More Important for the NHL: reach out to new fans or keep the ones it has?

Question

Lots of debate on this the last few days. Fighting is a great example, if banned it would alienate the people that watch the sport now, that is certain. But would it attract new people to the sport? And does that even matter?

The NHL has expanded dramatically in the "Southern Cites" the last 15 years to places like Dallas, Tampa Bay, Phoenix, Colorado, Anaheim. While some of these were expansion teams, others came at the cost of leaving a Canadian City.

The era of Gary Bettman (someone who is almost universally hated around here at Y!A) has ushered in several changes to try to reach out to more people: the shootout, the extra point for overtime, the infamous "glowing puck", changes to "open up" the game.

So let's get down to the crux of the matter. Is it more important to reach new people --- changing the game in the process -- or to preserve the rules and traditions of Hockey?

Bob - well argued

hockeygirl - Was it so hard to just answer the question either with "keep tradition" or "try to reach out to new fans".?

You have a unique gift for putting words in my mouth.. If I WANTED to change the game, I would be phoning the NHL offices and writing letters to Bettman, not posting things on Yahoo Answers.

I don't deny I have some strong feelings about fighting in Hockey. I don't deny I am in the minority in this but at least the recent question posted with something like 500 answers should satisfy you I am not some "Johnny come lately" person who does not know the sport.

And by the way, what exactly are the other answers to this question supposed to PROVE anyway? This is the HOCKEY section!!!! What do you EXPECT most people who follow Hockey the way it is played NOW to say?

Bob ANSWERED the question and argued his case well. You had a chance to do the same but instead just decided to descend to a "See I told you so" attitude.

Answer 1

Hockey has been played in Canada for well over 100 years. The sport has a rich history, full of wonderful traditions.

I wasn't born a hockey fan. I became one. And I became one before glowing pucks, nameless officials, colored creases and protective netting. I became a fan because the sport is compelling, fast-paced, athletic....so many great things. Those great things are in danger. And they shouldn't be. The sport was able to attract fans before all these "wonderful innovations", and it should be left as it's always been, to keep attracting fans that will stay.

These changes are designed to catch someone's attention, almost like a flashing neon sign. And like a neon light, it will bring them in for a look, but the majority aren't going to stay. They'll look around for a few minutes, then they're gone. The price for a few new fans is too high.

Over the last few years, the sport I love has fallen victim to the idology that newer is better; that change for the sake of change is reason enough. Tradition, one of the things I love about Hockey, has been tossed to the side in favor of....what? A great tv deal to increase viewship? Nope. An increase in market locations to increase attendance and fan base? Nope. Even the All-Star Weekend has been done away with, to disasterous results.

The new schedule? Hate it! The new jerseys every few years? Hate it!

Stop trying to fix something that wasn't broken before you touched it, Mr. Bettman!

During the lockout, I had one of those magnetic ribbons that you can put on your car. It was black with an orange border. In orange letters, it said "I Want My Hockey Fixed". I still do.

Answer 2

Like it or not, hockey is not a Canadian sport, it is a world sport.
Hockey is better to watch now than before the lockout. The game was getting out of hand. All the stars were getting concussions, and there was a whistle every 30 seconds for offsides or icing.
The game did not become Americanized, it just moved to America. The game became europeanized, and I like it.

Goalie pads were too big the ice was too small, and the clutching was too much. Mario was right!

Fighting will not go away. The goons may go away for more skilled fighters, but fighting stops stick work and we don't need any more Simon and bertuzzi incidents.

The TV coverage is a big problem! I think Hi-Def TV makes hockey lots better on TV. They just need to get back on ESPN or start a Hockey network.

I would also start a major minor league league. 12 teams in Canada and the US and 12 in Europe. Have them play a final series the week after the NHL Final.

Hockey in the south is growing. The Ducks Junior team won the quebec world championship going 12-0. Face it hockey is world wide and changing to fit a world market.

Answer 3

You already know my answer. Back to the grassroots. What message would it send to the existing fans who have been there through the long haul?? Generally, the new fans are going to be of the casual variety so why cater to them?? I am not even a big fan of the luxury boxes-you get the suits who go to fraternize and don't even watch the game while Joe Blow Minimum Wage has to shell out a few hundred to take his kids. Also, half of them are empty most of the time.
Like I said, it would be like moving premiere soccer to North America and changing the rules to make the game faster because we find it too slow. how would that go over in Europe?
Also, do you really think all of these fans will come in because of a few changes?? If they don't care for it now, will they if there is all of the sudden no more fighting??

