The Crystal Ball Saving Hockey

Your regular installment, now a week overdue, of the Crystal Ball will return next week. I think. The crack staff here has been a bit lax lately, spending time compiling and watching America’s Game reruns while anxiously waiting for the Super Bowl XLII installment than getting to work.

The staff has also been highly distracted by the start of the NHL playoffs. Pittsburgh trouncing Ottawa 4-0 in their opening round game and following that up with a thrilling 5-3 victory in game 2 did nothing positive to help return focus to the upcoming NFL draft. But can you blame me? I mean, the Penguins killed two 5 on 3 power play situations and Marc-Andre Fleury had a gem of a shutout in the first game, and Ryan Malone scoring the game winning goal and an empty netter in the last 62 seconds of game time in game 2 was almost too exciting. Just outstanding hockey played at both ends of the ice in both games. Plus, by the end of game 1, things got more than chippy with a huge fight breaking out and Gary Roberts looking to make up for lost ice time not only with his stick, he had two fabulous goals, but also with his fists.

I’ve only watched a few games thus far, and already this edition of the NHL post season is shaping up to be quite memorable. So, why am I one of a handful of people outside the Great White North to care? You got me. Hockey is one of the most entertaining, exciting and fun games around. Has anyone been watching? It has not been this good since Gretzky and Lemieux’s hey days. But the women’s NCAA basketball tournament gets better coverage.

So what’s a puck fan to do? I’ll tell you what to do, its time for some changes. The league wisely make rule changes to open up the game coming out of the lockout in order to make the game exciting, increase scoring and bring the fans back. But that’s merely one step. Many more are needed if we’re going to bring hockey back and expand the big 4 (NFL, NBA, MLB, NASCAR) to the big 5.

Now, we really do not need to revamp the product. If you’ve watched any hockey this season, and my guess considering how difficult it is to find a game on TV you haven’t, then you already know how fast paced and thrilling it can be. But there are a few changes, and some radical, that can be made to right this ship. I know, radical change sounds scary. But when no one outside of diehard fans even notice when the playoffs start, that’s a problem. And with problems that big, sometimes drastic action needs to be enacted. This is why we now proudly present…

15 Ways to Save Hockey

(Ranked in no particular order of urgency)


1. Bring the Whale back to Hartford – Come on, this so needs to be done. The Whalers should have never left! Really, do you need hockey in Carolina? Good gravy no! They can barely hold onto a basketball team, and don’t get me started on the Panthers. The Whale ruled, I mean, just look at their logo. And that cup the Hurricanes (really what a crappy name) won belongs in Hartford. Then, once you put them back in their rightful place, market the heck out of it. Marketing will be a key theme throughout this little exercise.

2. Contraction – There is quite a bit of dead weight holding back the league, its time to shed some of it. When the NHL was peaking, before they got too big for their britches, they started putting teams everywhere. Well, let’s take some of those back. I mean seriously, do we really need a Nashville team?

3. More Canadian teams – Conversely, while we’re shifting things around, let’s put a few teams back in Canada. One of the most enjoyable things about hockey is all the little quirks created by our northern brothers. Hockey incorporates an unusual amount of very unique rules and traditions that were put into place by the Canadians who built and shaped the sport. It’s their baby, and it would not be nearly as much fun without them. For instance, name me one other sport that when you get a penalty, you have to go sit in a box! Plus, your team then has to play with one less player. How fast do you think a football team would last if the quarterback had to go sit on the bench for two minutes for intentional grounding? Hockey deals with that all the time. Plus, the Canadians love the sport much more than we do, shamefully. And it’s a chance to further tout the international schedule hockey deploys each season. Come on boys, push that out. The NFL has one game outside the US, and you would think the Pope is coming to town with the amount of ink spilled in covering every angle. You guys do that every week! Someone get on this! Once again, that’s basic marketing. Someone write this down.

