This, right now, is the absolute most, at least for Americans, that we will care about hockey. Now, Canadians and other cold weather habitants are going to be nuts for hockey, and they have every right to be, but hockey is just never going to be a big deal in the USA, at least on the professional level. Gary Bettman, enjoy your time now. In the next two months, you're going to proceed to bumble the momentum the Olympics just gained for you, and you're about to run your sport into the ground, leaving the NHL as irrelevant as it ever has been. If the NHL doesn't strike now, and I highly doubt Gary Bettman will undo what has been a disastrous sixteen year reign as Commissioner, they will lose every single hope they have of breaking through the glass ceiling, and becoming a legitimate member of the "Big Four".
First, let's throw out one simple fact. I am a major fan of hockey. I've always loved the sport, and always found interest in it. This past Winter Olympics provided some of the best action we've ever seen, in terms of talent. All of the bright stars were on display, and gave us quite the little show of exactly what professional hockey is capable of. It was a fantastic week; sadly, it's going to stay exactly like that in our minds. When hockey's new found "casual fan" turns on the television to find the NHL, he's going to first have one big problem; he can't find the NHL. Bettman sold out the league for $207.5 Million when he sold his television rights to Versus. If Bettman was smart, he would've accepted a smaller deal from a national network, or from ESPN. All of these networks have shown they're willing to hold Hockey, but at nowhere near the cost of what hockey used to command. Gary Bettman proved to be a fool to stick his players on Versus, where as he may make more money from this deal, none of his players get exposure, and worse, no fans can reach his programming. Bettman's move was ultimately short sighted, as he couldn't see that taking a lesser deal with a more known network was probably the smartest route to go, in terms of garnering publicity for his league. Now, when fans look for they're programming, they'll find themselves left out of the cool.
Second, The Casual Fan will find that the talent pool will become absolutely diluted. The fact is, there are too many franchises, and far too many placed in areas where Hockey just won't be a big deal. Moving franchises from Winnipeg will ultimately prove costly, especially now that franchises like the Jets (now known as the Coyotes) have gone from being the most popular franchise to the fourth favorite pro team in Arizona, behind the Cardinals, Suns, and Diamondbacks. Hurricane Hockey now takes a backseat to college kids on Tobacco Road, but they used to be the apple of Hartford's eye when they were the Whalers. And, of course, let's not forget that expansion of nine teams in the span of twenty years. Adding franchises like Atlanta and Columbus has only proved costly, and any idea of expanding to more major cities has become completely ignored by Bettman. Otherwise, quite frankly, Columbus would not be having a hockey team. Now would San Jose, really.
And after one gets past that diluted talent, one can't help but notice that the game is played completely different from the Olympic style. That's because the league refuses to crack down on goons, and restrict the use of "stiffs" on the rink to get their point across. There's embracing your past, and then there's being foolish. The NHL is currently slowing down it's own progress, for the sake of the idiot fan who wants to see the guy with no teeth fight. Until the NHL cleans up it's act, it will never be accepted with the big boys, in terms of revenue.
Then again.... Well, in my eyes, that's never happening anyway.
First, let's throw out one simple fact. I am a major fan of hockey. I've always loved the sport, and always found interest in it. This past Winter Olympics provided some of the best action we've ever seen, in terms of talent. All of the bright stars were on display, and gave us quite the little show of exactly what professional hockey is capable of. It was a fantastic week; sadly, it's going to stay exactly like that in our minds. When hockey's new found "casual fan" turns on the television to find the NHL, he's going to first have one big problem; he can't find the NHL. Bettman sold out the league for $207.5 Million when he sold his television rights to Versus. If Bettman was smart, he would've accepted a smaller deal from a national network, or from ESPN. All of these networks have shown they're willing to hold Hockey, but at nowhere near the cost of what hockey used to command. Gary Bettman proved to be a fool to stick his players on Versus, where as he may make more money from this deal, none of his players get exposure, and worse, no fans can reach his programming. Bettman's move was ultimately short sighted, as he couldn't see that taking a lesser deal with a more known network was probably the smartest route to go, in terms of garnering publicity for his league. Now, when fans look for they're programming, they'll find themselves left out of the cool.
Second, The Casual Fan will find that the talent pool will become absolutely diluted. The fact is, there are too many franchises, and far too many placed in areas where Hockey just won't be a big deal. Moving franchises from Winnipeg will ultimately prove costly, especially now that franchises like the Jets (now known as the Coyotes) have gone from being the most popular franchise to the fourth favorite pro team in Arizona, behind the Cardinals, Suns, and Diamondbacks. Hurricane Hockey now takes a backseat to college kids on Tobacco Road, but they used to be the apple of Hartford's eye when they were the Whalers. And, of course, let's not forget that expansion of nine teams in the span of twenty years. Adding franchises like Atlanta and Columbus has only proved costly, and any idea of expanding to more major cities has become completely ignored by Bettman. Otherwise, quite frankly, Columbus would not be having a hockey team. Now would San Jose, really.
And after one gets past that diluted talent, one can't help but notice that the game is played completely different from the Olympic style. That's because the league refuses to crack down on goons, and restrict the use of "stiffs" on the rink to get their point across. There's embracing your past, and then there's being foolish. The NHL is currently slowing down it's own progress, for the sake of the idiot fan who wants to see the guy with no teeth fight. Until the NHL cleans up it's act, it will never be accepted with the big boys, in terms of revenue.
Then again.... Well, in my eyes, that's never happening anyway.