A Great Year For Hockey - But Is It Enough?
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Over the years hockey has slowly been pushed down the totem pole of the professional sports ranks in the United States. TV ratings and attendance have been low while audience apathy has been up. However, the year that hockey has had could change that. This year two major events - the Olympics, and the NHL Playoffs - renewed feelings of excitement, pride, and passion towards the sport that was all but disregarded in the US. The only question is, were these events enough to make the excitement they produced last?
With the Olympics we saw a perfect script. The underdog US team, who wasn't even considered a top 3 contender, up against the powerhouse that is Team Canada for the ultimate prize.
Two teams, two bitter rivals, battling for the gold, and just when people thought it couldn't get any better, it did when the game went into overtime and was won by none other than the man with the fairytale career, Sidney Crosby. This scenario could not have been more perfect for the game of hockey. The world saw exactly what it wanted to see, and this match up even peaked interest in the States which is exactly what the sport needs. In Canada, it wouldn't matter if Belarus were playing Latvia in the finals - they would still watch it. In the US, however, the case is slightly different. For the US to be interested they have to be involved, and because of this it's easy to see why it was so crucial for hockey that the US get into the finals. Even the fact that the US lost makes it even more favorable for the sport in my opinion. This way, instead of America assuming a typical cocky attitude about their team, they're hungry to win, and this should make hockey very appealing and exciting for Americans in the next Winter Olympics.
Following suit with the Olympics, the NHL Playoffs were extremely exciting this year. We saw four game 7's, a #8 seed beat a #1 seed in the first round, a team come back from an 0-3 series deficit, and an all-American final that didn't include the Red Wings or Penguins.
This year's Cup Final was an historic one for the NHL as they got their highest TV ratings in 36 years. It's evident why this Final was appealing to Americans - two big-market cities, both with long Stanley Cup droughts, that were hard-working, physical, and evenly-matched teams. The series was close too, as four of the six games were decided by one goal, and two of those four games were in OT.
This kind of hockey is exactly what the sport needs to survive, and eventually thrive. For hockey to make a comeback and escape the depths of sports obscurity the US must have attentive and involved fans. Without a strong following from a US audience, the sport could crumble and be an afterthought. Luckily, hockey created some serious momentum this year. Many people who were not fans became "on the fence" fans, and many fans who were "on the fence" about hockey before this season crossed over and became legitimate fans. The key now is for the NHL to find a way to get fans over and away from this metaphorical fence.
The NHL has to take action and be proactive to carry their recent success and make it long-lasting, and now is the time to do it because it's as good a time as they've ever had.
With the Olympics we saw a perfect script. The underdog US team, who wasn't even considered a top 3 contender, up against the powerhouse that is Team Canada for the ultimate prize.
Two teams, two bitter rivals, battling for the gold, and just when people thought it couldn't get any better, it did when the game went into overtime and was won by none other than the man with the fairytale career, Sidney Crosby. This scenario could not have been more perfect for the game of hockey. The world saw exactly what it wanted to see, and this match up even peaked interest in the States which is exactly what the sport needs. In Canada, it wouldn't matter if Belarus were playing Latvia in the finals - they would still watch it. In the US, however, the case is slightly different. For the US to be interested they have to be involved, and because of this it's easy to see why it was so crucial for hockey that the US get into the finals. Even the fact that the US lost makes it even more favorable for the sport in my opinion. This way, instead of America assuming a typical cocky attitude about their team, they're hungry to win, and this should make hockey very appealing and exciting for Americans in the next Winter Olympics. Following suit with the Olympics, the NHL Playoffs were extremely exciting this year. We saw four game 7's, a #8 seed beat a #1 seed in the first round, a team come back from an 0-3 series deficit, and an all-American final that didn't include the Red Wings or Penguins.
This year's Cup Final was an historic one for the NHL as they got their highest TV ratings in 36 years. It's evident why this Final was appealing to Americans - two big-market cities, both with long Stanley Cup droughts, that were hard-working, physical, and evenly-matched teams. The series was close too, as four of the six games were decided by one goal, and two of those four games were in OT. This kind of hockey is exactly what the sport needs to survive, and eventually thrive. For hockey to make a comeback and escape the depths of sports obscurity the US must have attentive and involved fans. Without a strong following from a US audience, the sport could crumble and be an afterthought. Luckily, hockey created some serious momentum this year. Many people who were not fans became "on the fence" fans, and many fans who were "on the fence" about hockey before this season crossed over and became legitimate fans. The key now is for the NHL to find a way to get fans over and away from this metaphorical fence.
The NHL has to take action and be proactive to carry their recent success and make it long-lasting, and now is the time to do it because it's as good a time as they've ever had.
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