3. Tout the international competition – Speaking of promoting the international aspect of the schedule, how about also promoting the international aspect of each roster? Hockey players come from everywhere. Each team consists of players with such diverse backgrounds you could mistake it for a UN convention. Play this up, show how the league is so diverse and how many people from different backgrounds and countries with different languages come together for a common goal. You could use your Stanley Cup champion as a microcosm example for world unity! Heck, you could almost see the commercials now. Show a handful of players on the ice in black and white close ups, looking as though they just finished a hard game and flash who they are and where they come from. The last one then can say something like, if we can come together to win a trophy, then all of us can come together to make a better world. Yeesh, you have your advertising for the league AND a public service announcement right there! Play up the diversity; it’s what people fall allover themselves demanding from the world. You guys have it every night for months on end!

4. Shorter schedule - One of the reasons the NFL is so popular is because it is a limited commodity. The maximum number of games one team can play, with an extended preseason and hitting every playoff round, is 25. That is a drop in the bucket compared to most other sports. Hockey and basketball each can play, minus preseason, 110 games. Baseball, minus the exhibition season and grapefruit league play, 181 games. NASCAR has 36 races a year. Yes they race more often than football plays, but still fewer events overall than offered by the other major leagues. Anyone want to lay a guess as to one of the reasons for NASCAR skyrocketing to success? I love a cornucopia of hockey games each year. But perhaps if supply went down just a bit, demand may rise as well.

That, kids, is simple economics. You’d think the people in charge would understand these simple concepts. Strange how no one in charge has yet to figure it out. I guess not, since the NHL is still in the doghouse compared to the other sports kids on the block.

5. Season start – Part of the problem of why no one pays attention is because the casual fan does not even notices when the season begins. Here’s what’s going on in the sporting world when hockey season starts in October. The NASCAR playoffs, NBA and NCAA season tip off, MLB World Series and the NFL is hitting its stride. With that much action, sports fans would be hard pressed to notice the moon falling through Earth’s atmosphere. Perhaps a different time of year to start would be better. One thought, maybe in mid to late November, after baseball and NASCAR are finished and basketball is underway.

6. More outdoor games – Despite their numerous missteps in recent years, the NHL finally had a brilliant idea when they put on the Penguins/Sabres outdoor game at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo on New Years Day. I hoped people watched it, it was fantastic. A raucous crowd, great action on the ice, snow falling in the third period, and the game concluded with a shootout after overtime, which was won on the last attempt by Pittsburgh with uber star, and potential league savior, Sidney Crosby dropping the puck into the net. While getting such an exciting conclusion would not be commonplace, outdoor games should be. The NHL should schedule one of these games a week from the end of November to the beginning of March. At the very least one a month should be required. Not only would teams make more from the gate, but the beauty of the game shines through. And if you cannot get a ticket, get HD, because that game was unbelievable in high definition.

7. Use Canadian star power – It’s high time the NHL started diving into the Hollywood pool for some promotional assistance. How many Hollywood and music celebrities are Canadian? More than you think. I’d be willing to bet that many of them are fans of hockey, and that fandom is being left untapped. I say, tap that resource and get those famous fans involved.

How about getting Dan Aykroyd to have hockey parties at the House of Blues? Perhaps we can get Steve Nash and Sidney Crosby together for some cross sports promotion? Think maybe we could find some science fiction/hockey connection? I too, so let’s see some commercials with Hayden Christensen and the immortal William Shatner. I’ve seen the many Priceline.com commercials; I know Shatner will hawk anything. How about we plop Jim Carrey and Keanu Reeves into some arenas, always on nationally televised (and I mean NBC nationally televised, not Versus) games and get a few shots of them enjoying the on ice action? I’m not particularly fond of this method when the NFL does it, but the NHL needs some help here folks.

