Puerto Rico Hockey

If the scene on the right makes you think of frozen pucks and bodychecks, then you are a bigger hockey freak than I am. In an effort to grow the professional game beyond the normal NHL cities, the NHL is promoting the game in neutral site games during the pre-season with exhibition games. The Florida Sun-Sentinel has a scoop that every other blogger is talking about.

While still unconfirmed, it's likely the Panthers will play the Rangers in an exhibition game Sept. 23 in Puerto Rico. "[The Rangers] don't have it nailed down yet, but it's close," Panthers director of hockey operations Jack Birch said Monday, adding that he talked to Rangers GM Glen Sather last week and "they're 99 percent sure." The Panthers' preseason and regular-season schedules are expected to be released in the next few days.

While I like the expansion into Halifax and other places, I'm not too sold on moving to a country that may not have been noticed yet. It's opening the flood gates to all the haters and drive-by media to once again insult the game that me and a lot of other people love. What happens when the ticket sales flop? What happens when attendance isn't what it should be?

[Via: Florida Sun Sentinel]