Making the NHL more popular

[Stampman]

*2. Put the best players in the biggest markets.

No!

I understand the "Business" side of this--but it ruins the sport side.

Did the NHL suffer for Mario being in Pittsburgh?

Maybe at first--but eventually it caught on.

I like a more level playing field.

If the biggest market gets the best players--then dump the current draft and draft in order of market size-maybe even give any market over a certian size 2 or 3 picks--or more beofre the mid & small markets get one.

Open free agency to the largest markets for a wekk before the smaller markets get to play--and give the League veto power over trades if this means a big name is to be traded to a smaller market.

Of course that won't fly--and it shouldn't because the idea is you know what...

[PSUCub]

Put the best players in the biggest markets.

To an extent, that's how the system worked before the salary cap when teams could open up their checkbooks and try to lure the biggest stars to their market. I don't think stacking the deck to benefit those franchises is necessarily the right approach. Gretzky's move wasn't just to a major market, it was also to one of the "warm weather" (see my comments on that below) markets that needed someone like Gretzky to firmly establish hockey in Southern California. Will having star players in major markets increase some media exposure? Sure, but I think having star players like Crosby in Pittsburgh gives you the sort of media buzz that those markets wouldn't have otherwise. Take those players away, and cue more complaints about not enough fan support, etc.

Use the stars you've got and create new ones through better promotion. Every team has those young and exciting players, it's just a matter of making them better known names.

Just as in soccer, hockey should consider having a few mid-season exhibition games versus minor league teams in larger markets. I think it would get better ratings than the All-Star game and it would get better exposure of the NHL in places that should have it.

Phantoms vs. Flyers wouldn't do much at all to "increase the exposure" of the NHL here in Philly. The fan base here is already strong and passionate, and you're catering to the same pool of fans. At their training facility, the Phantoms locker room is mere steps down the hallway from the Flyers locker room and sometimes the Phantoms (like this October) play their home games at the Wachovia Center and aren't even playing across the parking lot at the Spectrum.

There wouldn't be any novelty to it at all, and I can't see an NHL team using a night off midseason to play a meaningless exhibition against their farm team, risking potential injuries.

NHL needs a weekly nationaly televised show.

I agree that there needs to be a weekly show with a better time slot and visibility. There have been ones in the past and you used to even be able to catch the AHL Rinkside show on a local sports network here in the Philly area, but that type of coverage seems to be lacking now.

Consider moving out of some of the warm weather markets to places that actually play hockey.

Okay, so on one hand, you're saying the league needs to increase its profile and attract attention, but on the other, you're saying to give up on trying to reach "non-traditional" or otherwise untapped markets and only concentrate on "traditional" hockey hotbeds. How can you ever expect hockey to take root elsewhere? As rams80 mentioned, Dallas is a good example of a team that's taken the initiative to grow the local hockey culture by doing things like opening new rinks. You don't want to keep a franchise in an area if it's a failure and there's a more viable location for a team, but I don't see why the NHL needs to pack up and abandon markets just because they're "warm weather."

[Coast2CoastAM2006]

*1. Execute whoever is in charge of the NHL's media contracts.

OLN? What @$$hat thought this was the best place to put NHL games? NBC showing games on Sunday afternoon against NFL games? Christ. Get some real television contracts put together, and it might be helpful if someone would play up on the elements of the sport; the violoence of football, the speed of basketball, and the skill of baseball. Whatever. I'd have national contracts with Spike, CW, and Fox Sports. Okay they're not my first choices either, but since they screwed themselves out of ESPN and ABC, it's better than what they currently have. If the NHL has to bite the bullet and take in a little less revenue for a few years, so what? Get the exposure in there and when the demand goes up, they can ask for more next time.

The NHL was getting buried on ESPN. The move to OLN/Versus was a great move IMO, mainly because they have the potential to showcase the sport with out having to bury it with football, basketball and baseball. Though i wouldn't oppose showcasing games on CW, Spike, TNT etc.

*2. Put the best players in the biggest markets.