Maybe we book a tour with Shania Twain, Alanis Morissette, Sarah McLachlan and Avril Lavigne where they play only hockey arenas the night before big games? I might tune in for Hockey Night on Deal or No Deal, if your listening Howie Mandel. Mike Myers has a new movie coming out, how about when he’s on his PR tour for the film, he dons a hockey sweater. Or better yet, how about a TV and print ad campaign featuring Rachel McAdams, Sarah Chalke, Ellen Page, Elisha Cuthbert and Natasha Henstridge where they talk about their love for hockey wearing ONLY hockey sweaters?

Ok, I got a big carried away. Some of these ideas are far fetched and even just a bit beyond crazy. But my point is there are volumes of Canadian star power out there and the NHL needs to cozy up to them in an effort to better promote itself. A few interested celebrity fans and a creative idea or two would go a long way toward getting hockey onto the red carpet and out of the dog house.

8. Get it on TV – Speaking of television, the NHL desperately needs to get more games shown. It’s uber difficult to find a game, even of a local team in your market. I know I have not seen one Kings game this season, not that it would be worth my time. What they have working now is, quite frankly, not working. The Penguins, the hot commodity in hockey with the star that could pull things back from the brink, were allotted the maximum number of nationally broadcast games, a total of 12. Really, are you kidding? Nationally showing 12 games out of 82 of your biggest draw is considered a victory? Tell me how this helps promote the sport and get it into the entertainment choices of sports fans? By my calculations, that’s 70 missed opportunities to expand your viewing market. The NHL needs to find a permanent, national television home, and I hate to break this to the NHL brain trust, Versus does not count. They need a coup like Fox getting the NFL, but in reverse. And for Pete’s sake get them shown in HD. That’ll put asses in the seats.

9. Original Conference Names – As I mentioned earlier, one of the most enjoyable things about hockey are the little things that make it so unique. For instance, the league scoring champion will garner the Art Ross Trophy. The best goalie in a given season takes home the Vezina Trophy. Rookie of the year has nothing to do with Pepsi; they nab the Calder Memorial Trophy while the league MVP snags the Hart Memorial Trophy. While it does not seem like much, these little differences make the league stand out. Much like their old conference and division names stood out amongst their sporting brethren.

In 1993, in an effort to homogenize the game for mass consumption, the NHL changed all of their conference and division names from names that had meaning and tradition behind it to boring geographical nomenclatures. Hockey more than ever needs to stand out from the competition, and one good step would be to bring back those names. Here’s what it should look like.

Current name

Western Conference
Northwest Division
Pacific Division
Central Division

New Classic Name

Campbell Conference
Smythe Division
Norris Division
????

Current Name

Eastern Conference
Northeast Division
Atlantic Division
Southeast Division

New Classic Name

Wales Conference
Adams Division
Patrick Division
????

See, you could even promote the new/old names, calling them classic. It worked for Coca Cola. Now, there are two ways to handle the extra divisions. Either some realignment, obviously after contraction, is needed. Or have a fan contest to rename the remaining divisions. Bring the fans to the game. If fans think a division could be named after their idea, well, that just might bring people to the arenas and send their web browsers to NHL.com. Sounds like a win win to me.

The NHL needs to bring these names back. They’re far more fun, much more meaningful and, despite their arguments at simplification, infinitely more memorable.

10. Goalie Masks – What other team sport allows such unique, and individual, expression by a central player and key figure during games? Certainly not the NFL, which due to its extremely strict uniform policy is often called the No Fun League. So, how about some promotion? Have you seen some of these? Some of them are works of art. How about a gallery of the best each season, of all time? Put them on display, even a roving tour of hockey masks. Throw in some of the classics from the past, a little hockey history lesson. Masks From The Past offers a great online tour of some of these classic goaltending centerpieces and the men who bore them as well as replicas for sale. The league itself should get more involved. Promote these things, offer replicas for sale or even miniature giveaways.

