After avoiding potentially the biggest collapse in the history of professional sports, the Florida Panthers are the 2024 Stanley Cup Champions after a dramatic 7 Game series win over the Edmonton Oilers.
This Panthers championship marks the fourth time in the last five seasons that a "non-traditional" hockey market is the home of the Stanley Cup Champions with past champions such as; the Tampa Bay Lightning who won twice in 2020 & 2021, as well as appeared in the Final in 2022, and also last year's champs the Vegas Golden Knights who beat these Panthers in the final.
As much as it may annoy NHL fans, the fact is, we better get used to it because these cup contenders being located in unconventional hockey cities or states aren't going anywhere anytime soon.
Gary Bettman always wanted to grow the game in the United States, and if that was his number one goal when he took over as the league's commissioner in 1993, no doubt he has achieved his goal, but probably not for the reason he anticipated.
Throughout the last decade, the story of the NHL has teams dominating the league that reside in states that are either considered "destination cities" by a majority of the public, or states with no state income tax.
Stanley Cup Finals Results Since 2014:
Bolded Teams= "Non-Hockey Market"
Italicized= No State Tax Team
Some Could be Considered Both
2014: Los Angeles Kings Def. New York Rangers
2015: Chicago Blackhawks Def. Tampa Bay Lightning
2016: Pittsburgh Penguins Def. San Jose Sharks
2017: Pittsburgh Penguins Def. Nashville Predators
2018: Washington Capitals Def. Vegas Golden Knights
2019: St. Louis Blues Def. Boston Bruins
2020: Tampa Bay Lightning Def. Dallas Stars
2021: Tampa Bay Lightning Def. Montreal Canadiens
2022: Colorado Avalanche Def. Tampa Bay Lightning
2023: Vegas Golden Knights Def. Florida Panthers
2024: Florida Panthers Def. Edmonton Oilers
With another team from a non-taxed state winning the cup, it is now just more than a coincidence, it is a trend in the NHL.
Some have proposed that teams in non-taxed states could be given a lower salary cap to help balance things out, but that will never happen. Owners of franchises in those respective states would never sign off on this, and the players association would have no incentive to take a pay cut.
The reality is that we are not just entering this new NHL, we have been living in an era of non-traditional hockey markets being the kings of the NHL. Players want to live in nice cities or states that either give them great weather, or reside in states that allow them to keep a majority of their salary, and some teams can offer both.
Instead of fighting it, it is time to accept our faith as hockey fans, the National Hockey League we once knew is gone, so we better get used to it.
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