Although it was a dark day for Oilers fans when Wayne Gretzky married Janet Jones and moved on to Los Angeles, it turned out to be a great move for hockey all around because it took hockey's best player and put him in a high profile market. It could be argued that Gretzky in California helped with the expansion of the game in the southern markets.

not necessary IMO. Moving players like Kovalchuk and Crosby out of small markets to big markets is really bad. Atlanta and Pittsburgh needs those big name players if they ever want to draw any type of audience. With the cap and all that there is really no reason a small market team like the Pens can't field a competitive team around Crosby. Moving a Crosby in to New York isn't going to guarentee big draws of interest. Having a Pens v. Capitals rivalry with competitive teams built around Crosby and Ove will probably draw better than having Crosby on the Rangers and Ove on the Wings. I see where you are comming from but I'm not sure if this would work.

  *3. Mid-season exhibitions vs. large market minor league teams.

Just as in soccer, hockey should consider having a few mid-season exhibition games versus minor league teams in larger markets. I think it would get better ratings than the All-Star game and it would get better exposure of the NHL in places that should have it.

I don't like the idea of regular season exhibitions. The players already play a tough 82 game schedule and this will wear players down and increase the chance of injury. It may work for NHL 2006 or Eastside Hockey Manager with computer simulated players but not for real life players. Though i wouldn't be opposed to the NHL pro team playing the AHL farm team affiliate in the preseason. you could showcase your up and comming talent with out having to drag players in to a needless exhibition game midway in to the season.

*4. NHL needs a weekly nationaly televised show.

The NBA has "Inside Stuff", MLB has various shows- in fact most teams have their own local recap show, hell the NFL has their own network for crying out loud. The NHL needs a serious weekly show in the US that showcases the leagues best players, highlights the best plays, and exposes the best fans in the stands. It's all about promotion and the NHL while it does a good job exposing teams in their local market does a poor job of exposing hockey as a national sport.

This i do agree with and for all the reasons you stated.

*5. Enough with the Olympic "Dream Team".

The effort of sending hockey dream teams to the Olympics is a waste of time. It disrupts hockey seasons, endangers players and teams, and to be honest doesn't yeild particularly great results. Instead I would suggest a half dozen tune-up games versus either entire teams or assembled teams featuring several merged local rosters say Team USA vs the Rangers/Isles/Devils. These exhibitions would toughen the Olympic teams up, give them more time practicing together and by doing so forming actual team chemistry, and would again give both the pros and ametuers more exposure among hockey fans.

I'm not a big fan of the olympics to begin with nor am i a big fan of shutting downa season for 2 weeks just to send players to the olympics. However i don't like the idea of merger tune up games. Again we are dealing with real life human beings not a computer simulation or a video game. An idea that might work is do an all star type of scenerio where the olympic champion plays the best of the NHL. Example Team Sweden play Team NHL. DIdn't the NHL used to do something similar when the USSR was at its hockey heights during the 70's and early 80's?

*6. Have NCAA's Frozen Four tournament in an NHL arena.

Enough with having the colleg hockey playoffs in small obscure places like in the Dakotas. These players are the future of the NHL. Put them in an NHL environment. I would also put in whatever NHL television broadcast deal that the NCAA Frozen Four be broadcast on the NHL's networks. Again, hockey needs to have exposure to find its fans. This might also be a good time for talent scouts to be openly scouting future NHL superstars.

The frozen four already is played in many NHL arenas so thats a moot point. However increased attention to College Hockey would work. WHen it comes to the NFL and NBA, most people that are just casual fans could probably tell you which player was drafted from which college. Guys like Peyton Manning were already becoming named players before they were drafted because of college coverage. However i'm not sure if most casual observers even know who Phil Kessel is. If College Hockey or even CHL hockey could become as big as College Football and Basketball, people would know alot of these players comming out of college and start generating interest like VY and Reggie Bush did. If Phil Kessel was big as Bush or VY, then people might be inclined to follow the team that drafted him. LIke people do with the Saints and Titans or even the Colts even though they may not be die hard fans of those teams.

*7. Consider moving out of some of the warm weather markets to places that actually play hockey.

Seattle, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Portland, Winnipeg, Quebec City- all not only have hockey fans, but actually PLAY hockey. Places in the deep south are rather hard pressed to find any hockey being played outside the NHL. No one plays it in high school, college, universities, rec leagues. Oh sure there are transplants living in these places for fans and population wise these are bigger markets. But a bigger market with fewer fans just means more people ignoring your product. Put teams where people appreciate them whether they win games or not.