11. Pimp the Zamboni – Ok, we have a funky sideline vehicle in every arena that shows up twice during the game. Cannot something be done with this to attract some fan attention? Let’s see some pimping colors on those things. How about some cool ground effects, sound systems or lighting schemes? Couldn’t we get a mascot riding on top with a t-shirt gun for giveaways at intermission? How about drawings for free rides during intermission as well? I know they have a job to do resurfacing the ice, but cannot they be a bigger part of the overall entertainment? One of the coolest, if not coolest, game associated vehicles around, with one wickedly fun name, and it goes virtually unnoticed and far underused.

12. Big Name Sponsors - How bout some beer, eh? Get a few big name companies to put their name on some arenas or overall sponsorship, and people will pay attention. Why cannot we see Molson or Labatt’s around hockey barns more prevalent. I know Bud recently lost their biggest athlete; perhaps they’d be interested in a whole gaggle of them.

13. Promote the Fights – Ok, I understand in an effort to make the sport seem more, I suppose legitimate, the NHL has been discouraging and punishing those involved in on ice fisticuffs. And I’m not advocating purposely staging fights. But boys will be boys, and when things get a little rough, those boys are going to drop gloves. And have you seen how the crowd goes wild when things turn from chippy to downright nasty? People dig it from a visceral standpoint when tough guy hockey players have enough of the banging around and want to settle things the old fashioned way. If this were not true, Ultimate Fighting would not be such a huge draw that continues to grow. Well, hockey fights are way better. Have an advertising campaign calling those UFC jokers a bunch of pansies. If you really want to fight, try fighting with 30 pounds of gear while standing on a ¼ blade of steel on a sheet of ice, that’s a real man’s sport. Steal their buzz to pump your own and promote the sport.

14. Adventures of Stanley Cup – Reality shows are big, capitalize! One of the best traditions in sports is that every member of the Cup winning team gets to have the Cup for one day during the off season. Why not send camera crews around and watch what these guys do with the cup. I know that the NHL already has a program called the Lord Stanley’s Summer. But the NHL needs to expand this idea and get it on a major network other than the NHL Network. See to whom the players show off the Cup, where they take it, how they spend time with their hard won prize. Fill the show in with great stories of the Cup’s past and the adventures it has had, and the tradition of Lord Stanley’s Cup. It’s perfect. You get to show off the long history of the NHL and the Cup, touting some of the traditions of the league that make it unique over its sporting brethren and educating the public about hockey and it’s storied past, thrilling present and exciting future. Plus you promote the Cup winning team, the league and its players, both the star and role players, in the off season where at the moment it is too easy to forget about the NHL. Come on people, this is a marketing dream!

15. Send Gary Bettman back to the NBA – By far the biggest need of all for the NHL. Bettman has had a terrible track record in his stewardship of the league. His leadership has led the league through two terrible strikes that have destroyed popularity. He toyed with rule changes that have driven interest away and diluted a good product to make a buck that now, well, are not coming in a sign of his inability to grasp simple economics. A perfect example is the ridiculous expansion of teams the league went through in the 1990s. Really, we needed 9 additional teams in less than 10 years? And with the opportunity to reinvent the league and find new ways to push promotion and marketing, his league offices seem to overlook obvious opportunities and ignore key items that could further push hockey back into the national consciousness. Well, who needs that?

It has been popular to bash Bettman and his leadership; to the point where no matter what he does it is pretty commonplace to hear derisions and mocking of his administration. Fine beat up the old rag doll, but what has been done about it? He’s still in charge, still mucking things up.

Mind you, since hockey’s return from the disastrous strike a few years ago, the revamping of the rules that Bettman and company enacted has allowed for a more exciting on ice product. But what have they done to really push the game back into the forefront of America’s sporting conscious? Very little actually and the few successes they have had seem accidental. Especially when you consider the fact that most of those successes the league seems hesitant to follow through with or even push further. I recently heard Bettman on a sports radio show at the beginning of the playoffs, part of his media blitz to generate interest in hockey’s post season. According to Mr. Bettman….

