I want to preface this post with the fact that I love hockey. I grew up playing it in North Central Wisconsin and love the game at every level. So it’s not that I don’t want to love the NHL, I do, I just cannot accept what Gary Bettman has done the highest level of the game these last 10 or so years. Hockey fans are some of the most passionate fans, that was proven when they quickly came back after the lockout and with this years late season attendance figures as the playoffs approach. But to be a truly successful league, and to give the sport the limelight it deserves changes need to occur…so here are a few suggestions to bring back the popularity of the game.
Contract, Contract, Contract: Yes, it is blasphemy to take away money from owners but this needs to happen. Hockey, like baseball started expanding in the heyday of ESPN and big TV contracts. It started with moving the North Stars out of Minnesota and moving them to Dallas. Since then we have seen teams pop up in Florida (Lightning and Panthers), Nashville, Atlanta, North Carolina, Phoenix and Columbus. I’m sorry, I know some of the southern teams have had recent success, but hockey is not a sport that transplants well. Not only have you spread your talent thin you have created a league in many middle markets where fans are fickle, regional TV is smaller and it has taken several years to educate the fans on what hockey is all about.
Get a Real Television Contract: Versus is best known for its Sunday turkey hunting and fishing shows and the Tour de France. This is not the station for a professional sports league. Yes, you have a deal with NBC but it is not an every weekend affair, consistent coverage is only for a few weeks in January and February. It is like its a second thought to the network and its coverage shows. Last year, I can’t remember which game, the station cut coverage of the hockey game that was going into overtime, and went to a rain delayed horse race. Seriously? You need a TV partner who is going to showcase the league, not treat it for filler between the end of Notre Dame football season and before the second half of NASCAR season.
Showcase ALL of your Talent: One of the great things about mid to late 90’s hockey was that there were so many characters in hockey. ESPN and the NHL did a great job of showcasing the likes of Chelios, Roenick, Hull, Gretzky, etc. Now the NHL is hanging their hat on Sidney Crosby, he is a great player, but you cannot market one player to a whole nation of fans. There is a ton of talent in the NHL that needs to be showcased. Someone needs to work with the teams and the league and identify the top talent and figure out ways to market them.
Shorten the Season: The NBA can go till June because they have three stations that carry their games. The NHL does not. Shortening the season would allow the NHL to be more center stage during the late spring. As it stands now the NHL playoffs and finals are going when NASCAR is in full swing, baseball is starting to pick up steam, the NBA is winding down, and Golf is well underway. It would also make the regular season more meaningful. No one wants to watch in October when it really doesn’t matter until April and June!
I would also shorten the first series of the playoffs to five games. This would push up the finals to before the first week of June and give the first round some added drama.
If you were commissioner what would you do?
{This will also be posted at Nosebleedradio}
10 responses so far ↓
1 cdash // Mar 26, 2008 at 4:25 pm
It’s interesting hearing the views of someone in a different regional market. I’m in the DC area, and our coverage is done by Comcast Sportsnet, which is actually quite good. I’m sure there are those that disagree with me, but every Caps game is broadcast, and most in HD, with play-by-play by announcers I like. I don’t see that happening with an ESPN contract.
You also said “Now the NHL is hanging their hat on Sidney Crosby, …”
I would have said “Now the NHL is hanging their hat on Alex Ovechkin…”
The difference your regional market makes on your perspective, eh?
2 admin // Mar 26, 2008 at 4:31 pm
But that’s part of my argument, unless you are in a region that has a team you can’t get good coverage. But to make the game grow, in terms of the casual fan you need to have a much broader reach. The NHL playoffs are the best in all of pro-sports but outside of those few who have VS or are in a region with a team folks won’t get to see much of them.
Also, re: Ovechkin and Crosby - I think that around your region that may be true, but I think Crosby is still the only one who is Nationally (US) marketed and is trying to be presented as the face of the league
3 Chris from Canada // Mar 26, 2008 at 4:50 pm
What would I do? Ready?
