Coming off the heals of a surprisingly brilliant Stanley Cup finals, won by the Detroit Red Wings 4-2, Hockey has momentum unthinkable after the lockout a few years ago.
The deciding game six drew a 4.4 share nationally, which is the highest for hockey in a decade. Some of those viewers might have been a hangover from the triple overtime game only two days earlier. For those who don't watch sudden death playoff hockey is the most exciting thing in all of sports, greater than a shoot-out, greater than overtime football, college or pro, nothing beats it. In overtime you know that the next shot could end the game, but odds are that the game will go on all night.
No matter if the audience was a hangover or simply general interest in the Stanley Cup playoffs, those approximately five million people were treated to one hell of a hockey game, and the question is how does the keep that audience?
Hockey is a great sport. It's a game that needs to be watched to appreciate, preferably in person. It needs to be good hockey though, poor hockey like the first two games of the finals where Detroit simply dominated and shut out the Penguins, that simply is unwatchable. However, good games like the last two where it was neck and neck until literally the final seconds of the game is as entertaining as any sport on television.
The biggest problem with the is the same problem the NBA has the talent pool is too diluted. There are too many teams, and not enough good competition. With the exception of a select few regular season games the sport isn't worth watching until the playoffs arrive. The NBA can survive this way because they have a much larger audience pool. Hockey is still a very niche sport and perhaps always will be. The only way to assure the product is well received is to recreate a playoff atmosphere throughout the entire season.
How does one do that? Create a playoff type atmosphere that will last all season. Consolidate the league. Right now there are 30 teams in the. 16 teams make it to the playoffs every season, eight from each conference. If the league were to consolidate down to only 16 teams for the entire league and have a frozen four, like you do in college hockey. The six original teams, and ten others in key cities and markets around the country. That's a start. If you wanted to take it one step farther, you go completely redistribute the talent pool, a good old fashion fantasy draft.
By positioning the league in key markets and noted hockey towns, the league is already set up for financial success. In addition having a "fantasy" draft, you not only get a chance to establish who the stars in the league are, but imagine the viewer ship for such a draft. The curiosity alone
would make it one of the biggest sporting events of the year.
These are definably some of the more radical ideas and even more so on the radical edge of those radical ideas. However, consolidation is not out of the realm of possibility. Most hockey experts agree that the talent pool is very diluted. One thing every hockey expert believes however, is the quickest and most important way to regain credibility it to get off of verses. Get back to ESPN and NBC at least once a week, in addition to being on verses.
Hockey is a great sport, it will never be a dominate sport, or maybe a major sport again, but it can and should regain some of the limelight of its former glory days. All the aspects are there, legitimate superstars, dynasties, rivalries. People simply need to be enlighten more often, like they were towards the end of the Stanly Cup Finals.
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