Yeah, I never understood (starting mostly with the old Atlanta Flames franchise) why they insisted on trying to put teams in southern markets ... I mean, I understand the whole philosophy of expanding markets, but some products just don't belong in some markets no matter how hard you force 'em ... west coast NHL only works because you have the well-heeled southern Cali crowd to come out & support it when the teams are good, something that didn't happen in Tampa Bay when they were contending (if I remember correctly).
It's not a big-ticket sport in warm-weather climates (the exception being Hollywood), IMO. You'd think people would attend just to sit in an air-conditioned ice rink too,
... I know that's why I used to hang around the rinks in the summertime,
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