JohnRawls wrote:Well that pretty much sums it up, right now NHL is definately stronger but as time goes by, it seems more clubs are joining KHL from Europe. Checks and SLovaks joined KHL to the usual Russians,Ukranians,Latvians, Kazacks, Bellarussians and so on. Next season Finland is joining and in the near future possible Switserland and Germany.
Expansion doesn't make a league strong. KHL is expanding fast to northern and central Europe, but KHL fan culture simply doesn't exist outside former Soviet Union. It's an alien world for most, and it takes time for a Jokerit fan to get used to their new foes. No rivalries exist, and all the Dynamos and Metallurgs from completely unknown Russian cities don't mean anything to them. And this is only people who support Jokerit - or any other non-ex-USSR KHL teams like Medveščak and Slovan Bratislava - so the vast, vast majority of European hockey fans will have even fewer reasons to care. What it achieves is bringing KHL broadcasting rights and more media following, but KHL still doesn't stand a chance in surpassing the local leagues in popularity. Dreams of KHL becoming more like an European NHL are common, but as long as that is primarily coming from Gazprom types and not the fans, it will remain a Russian league in peoples mind. Solidifying fanbase and viewership requires time and dedication. Throwing insane amounts of oil money at it helps the process, but doesn't skip it over.
It seems long term, KHL will have larger pool of players and resources to go from and will overtake NHL. Not to mention there were talks of inviting the South Koreans, North Koreans (LOL) and japanese to division East. Opinions ?
This is insane, won't happen and shouldn't happen. It's already absurd that you have teams from Prague and Vladivostok playing in the same league, there's no need to make it even less functioning. Though it probably would be
much easier for Admiral and Amur to play East Asian teams, because those are some insane travel miles they have to go through even to play other eastern teams. Going west, the closest KHL team to Khabarovsk plays more than 3000 miles away in Novokuznetsk, while Pyongyang is basically in the neighbourhood.
Magnetonium wrote:I think that KHL needs to improve considerably in order to rise in my eyes to some level of respect. First of all, they need to find a better name for their Cup - come on, Gagarin Cup name is extremely lame. Gagarin was a great man, but that Cup has nothing to do with him.
Agreed entirely. The rational behind naming it Gagarin Cup had much to do with nationalist sentiment, very little to do with hockey. It really should be the Tarasov Cup.
KHL has too much corruption and not enough fans, far cry from the massive devout fanbase of NHL. It will be DECADES before KHL can even be considered even half as great as NHL.
Basically this. KHL actually seriously challenging NH is by all means possible, but not in the near future. I watch KHL, but it's a troubled league. Getting better and gaining recognition, surely, but at a painfully slow pace.
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