If I had to guess, (for the fighting example) the NHL would lose 20% of it's fan base to gain 1% of new fans. Obviously that is just my guess but if anything I think the first number could be higher because Canadian and Northern U.S fans would be outraged and many would just boycott the game because after the lock-out and all the changes, many would look at it as the last straw of what was left of good old time hockey. It would basically just be European hockey. I think people would still be hockey fans but would spend more time at Major Junior games than NHL ones.

Answer 4

Reach New People?
If they aren't already watching Hockey why bother? Let the bastards sit and watch Figure Skating all day.

And changing the game?
Honestly guys is it really that bad? This game is fine the way it is. I'm not sure why they think it needs to be changed.

Preserve th Rules and Traditions of Hockey?
That sounds more like it too me. Hockey has been around forever and these idiots want to change every bit of it. And quite frankly who's game is it to change? Certainly not theirs, the rules and traditions put in place are there for a reason, it's obviousely worked in the past. So why change it now?
Keep this game just the way it is, besides as long as I have a beer in my hand, a remote control, and a few good friends that have a decent opinion about the game, I'm Happy!

Answer 5

The 'non fans' who say 'change this, change that' are the people who aren't going to watch the sport no matter what it does. They'll just go back and spend countless hours devising a mock draft or tournament bracket that'll end up being way off and not give two craps about hockey even if it becomes what they say they wanted it to be. This is the kind of person Bettman is yielding to.

As such, it would help the sport more if it just focused on pleasing their current fanbase instead of trying to court the type of person I already mentioned. Whether it be by moving/whatever teams back to hockey hotbeds up north, or laxing the rules against fighting or even bring back the Wales and Campbell Conferences, the sport was doing quite well back before all of these changes because it focused on its fanbase.

Answer 6

I think that there has to be a balance, but that the NHL should err on the side of its established fans. I, along with many people really like some of the rule changes from a few years ago. It was tough for all but the most determined team to watch a team run a neutral zone trap the whole game.

Its very important to expand the borders of the sport, but with a few exceptions this should be done through marketing and putting forth a good, entertaining product, not by basterdizing the game.

Answer 7

If Bettman keeps changing the game he will alienate his chief source of talent. Where is he going to find a talent pool to provide 65% of his players if he continues to turn Canadians away from the game?
When I was growing up in the 60s and 70s 9 out of every 10 kids I knew played hockey. I have 5 nephews and only 2 play hockey. Only half of kids in Canda play the game now. If the trend continues, Bettman is going to have to convince Americans to get their kids in hockey. Do you think that will happen?
If he wants to grow the game he needs to make sure he doesn't continue to erode his core base of fans. The numbers say he's not doing that.
Hockey will suck in ten years if that continues.

Answer 8

I say preserve the rules and traditions of the game. I'm sick and tired how Bettman wants to reach out to fans int he South while completely ignoring the oxygen of the NHL in Canada and the Northern STates. Hockey is being Americanized, and as a Canadian I don't like to see our game being destroyed so people can make a profit. Hockey is never going to be big in the South (or for that matter as big in the Northern States as it is in Canada) so I say focus on those who are loyal to the game, and dont' sacrifice that to get new fans.

Great question that needed to be asked.

Answer 9

The league needs desperately to reach out to new fans, but not by changing the game anymore. They have already desecrated the game enough with stupid crap like shootouts and points for losing to appeal to a greater audience, and it's still not working. If they continue to screw with the tradition, they will lose the core of fans they do have.

There needs to be a happy medium and it needs to be found now. I can't recall a time in any sport that had the influx of young phenoms like there is in hockey right now. And most of them are extremely personable kids...Sid, AO, etc. Is it really that difficult to capitalize on them and grow the sport? Reducing the league to figure skating or a skills competition isn't going to do it.

Answer 10

Traditional fans first, we are the pulse of the league and have been there through thick and thin, during the lockout we were there still fans of the sport, through the bettman era we are there for that, reward the loyal fans who actually know the sport and appreciate it, the fanbase for hockey is good enough with the fans it has.