Most people grow up either playing football and/or basketball. One because its cheaper to buy a football or a basketball than it is to buy equipment and all that just to play a sport. its easier to throw a football around or shoot a basketball. Especially in an area where the 2 main seasons are summer and almost summer. THats not to say that hockey is a failure in the south, its just hard pressed to get people who are generally passionate about football and basketball to be excited about hockey especially when a team like the Thrashers are an annual no show for the playoffs. That said, success does breed interest. Dallas's cup runs brought alot of interest of hockey in to the area. The Stars already have a sizable following you don't see it with 24/7 cowboys but they do. I think Tampa is booming from their last cup run, so you have to give it time. Its not going to happen overnight, it takes time and success and alot of heavy marketing.

*8. Marketing Marketing Marketing

I don't see NHL players endorsing that many products outside of hockey equipment. I should think some products like Gatorade, candybars, or sportswear would be an easy sell. If the league doesn't expose their players through means outside the sport itself, they are doing themselves and thier players a disservice. Call it selling out if you want to, but having your best players shilling Coke or Big Macs can only be a good thing from the point of veiw of hockey as a business.

Which leads me to your next point. The NHL has the worst marketing team ever. We should be seeing Mike Modano or Jaromir Jagr endorsing products and be seen on the national level. There seen on the local level but they aren't seen on the national level. THe more people see Jagr or Modano, the more they spark interest or at least name recognition. People like myself who don't follow baseball or basketball with any degree know who Shaq or A-Rod is just from product endorsement or numerous appearances. We need to bring the player to the fans, saturate the commercial time with hockey stars like Football and basketball does with there stars.

*9. Consider allowing film/telvision crews shoot NHL games and logos into thier productions.

I can recall one of the Leathal Weapon movies having a scene in a hockey arena. The teams playing suggested the Kings and the Leafs- only it wasn't them. They were generic uniforms that only looked similar. The "Kings" wore black and silver unis with a shield logo with a simple "LA" on it. The "Leafs" wore a blue spade on thiers. Oddly enough the home team wore darks at home at that time. I also recall seeing those very same generic uniforms in TV comercials whenever the ad called for a hockey team. What missed opportunities the NHL had.

Another movie "Highlander", was supposed to have it's opening scene take place durring a Rangers/Devils game, but they changed it to pro wrestling because the NHL wouldn't give them the rights.

If I were them now, I'd donate free uniforms and right to the NHL logos to any production that wanted them. Any exposure is good exposure. ANd it this point I should think the NHL really cannot afford to be too picky.

Well to be fair Sudden Death did feature the Penguins and Blackhawks and Mystery, Alaska did feature the New York Rangers. But i do agree with the assesement, the NHL needs as much exposure as possible. Letting tv/movie productions use there logos and uniforms, maybe even a star player or two only helps bring the player/team to the fans. I know the NHL likes a conservative approach, but right now its pretty much suffocating the league. It needs as much attention as possible.

10. Pay more attention to our cousins to the north. 

In the one counrty they could take their fans for granted- they don't. Hockey might be more popular in Canada, but it's in no small part because they know how to market it up there. An outdoor game, flames and fireworks after goals, local sponsorships up the whazoo, public media relationships that boarder on stalking of fans. Their American counterparts need to take a hint from these guys and be just as persistant with their fans. In the end not enough is being done to make the sport what it is truely capable of.

absolutely, all in all its all about PR and marketing. If you build a lemonade stand on your local corner and you don't market the lemonade, how are you going to sell glasses of lemonade to Joe Sixpack if nobody out side of your block knows about the lemonade. Again marketing, every corporation which hockey is, has to understand PR and marketing. Sure you can takea conservative approach and let people come to you or you can take your product to the customer. Canada does a good job of taking the product to the consumer, the american side does a piss poor job.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

how are you going to sell glasses of lemonade to Joe Sixpack if nobody out side of your block knows about the lemonade.

Joe Sixpack doesn't want lemonade. He wants beer. He only wants lemonade when it's 90 degrees and it's before 10:00 a.m.

So there you are, the NHL should shift its season to the summer before noon. That way, people can pop in and enjoy the cool air and go home and get drunk like normal.

God bless America.

[no97]

*6. Have NCAA's Frozen Four tournament in an NHL arena.

Enough with having the colleg hockey playoffs in small obscure places like in the Dakotas. These players are the future of the NHL. Put them in an NHL environment. I would also put in whatever NHL television broadcast deal that the NCAA Frozen Four be broadcast on the NHL's networks. Again, hockey needs to have exposure to find its fans. This might also be a good time for talent scouts to be openly scouting future NHL superstars.

