The Great Debate |
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Is the NHL relevant in the sports world? |
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Playoff spectacle can’t save NHL |
Exciting playoffs boost NHL ratings |
 The NHL couldn’t have asked for anything better for the 2013 Stanley Cup Finals: two of the “Original Six” in big markets, three overtime games, including a Game 1 triple OT classic and an improbable, doesn’t-matter-if-you-are-a-sports-fan-or-not-you-still-cheered 17 seconds that featured two goals by the Blackhawks to clinch the Cup. To put it simply, it was an amazing series that capped off an amazing year for the NHL. Fans caught on, Game 6 of the cup finals became the third highest rated NHL game since 1994. So as Blackhawk fans celebrate their team’s title, optimistic hockey fans everywhere celebrate the rise of their sport once again. However, it’s time to taper that excitement because nothing has changed. The past decade has been tough for the NHL. The 2004-05 lockout caused the league to lose that entire season. The fourth most popular sport can’t afford to lose a season—ever. Even die-hard fans were lost, some of whom have yet to return. In 2012 the league once again locked its players out, but this time the owners and players negotiated around another lost season and worked out whatever it was, they were arguing over. Yeah, I don’t know what it was, because no one else did either. Looking back at the coverage and reaction of this lockout compared to the NBA and NFL’s most recent lockouts, those were seen as national catastrophes. The NHL lockout pretty much went unnoticed. That is a worrisome sign. The NHL got lucky in 2013 with a season that had one good story line after another. The Chicago Blackhawks began their “let’s try to save hockey by doing awesome things all year” season with a record breaking 24-game winning streak. The condensed regular season ended dramatically for one of the league’s most popular franchises, the Detroit Red Wings, as they desperately tried to keep their 21 season playoff streak alive. In the first round of the playoffs, the Boston Bruins came back from a 4-1 deficit in the third period of Game 7 by scoring twice in the final, 90 seconds to force overtime and eventually steal the win and the series from Toronto. The heated rivalry between the Blackhawks and Red Wings added another chapter. They faced off in an epic series that ended with a Game 7 overtime goal for Chicago. All sports fans know there are classic games, series and seasons. You can add this season and these playoffs to the NHL’s long list of classics, but let’s not act like it will always be this good. Taking a look at some of the recent Stanley Cup TV ratings, the success really should not have been a surprise. The highest rated game ever was the 2011 Game 7 between the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks. The second highest was Game 6 between the Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers in 2010. Both of those series featured an “Original Six” in a big market. On the other hand, the 2012 series ratings between the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils was 33 percent lower than the record setting 2011 series. The formula is simple. Have an original six team in a big market and you’ll get good ratings, no matter how good the hockey is. If it’s not a team that people traditionally care about, it will go unnoticed and unwatched by most of the sports world, and that means the NHL is not back. |
 When you think of professional sports in America today, the NFL, NBA and MLB come to mind way before the NHL. You’re more likely to see people walking around with a Tom Brady jersey, or a LeBron James uniform than anyone sporting Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin gear. I think it is safe to say that the NHL has taken the backseat to other sports in recent memory. However, times are changing, and so is the NHL. I say that the NHL is officially back. Of course, football and basketball are still the dominant sports, in my opinion, but hockey is throwing its hat into the ring. Purely from an entertainment standpoint, the 2013 NHL season and playoffs were as exciting as they could be. Yes, the season started off a little rough as the NHL was in a lockout, forcing a shortened season, but exciting postseason play made up for it. One of the most nerve wracking and exciting things to watch in all of sports is overtime playoff hockey. It is sudden death and teams hold nothing back as they strive for survival. The game’s outcome hangs in the balance of every faceoff, every line change, every shot. In 2013, NHL fans were given plenty of excitement with 24 overtime games in the first three rounds, including at least one overtime in all 15 series. Game 1 of the NHL Finals between the Boston Bruins and the Chicago Blackhawks was an instant classic. Not only was it the longest game played in 2013, with three overtimes and 100 minutes of play, but also perhaps the most exhilarating game of the season. With 50-plus minutes of overtime hockey, fans were holding their breath with every shot. In addition to Game 1, two other games were decided in overtime, totaling half of the series. Ultimately, the Blackhawks were victors of Game 1, the series and the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The thrilling play of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals drew the biggest television audience the NHL has seen since 1997 with a 4.8 overnight rating. Not only was it the highest rating in 16 years, but also 100 percent higher than last year’s Game 1 rating between the Los Angeles Kings and the New Jersey Devils. Some might say that people only watched the finals and didn’t pay attention to the regular season, but NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says otherwise. “I think we were about 97 percent of capacity during the regular season, over 100 percent so far in the playoffs. TV ratings, Canada, the U.S., local, national were all strong, and, in some cases, record,” Bettman said in his yearly state of the NHL press conference. So while the NHL is still behind in the race to be the most popular sport in America, I believe that the league is making its way to the top. Not only will we be seeing more kids wearing NHL jerseys and playing pickup hockey on the local pond, but TV ratings and the fan base for hockey will continue to rise from here on out. |
The Great Debate: Is the NHL relevant in the sports world?
July 1, 2013