How can the NHL gain popularity?

Question

Now anything can be mentioned whether it simply be a marketing aspect, changing some aspect of the game, or something entirely unrelated that will help gain attention. The good kind of attention at least. I heard recently that the NHL ranks the same as the WNBA and Indy-Car in the popularity in the USA. Now unlike those sports the NHL regulary has sold out arenas and good attendence. So what can be done to increase the NHL popularity?

Answer 1

Before I begin, the only way this will happen is if Bettman is fired.

The first thing the NHL must do is to begin to serve its original, hardcore fans; if you continue to lose them, there won't be a league to draw fans to. Second, the NHL has to continue supporting youth leagues. Many fans have played the sport, and one of the best things to do, is increase the number of young players in the U.S. and Canada (although, the league is much healthier in Canada). Third, they need to eliminate about 4 teams (2 L.A. teams? 2 Florida teams?). This will boast the talent level in the league and make for a more exciting game. Fourth, find some decent announcers, and pay them. It's almost painful listening to some of these announcers on NBC and Vs., and there is no way someone would put up with them if they weren't already a hardcore fan. Fifth, Sidney Crosby. Change the schedule to bring him to every market, and make this guy a superstar that fans will either love or hate. He is the guy who will bring in fans. "The Great One" made hockey in the 80's and early 90's popular, "The Kid" can do it now. Finally, stop trying to change the sport. Give fans the real thing, and they will come. Don't change what so many love just to try and bring in more fans, because people who aren't already fans have even less a reason if we turn the league into an ever-changing joke!

Answer 2

Educating "new" fans won't work, they've tried and tried and it has not worked. ESPN even did broadcasts which explained rule during every stoppage, like why the whistle blew and what not. And all it did was insult real hockey fans that watched that game, because their certainly weren't any "new" fans watching it.

Rule changes will do nothing as well , they tried that and it ended up alienating real hockey fans.

Get a better broadcast contract.....Vs isn't exactly high on the dial. The lockout did not help and ESPN completely turned it's back on the NHL meanwhile supporting Arena Football and the WNBA for which they both pay for entirely and receive little if any financial profit.

To save the NHL they must eliminate a few teams and if they don't want to do that, they have to move them to hockey "towns." Not Florida, not California ...........and they have to turn their attention BACK to the Hardcore Hockey fan because they are hanging on by a thread.

Answer 3

I feel another aspect of it is commerical-ibility of the players. What do you see in baseball, football, and basketball? Players around town, at events, award ceremonies, movies, etc. The NHL cannot just promote itself. Those with vested interest in it (ie paychecks) should also get out and try, that's what you see in the other 3 sports. Now where is the problem with that in US? Most of the players are from other countries, go home in the off season and don't really have an interest in the promotion of the sport in America. The foreign players are more reserved...it's just how it is. The young beat in the sport does have promise. Like Crosby. Everyone says they love him, they are tired of him, he is overhyped, or he's the next Gretzkey....but the thing is he is out there promoting and making something in the NHL (at least a player) a center piece of disscussion. His commercials are hilarious and they even got Oven in there too. I think more of the same would help gain major popularity.

Answer 4

The NHL needs to make it clear that it doesn't own the game of hockey, or the Stanley Cup for that matter. That means the NHL should support international and youth hockey, instead of seeing the IIHF as some sort of competitor. The NBA is very good at promoting the game of basketball all over the world, the NHL only seems interested in the NHL.

Bring European clubs over to play in the pre-season and send NHL clubs over there for friendly games. Over time, the NHL rulebook and the IIHF rulebook should come together as much as possible. The league should see that teams in Russia or wherever that develop players are properly compensated. The league should encourage the players that are available to play in IIHF world championships, etc. If the season started sooner there would be more players available for the worlds and the league wouldn't be competing with BBQs so much! I'm in the mood for hockey the day after labour day-why do they make me wait??

Answer 5

The NHL must start educating it's new fans (or potentially new fans) - This can be done between periods so I can get up and get a beer.

There is sooooooo much going on in the sport of hockey that any new fan is totally lost. - they don't understand the stoppages, the penalties and they don't relate to the players. - To truly fall in love with this game you have to know a player's background and where he's coming from.

It all boils down to education (as - the more you know, the more you love) ......

Why are two players fighting?
Why was there a whistle?
Who is he?
Why are the fans boooing?
What is "Boarding?"
Why can't you do that?
What was it like last year? - What was it like 10 years ago? - Why does everyone respect him?
What is his jersey number?
What is said in the locker-room?
Why is he the coach?
Why is he the captain?
Why is he the assistant?
Etc.
etc..
etc...

Education is the key - and you folks, who have been with this sport for as long as I have, need to get off your self-righteous, know-it-all-bull-shi-t wagon and start giving a damn about the FUTURE of the NHL

Answer 6

The NHL has to get the people who don’t live in hockey areas interested in the game. I know that in the early 90’s the NHL set up exhibition games in cities without NHL teams.

The players also have to get involved in promoting the sport. I know when the Stars moved to Dallas, Mike Modano was a huge part of promoting the sport in Dallas. It seems like he was everywhere.

Ultimately, the games need to be back on ESPN. Again, the sport took off in the early 90’s when ESPN started showing hockey games on a regular basis. It gave fans (who lived in non-NHL cities) access to the sport throughout the regular season and the playoffs.

Answer 7

The NHL was flourishing before Bettman became commissioner. Unfortunately, from the moment he took office, the league began suffering.

A reject from the NBA with no knowledge of the NHL or its history, Bettman began by eliminating much of the game's character by discarding traditional conference (Campbell and Wales Conference) and division names (Norris, Adams, Smythe, Patrick) and replacing them with NBA-style geographic terms (Eastern, Western, etc...). A litany of horrible decisions followed, affecting the game's play, appeal and reputation.

Bettman is the absolute worst-ever commissioner of any sports league. The first step to bringing the NHL back to its former respectability would be to fire Bettman immediately and bring in a real hockey person with the sports in his/her heart - not some blinkasaurus (Bettman blinks non-stop when being interviewed) who probably could not explain the hockey term "icing" to a grandchild.

Answer 8

If they have sold out arenas and good attendance, isn't it already popular? ;) The better question is what keeps hockey fans from tuning in to the games that *are* broadcast? On the national broadcasts, are there really only 150,000 homes tuning in nationwide?

The game is what it is, I don't think we need to change the game any more in order to kow tow to casual fans who don't really care about the sport. Better marketing from people who actually care about the game would help. Oh yeah, lose Bettman. That certainly wouldn't hurt.

Answer 9

i think so. it seemed as if no one cared about the NHL after the lockout... so much so that many of the networks dropped them and the only way to see hockey was on the "outdoor life network" (which i believe turned into VS... and the fact that NBC bought VS shows something. i have noticed a lot more local people playing too. perhaps that has something to do with me being in the chicago area and the hawks winning two years ago though.

Answer 10

Better marketing by far would help. Market it more to the American people. You hardly see any comericals or anything for hockey. Also, better education would work. People don't know much about hockey. When I go to Arena 2 football games in my area, when there is a stopage of play, they always explain one rule of the game and then show it on the jumbotron.