How do we increase the popularity of ice hockey in the USA?

Question

Ice hockey is one of the fastest, most exciting and intense sports on the planet. It's loved in Canada and Europe, but it's only a niche sport in the USA. Most people in the US don't understand it or know much about the pro and college teams, let alone the stars.

Answer 1

the best answer is take as many kids as you can to a hockey game. I love hockey and have from the time i could walk. I can enjoy the game very much on tv. I have noticed though that people that dont grow up with it cant on tv unless they have been introduced to the excitement of seeing it live. hockey is in my opinion the most complex of games. but that intensity is just not felt on the tv with out the excitement of seeing it and feeling the energy in person. the other thing that works is share your excitement talk it up explain the suttle things. oh yeah and tell people that their are fights lol. some times that works too

Answer 2

Americans like high-scoring affairs, which is most likely a reason why soccer doesnt have nearly the fan basis that it has every where else in the world. Now that they have modified the rules to make the games flow better and more enjoyable to watch, (I must admit that i enjoyed the games this season far more than i have in past seasons) there is the problem that it is rather difficult to actually find a hockey game on TV. I go to college in TN, and would have liked to have watched more games than I did, but i could never find a damn game. I know it failed to attract the amsses the last time hockey games were broadcasted on primetime TV, but now with the games be oming more enjoyable, I think another major network should go out on a limb and get a contract to broadcast hockey, or at the very least ESPN. I dont know how ESPN can air speeling bees and poker over hockey.

Answer 3

First, and foremost, take everything they did since the early 1990's to increase popularity and throw it away. Go back to the rules and style of officiating which brought hockey to the level it was at when you could find a game on ESPN2 three nights a week. It needs its original fan base back before they can move on.
Second, truly show the fans that both players and Owners are sorry for both work stoppages in that time. (break on ticket prices, a big one)
Third, accept the fact that it is not Baseball (Americas past time), Football (you cannot compete with a league which is only on two to three days a week for four months when you are on 6 nights a week for close to nine months (including pre season)), or Basketball (for a sport to be popular the fans need to be able to get out there and do it, Hockey is just too expensive to play, Basketball is the cheapest)

Answer 4

I am inclined to agree with many of the current posters on many things. Great answers here folks. That OLN situation is rediculous. Hockey fans don't care about seeing fishing lure commercials during the game. But one person has really nailed it... the cost. Why do you think basketball is so popular? What do a group of kids need to get a game going? They need a ball. That's it. There is always a park or something to shoot around in. First thing they need to play hockey is ice, of course. Then you need a fortune in equipment per player. It's unfortunate for us hockey nuts. But it's true. How can we get a high school to start such a program? First they need a place to skate. That right there can be a huge obstacle. I'm sorry to say, I don't think it will change much.

Answer 5

The answer is simple...Get rid of Gary Bettman. He took hockey out of millions of homes this season by signing with OLN. We don't get OLN so we didn't get hockey until the finals on NBC. So if hockey is not on TV, no one knows it exists. Sports talk radio has to get more involved. We compete with college basketball in the winter and the World Series and NFL in the fall. If no one is talking about the game, it does not exist. More little kids need to be playing hockey, but the game is too expensive for the average family. Gary Bettman markets to corporations, not families. Families cannot afford to see many games. Its a 1x or 2x a year treat with parking, food, and game ticket for a family of 4 well over $200 a night. Also, USA Olympic hockey team that plays with heart and passion that won a gold medal would help the most to spread the popularity.

Answer 6

Whatever they did this past season with the rules helped. I found myself watching a lot of the playoffs. Scoring appears to increase, and that is what people want to see. I was happy to see no fighting. And this is where I think people view the U.S. all wrong. Those that think we like football for the "big hits" and the cheerleaders have it wrong. Sure, there are some that do, but if that were true, wouldn't the XFL have survived? The real reason it is successful is the scoring: touchdowns, field goals, safeties, etc. The matchups are intriguing and every team has a chance to prevail. It's more of a chess match than any other sport. Can that be said about most sports? No. But what I am getting at here is to make it more sucessful it needs to have more scoring or at LEAST the opportunity for more scoring, and this is where it improved. Shots on goal appeared to have gone up because of rule changes.

No question these guys are athletic, but watching them fight is bull. It's boring and barbaric.

Answer 7

I SO love the game but am as frustrated as you ! I agree that once someone goes to a game they are hooked. I agree that Bettman did a great injustice by going with OLN and accepting the fact that a hell of a lot fewer homes received that channel so a lot fewer fans and potential fans were able to view games. I get very frustrated hearing about Americans not being in to Hockey. I am and I know alot of people that are so why are we on page 10 or stuck on OLN (which would be okay if all cable co. carried it) ?
What do we do ? Start telling any one and every one about your favorite sport HOCKEY ! Take them to games, invite them over to watch games.
There are alot of roller hockey leagues that you can get youngster's in to , a good start to ice, less expensive too. My son played and loved it, his high school even got a team together the last two years he attended and the school is fighting to get the sport accepted.
Shout about it !! Be Proud of it !
I may not know all the names and stats but boy I love my Hockey.

Answer 8

The biggest problem is that Hockey doesn't translate well on TV. I have found that when I take friends to a live game, they are hooked. Moreover, with the lack of a frozen winter in most of the US, it's not a sport you go out and play with friends. My kids play ice hockey in California. Few of their friends do. The main reason...cost. A pair of cleats, a ball and league fees for soccer is maybe $150. To get a kid outfitted, skates and league fees for hockey is close to $1000. (cheap equipment). I don't ever see it gaining the following of the other big 4 sports. Good thing though, easier to get seats to "The Tank" in San Jose.

Answer 9

You want the real answer? Go back to 90s rules. From the early to mid 90s, hockey was the fastest-growing sport in North America. Things started going downhill when Bettman became the commissioner. There was the whole crease rule nuttiness, the requirement to keep the jersies strapped down, strapping down on interference which caused a whole lot more penalties destroying the real flow of any game... and slowly, fighting and strong hits were phased out.

Hockey is interesting when it's rough and physical. There's not one real hockey fan I know that doesn't miss those days. I mean, come on. If you could sell out a game in MIAMI in those days, why change anything? And when you started changing things and realized that suddenly everyone stopped watching, why not go back to how they were before? It's silly to let Mario's bad back dictate the rules of the game. It's a lot more exciting to watch a good, physical game than it is to watch one guy on one team score a few pretty goals while his team gets destroyed.

So, how do we change things? Lighten up on the penalties. Let the guys play. Let them fight, let them grind. Let them do the things that the Oilers did this season in the playoffs without penalizing them and slowing the game down. Let defensemen play actual defense, and let them be judged on that rather than how many points they can score while giving up just as many breakaway opportunities.

Let hockey players play hockey, not some watered down version of the sport intended to please consumers when its only effect is to drive them away.

Answer 10

From a Canadians perspective.
I'd say take out team where there is ZERO interest (Florida for one) and relocate them to areas that have interest (Portland, KC, Milwaukee)
Then, have the NHL get a real TV deal in the US, one with ESPN.
Have media outlets follow NCAA hockey, which can be very exciting.

Other than that, I really don't understand why hockeys rated below golf, the spelling bee on US networks.?