The NHL has worked pretty well in Florida, Tampa Bay has been very successful lately, won a couple of Stanley Cups.
“I think there are a lot of Shysters in Florida.”
Yes, wasn’t this year’s NHL final Las Vegas vs. Florida? It must cost a pretty penny to keep their rinks and arenas at the proper temps!
Tampa's on-ice success is fine for now, but the real challenge will be to see what happens when they are no longer a perennial Stanley Cup contender and they're forced into a rebuilding mode.
When they aren't a top contender like they've been in the last few years, the Florida Panthers were consistently ranked among the NHL teams most likely to relocate.
The problem the NHL faces is that there are only about 8 or 9 good hockey markets in North America. These would be the "Original Six" cities -- Toronto, Montreal, New York, Boston, Chicago and Detroit) -- plus Philadelphia and Edmonton. Buffalo is a borderline NHL stronghold, too. These are the cities where an NHL franchise is a top draw even when it is a mediocre team. Outside these metro areas, NHL teams generally don't do well when the team regresses to a second-tier status on the ice.