The frozen four already is played in many NHL arenas so thats a moot point. However increased attention to College Hockey would work. WHen it comes to the NFL and NBA, most people that are just casual fans could probably tell you which player was drafted from which college. Guys like Peyton Manning were already becoming named players before they were drafted because of college coverage. However i'm not sure if most casual observers even know who Phil Kessel is. If College Hockey or even CHL hockey could become as big as College Football and Basketball, people would know alot of these players comming out of college and start generating interest like VY and Reggie Bush did. If Phil Kessel was big as Bush or VY, then people might be inclined to follow the team that drafted him. LIke people do with the Saints and Titans or even the Colts even though they may not be die hard fans of those teams.

See, but the biggest problem here is that the NHL is too international. If the NCAA was the sole feeder to the NHL, you could market it such, and Phil Kessel could be Vince young-like. Problem is that the top rookies of the last couple years are Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin and now, to compete with Kessel, Evgeni Malkin. None of these guys played NCAA hockey, so it doesn't matter how popular it becomes, there will still be unknowns as rookies in the NHL...

Moose

[-Helix-]

*7. Consider moving out of some of the warm weather markets to places that actually play hockey.

Seattle, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Portland, Winnipeg, Quebec City- all not only have hockey fans, but actually PLAY hockey. Places in the deep south are rather hard pressed to find any hockey being played outside the NHL. No one plays it in high school, college, universities, rec leagues. Oh sure there are transplants living in these places for fans and population wise these are bigger markets. But a bigger market with fewer fans just means more people ignoring your product. Put teams where people appreciate them whether they win games or not.

Yeah, we don't play hockey here at all. I just imagined my entire HIGH SCHOOL team and must be high on something when I go watch my friends play for their various travel teams.... as well as college teams of my friends that have already graduated. (And, GASP, I'm not even a northern transplant. Lived in the south my entire life as have most of the players I've ever played with.)

And I don't appreciate my team at all. I may have a ton of Lightning Merchandise and the Stanley Cup win might've been the best moment of my life in recent memory.... but yeah... I couldn't care less.

Kind of funny that you want the NHL to be more popular, yet you want to GET RID OF MARKETS AND FANS? Smart move there chief.

The NHL is no more popular in the northern States than it is in the south. When ESPN asked if anyone cared when the NHL locked out. The northerners were just as quick to say "No" as the southerners. I wish I still had a picture of the map that was completely covered in red. Red meaning "I don't care about the NHL". Nope. Not one state in the entire union cared.

Besides, it's not very fair to relate an area that is fairly new to hockey as compared to the north which has been playing for almost a century if not more in some areas. That's not fair to us pioneers down here that are trying to grow the game so in the future it has the potential to be as expansive as it is in some northern areas.

That's like demanding that my high school team, although just started about 5 years ago, should be just as popular and as skilled as a top Minnesota high school team that's probably been around for decades.

Hockey has only been around the majority of the south for about 10 years. That's barely one generation of kids as compared to numerous generous spanning back years in more traditional markets. I read somewhere that the NHL, out of all the professional leagues, has the youngest and most knowledgable fans. I see a bright future if it stays on course. Although the NHL isn't helping much.

It's just a shame people like you think about the present more than the future of the game. I for one would rather have an unpopular league now, yet a good roots foundation and a successful league in the future, even if it's past my death. I just want my favorite sport to be enjoyed by as many as possible. It's a shame some ignorant people (cough) have to cast a bad shadow over that.

[/end speech]

Sorry, it's been a long day.

[deliver2david]

6. Um, better idea: More programs in College Hockey. I remember the days when there were college hockey teams at Kent State and Illinois-Chicago and when there was a Division II level of play. Now, you just have D-I and D-III and the westernmost team on the mainland is North Dakota. To me, this is apalling. I want to see more schools in the West and in the South take a chance and create college hockey programs. I'm sure there are people here that wouldn't mind seeing a few schools take that chance.

Surely you realize that two of the last three National Titles were won by Denver University, right And that DU's biggest rival is Colorado College, right?

Don't forget about the Alaska schools. They are about as West as it gets.