He was happy with the success of the outdoor game between Buffalo and Pittsburgh on New Years Day. And this is something the league is looking into doing again, maybe (his word) as soon as next year. But he does not want to have too many, as it may dilute the product of outdoor games. He’s concerned about diluting the product? You had 72,000 fans at an outdoor hockey game on New Years Day. I’d ride that horse until the legs fell off, especially since it gave the game unbelievably needed media coverage and brought paying fans out to see a game.

When asked about renaming the conferences and divisions back to the original names, he did not think this was a good idea. He mentioned how the change came with the realignment of divisions and felt the new naming convention works well. Yes, it does if you wish to be confused with the NBA.

When asked about the current television broadcast structure, Bettman felt the current deal with Versus is good. He stated that upon the league’s return to play, he wanted to be on a network where the NHL would be the number one priority, as opposed to one of the gang. Well, you can have that kind of treatment when you’re the NFL, but when you’re struggling for viewers and relevance, you need to do whatever it takes. If you want to be #1 on Versus, fine. Then get far more games aired on that station. And since you have a side deal with NBC for a handful of games a season, what’s one more US based station? How about other side deals with ESPN to broadcast another bunch of games? How about increasing the number of games NBC shows? Right now, whenever you see a game on NBC, it feels like a novelty more than a sporting event of merit. I’m sorry, but being #1 on a station stuck in cable obscurity seems a far worse fate than being one of the gang on a prime channel.

When asked about his favorite current player, he said he did not have one. He touted the volumes of young, talented players that permeate the league. And these players should be touted. I think every time someone asks this question of Bettman; he should continually name all these great players. But the end of his answer should always be Sidney Crosby. I mean, Crosby is the NHL’s Tiger Woods, it’s Manning brothers, its Shaq, its David Beckham. Any and every opportunity to talk about this kid, and pique the interest of casual fans to come out and watch him should, no must, be used. And his reasoning should be that Crosby’s youth, transcendent skill and television ready looks could quite possibly save this sinking ship despite my amateurish efforts. For Pete’s sake, Crosby is the only hockey player that is involved in a national advertising campaign, the only player that a casual sports fan might recognize. And even with Crosby’s face getting out there, and people becoming familiar with this young phenom and interested in his on ice skills enough to want to find their way to a hockey game, still Bettman has resisted, either from stupidity or ineptitude, to promote the hell out of him for hockey’s sake.

So what the deuce do you do with a cat like this? Easy, send him back over with David Stern, where he can inflict his own bumbling style of damage to the NBA. Bettman came from the NBA, ironically enough working in NBA marketing, to sell the game in the US continue expansion and end labor unrest. Well, he’s done one out of the three. Since his tenure began, the league added 6 new teams. Of course, they also had two debilitating strikes and have lost far more audience in the United States during his time in office than they gained.

Sending Bettman back to the NBA is addition by subtraction. By doing this, you get this twit out of the commissioner’s office, where possibly the NHL could put someone with enough common sense to know the smart thing is to get the games on a major network, even if at a lowered cost at first (you can always charge more in a new deal when you can bring in more advertising revenue. The NFL has been doing this for years.), pimping your biggest star and streamlining the league and its teams. Plus, you undermine your biggest fall/winter/spring competition while at the same time putting the NHL in better position to capitalize. And let’s be honest, the NHL needs to do whatever it can to undermine the NBA right now. That league has its best collection of stars since, well maybe ever, and some of the most exciting and entertaining basketball on the court since before Michael Jordan’s first retirement. Putting a big return to sender stamp on Bettman would go a long way to solving a slew of ills.

I have no training in promotions, marketing or running a sports league. So these could just be rambling musings by a crackpot. In reality, their nothing more than one hockey fan putting his brain to work trying to figure out creative, fun and unique ways to push a great sport back into the conscious of sports fans. Shame those in charge of hockey seemingly are not doing the same. Well, I’m sure their pleased with pulling in the kind of ratings equal to the WNBA. Hey, maybe if they work hard enough, they can pull even with the PBA! Dare to dream.