallas, Quebec, etc. But now I'm just rambling. Hope that helps clear it up for you. I don't have any numbers or anything to back up my claims. I am just going based on all the stories I remembered from that era when I was a Rockies fan as a kid. Some of the facts might be clouded by my youthful opinions at the time and the fact that I followed the team from afar. There are other old Rockies fans on the board that can either confirm what I've written or clear up some of the facts. Some are still Devils fans like me. Others are Avs fans now. Some are just general hockey fans. Hopefully some of them will add to what I've written (even though I've already written what seems like a novel here).