The NHL goes to London- A fair trade for Beckham?

The NHL 07-08 season opened over the weekend with two games in London, England of all places. The two southern California teams traveled nearly halfway around the world to take to the ice in 'The O2', which looks like one of those fish that will kill you unless it's cut just right. arena. John Bull attended the game but was unavailable to be reached for comment.

Taking a piece of the NHL to Europe is great way to expose the game to foreigners. England was a good choice, given that many other European countries already have their own hockey leagues. But taking the league abroad is a bit premature. Right now, the league is having a difficult enough time building and keeping a domestic fanbase. If the league wants to broaden its horizons, perhaps it should have considered playing a game in a U.S. city without a team. Las Vegas, Kansas City, Houston, Anchorage, New Orleans or Portland would have all been great choices to play a game. It would have been an opportunity to test the market in those cities as well as bring in new fans.

The games resulted in a 4-1 win by the Anaheim Ducks and a 4-1 win by the Kings, who will hopefully still be jetlagged from their aggressive international road trip preceding the Jackets' home opener on Friday.