Will the HNL recover from the strike and recent lack of fan support?

Answer 1

I think the answer to your question was answered allready last year when revenues were up all around the league. Fan support is in my opinion as high as ever. The game is faster and more open to goals now that the salary cap has been issued. The leauge is better off now then it was 3 years ago.

Answer 2

They can, as long as they can get the word out about how well the game's improved. The biggest complaint has always been the rapid expansion of the league in the mid-late 90s to regions that had NO fan base outside of the arena. This was supposed to help them economically, but ended up just costing the league more just to run the teams and by diluting the talent pool. Do you think people really took hockey seriously when a team was named after a Disney kid's movie? And why do Arizona, Florida and Texas, states that rarely, if ever, get any natural ice all have teams? By sending teams to small-market regions (Nashville, St. Louis, Phoenix, anyone?) the NHL has garunteed they'll have problems getting major television networks to cover them. Just look at the ratings for the last World Series. Game 2 was the lowest rated World Series baseball game in history. Becuase the teams were from small-market towns. People in Philadelphia don't care about a team from San Jose, they want to see Detroit, New York or Boston.
But if Pittsburg's Malkin is any indication of the talent the League could import, then by all means they should do so! Buffalo's (another small-market town, but one with a strong hockey heiritage) Teppo Numinnen is poised to break the record for number of games played by a European player, with a little more then 1200 games played (even if it has taken almost 19 season for to do it.) Then there's the problem with the League's schedual. Why aren't the East teams playing West teams more often? When Pittsburg rolled into California they sold out LA by bringing names like Crosby, Staal and Malkin. And games against more competative teams will just raise the level of play even more. A lot of people complain about the level of penalties being called, but it's certainly kept the old addage of "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out!" to a minimum. And I think a 5-6 game is a hell of a lot more exciting then a 0-0 game.
Can the League survive? Sure, as long as they can get the word out how much better the game is and how it's not your father's hockey anymore. Until then it'll remain the highest priced ticket in professional sports.

Answer 3

There is no lack of fan support in alot of NHL cities. Buffalo has sold out the entire season, as a few others have. The teams that are struggling for support and fans were doing so before the strike. Alot of the expansion teams in warm weather cities have had a hard time maintaining a fan base.

Answer 4

Where have you been???

Revenues and crowds went up just about everywhere last year...the game is faster, the fans are more into it, the league is doing fine, thank you very much.

As for those of you who answered who complained about the rules and the lack of star players, maybe you need to start watching the games, because I can guarantee you most hockey fans have heard of Ovechkin and Crosby, and this just in: brodeur is STILL one of the best goalies in hockey!!!

Teams are spending so much time on the powerplay because of the new zero-tolerance calls against holding, etc...it's stuff they should have been calling long before now. If they're doing it, they're doing it, they should have been calling it ALL the time.

Answer 5

It was not a strike it was a lockout. There is a BIG difference between a strike and a lockout.. One is imposed by the players one by the owners.
When they started playing last season after the LOCKOUT the fans were there. I think they are there this year. It's still early. in the season. Baseball just ended with the World Series a few weeks ago. Give it time.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

Yes the NHL will recover. The strike will be forgotten. The NHL will continue to improve the product. And as the game gets faster as it is intended to be, it will be more exciting to new fans and bring back many old fans.

Answer 8

Being a canadian it has never reached a low, Americans are different but are starting to respect the game for the skill not the fights. I think it has already reached a high in ratings and fans showing involvement during the season and the playoffs.

Answer 9

It can't. Not with the way the officiating is going. As soon as the media gets onto this it will scar the NHL. Right now, players are too scared to say anything about the poor calls. It's ok. Someone will. When teams spend half the game on the PP, that's not a game. That's a disgrace...

Answer 10

definitely. as more and more television stations are broadcasting the games and more and more promotions are being put up, i think the NHL will be back to normal, probably by the 2007-2008 season