[Seadragon76]

6. Um, better idea: More programs in College Hockey. I remember the days when there were college hockey teams at Kent State and Illinois-Chicago and when there was a Division II level of play. Now, you just have D-I and D-III and the westernmost team on the mainland is North Dakota. To me, this is apalling. I want to see more schools in the West and in the South take a chance and create college hockey programs. I'm sure there are people here that wouldn't mind seeing a few schools take that chance.

Don't forget about the Alaska schools. They are about as West as it gets.

Next time you post, make sure you read the whole thing, m'kay?

[Fred T. Jane]

I guess my high school team was imaginary too...

Homegrown hockey fan since 5 BDS (before Dallas Stars, the closest NHL team to me)

[Roger Clemente]

how are you going to sell glasses of lemonade to Joe Sixpack if nobody out side of your block knows about the lemonade.

Joe Sixpack doesn't want lemonade. He wants beer. He only wants lemonade when it's 90 degrees and it's before 10:00 a.m.

So there you are, the NHL should shift its season to the summer before noon. That way, people can pop in and enjoy the cool air and go home and get drunk like normal.

God bless America.

What about the Joe Sixpack's who don't know what lemonade is, but once they try it, they love it?

--Roger "Time?" Clemente.

[The_Admiral]

Sometimes I think my side, the "hockey belongs in hockey country" side, is so obnoxious that you want to hit them all, but then I remember how annoyingly petulant the opposition is, and I feel marginally better about my stance.

The NHL is no more popular in the northern States than it is in the south.

According to what? Some B.S. smearjob survey from a network that tries to bury the league? Don't be an idiot. Of course New England and Minnesota care more about hockey than Georgia and Florida. Seriously, think about it.

[nwtrailtrekker]

*7. Consider moving out of some of the warm weather markets to places that actually play hockey.

Seattle, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Portland, Winnipeg, Quebec City- all not only have hockey fans, but actually PLAY hockey. Places in the deep south are rather hard pressed to find any hockey being played outside the NHL. No one plays it in high school, college, universities, rec leagues. Oh sure there are transplants living in these places for fans and population wise these are bigger markets. But a bigger market with fewer fans just means more people ignoring your product. Put teams where people appreciate them whether they win games or not.

I hate to rain on your parade over here even more but...Seattle does not have a NHL compatible arena (I swear, that should be stickied on every farking hockey board in the world.) Quebec City's arena cannot support a NHL team today, and the size of the new Winnipeg arena has touched off a lot of debate as to whether or not it is "NHL size".

I think the Milads suffer from being a minor league team in a major league market and the lack of stability with the franchise the last couple of years-don't write Milwaukee off.

The purpose of Southern Expansion was to grow the flippin' game-a process that is lengthy and time-consuming. It is starting to bear fruit though (Dallas would be a model example there IMO.) It would be stupid to completely write it off as a failure.

seattle could NEVER support an NHL team anyways. wouldnt work. whoever said it was wrong

theres no hockey support in WA.

high schools dont do hockey

colleges dont do hockey.

not at all

[Coast2CoastAM2006]

how are you going to sell glasses of lemonade to Joe Sixpack if nobody out side of your block knows about the lemonade.

Joe Sixpack doesn't want lemonade. He wants beer. He only wants lemonade when it's 90 degrees and it's before 10:00 a.m.

So there you are, the NHL should shift its season to the summer before noon. That way, people can pop in and enjoy the cool air and go home and get drunk like normal.

God bless America.

my bad In fact Joe Sixpack would like to turn on a game in somewhereville and watch the go-no-wheres play the nobodies, pitch a tent and taste Mikes Hard Lemonade.

See, but the biggest problem here is that the NHL is too international. If the NCAA was the sole feeder to the NHL, you could market it such, and Phil Kessel could be Vince young-like. Problem is that the top rookies of the last couple years are Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin and now, to compete with Kessel, Evgeni Malkin. None of these guys played NCAA hockey, so it doesn't matter how popular it becomes, there will still be unknowns as rookies in the NHL...

The NBA doesn't have this problem, College Basketball is highly popular like College Football and yet people know who guys like Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzky, and Peja Stoyakavich(SP?) are and they didn't attend college. Basketball is becomming an increasing international sport and yet we know who the college guys are and the international stars are. LeBron James was a high school senior and already got as much if not more coverage than some of the biggest of big name stars in the NHL. He already became a house hold name before he even graduated high school.