1. Fold: Florida, Carolina, Atlanta, Nashville, Phoenix, Tampa Bay, New York Islanders, Anaheim. Grant expansion franchises to Ballsillie in southern Ontario and another in Winnipeg. Divide expansion fees - 50% to owners of folded teams, 50% to remaining owners.
2. Cut the regular season schedule from 82 to 70 or 74 games. Begin the season on the 3rd Saturday of September with all 24 teams in action including either 3 Original 6 match-ups or 4 All-Canadian games - ie. 1:00 Ottawa vs. Hamilton, 4:00 Montreal vs. Toronto, 7:00 Vancouver vs. Winnipeg, 10:00 Edmonton vs. Calgary.
3. Give teams 4 pre-season games and close the pre-season on the Tuesday night before the season kicks off with an All-Star game - the previous year’s Stanley Cup winners vs. league All-Stars as voted by the fans at the end of the previous regular season. This would happen at the arena of the Stanley Cup winner and the pre-game ceremony would include the raising of the championship banner and parading the Cup around the arena one last time before it goes back to the Hall of Fame for the year.
4. With 24 teams there would be two 12-team conferences - East & West - that would each have two 6-team divisions. The divisions would go back to their old names - Adams, Norris, Patrick and Smythe. Division winners would be seeded #1 and #2 in the playoffs and would get a first-round bye. The next four best teams in each conference would be seeded #3-6 and would play each other in a best of 5 first round - 3 vs. 6, 4 vs. 5. The teams are then re-seeded and the conference semi-final and final rounds and the Stanley Cup final is best of 7. Stanley Cup final guaranteed to be over by Memorial Day (Victoria Day in Canada).
5. 4-on-4 overtime would be eliminated in the regular season. Games tied at the end of 60 minutes would go to a shootout and the winning team would get 2 points, losing team would get 0 points. The first round of the shootout would be best of 5 (not best of 3) and then sudden death if tied after that.
6. “Game of the Week” featured on major US network every Saturday afternoon during the regular season and Hockey Night In Canada simulcast in the US on Versus, ESPN2, etc on Saturday night.
7. No mid-season All Star Game. One weekend taken in the middle of the year in every NHL city to run a fan appreciation event - meet the players, skate with the team, tour the dressing room, team skill competition, etc. Local affiliate of the TV network that normally shows Saturday afternoon game shows skill competition instead.
8. Every coach, goalie and “personality” player mic’d during every game. Goalie-cams, interviews during stoppages in play, camera in the dressing during intermissions, etc.
9. Every NHL game broadcast live on NHL.com with live stat tracking, chat, player profile links, etc.
10. Remove regional blackouts - in Canada, for example, I can only watch Toronto Maple Leaf games because I live in their TV region. Even though my cable package includes local broadcasts for every other Canadian team and some US teams, they are blacked out. If a game is on TV and I can get that channel, I can watch it.
There’s 10 ideas, just off the top of my head
4 admin // Mar 26, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Wow - good ones…but cutting out the Islanders? That is a bold move that would never fly. That is a team with history…
I also like the 4on4 overtime ending a game by a shootout only takes away what happened in regulation and cheats the teams - imo
5 Chris from Canada // Mar 26, 2008 at 5:23 pm
I agree the Islanders have history. They definitely do. And once my reign of terror as commissioner was stable enough to re-open the expansion discussion, putting a third team back in NYC would be priority #1. The reason I would cut them over a team like Columbus is that right now the Blue Jackets are the only professional team in that market and probably will be for a while.
I’m not sure I get your point about a shootout cheating the teams any more than regulation does. If anything it makes regulation MORE important because you know that the 2 points will come down to a breakaway contest.
6 Joe // Mar 26, 2008 at 10:23 pm
The first thing Gary Bettman can do to help the NHL is resign!!!!
http://www.FireBettman.com
7 Bill Brister // Mar 27, 2008 at 12:17 pm
This was a pretty interesting post, some thoughts I agree with, others I disagree with - I posted a rebuttal to this on my blog … http://icejunkies.blogspot.com
Disclaimer - My jab at Chris for not being hardcore was made in jest, anyone with the passion to blog about a great sport is good in my book - it was just fun to make the jab!
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