An example of why the league can't sell the sport.

[KidLine93]

This sport struggles marketing itself because all of its big name players McDavid, Matthews, Ovi, Crosby, Draisaitl (minus Mackinnon) are eliminated immediately. Other guys like Kane and Panarin didn't even make it. Imagine the NBA playoffs if Lebron, Curry, Giannis, Harden etc all went home in the first round?

of the guys you named theres 7 championships there (crosby 3x, Kane 3x, Ovi). Panarin plays in the biggest market, Matthews plays on the most high profile team. The league just simply doesn't market their stars like other leagues do. it has nothing to do with the standings IMO. NBA basically has fans who follow certain players instead of teams. Tho I feel NBA players are more active on social media than the average NHL star. McDavids instagram is a walking BioSteel/Adidas add. Subban was on the right track with marketing himself as much as people don't like to admit it.

 

[BCNate]

Probably because MLS is closing the gap between them and the NHL as the #4 professional league in North America.



Hence why a guy like Theo Fleury has rarely been heard of since retirement.

Sure, but as a fan, why do people care where the league ranks?

 

[BOS358]

what about pasta during dunkin donuts commercials?

I've been saying for years that the other leagues don't "market their players," but that all the marketing work is done by third parties. No league in the world cares which player people like the most as long as you buy merchandise and tickets. It wasn't the NBA that wanted everyone to "Be like Mike." They would have been perfectly happy with Shaquille O'Neal being the fan favorite. Nike was the group that wanted people to like Jordan over Shaq as the latter was supported by a competitor.

 

[Marshmallow Man]

Whether it’s a good idea or not, wanting the league to focus on 4th liners would be “doing things backwards”.

Anyway, the NHL’s problem isn’t marketing. The game itself is simply boring and too low-scoring for over 20 years.

I grew up a hockey fan and even I struggle to sit through these low-scoring games. Forget about attracting new fans.

 

[HanSolo]

The league can't sell the sport much further because baseball is already super entrenched in North America and the remaining two major sports appeal to people who need more than scores bigger than ten every game to be entertained.

Ask anyone who thinks hockey is dumb whether they watch soccer and I'd bet you 99% of them would say no.

 

[Junohockeyfan]

I agree, Nate Thompson should be a household name. One of the great exciting talents in the game.

LOL!

 

[ZenOil]

Hockey is a conservative culture and will likely stay that way. Upper crust typically are more reserved and keep their cards close to their chest. I aint judging.

 

[DonM]

The NHL can't "sell the sport", whatever that entails, because Americans aren't buying. If I live in an apartment you can't sell me an in ground pool no matter how good a salesman you are.

This isn't a bad thing either. No one except the owners benefit from adding as fans people who have no concept of hockey and its history and traditions.

 

[wavaxa2]

As dumb as it sounds, the small size of the puck is a pretty big reason why it's hard to get into the game as a newb. Hockey fans know how the game flows, and can anticipate where the puck is likely to end up. A less experienced viewer has a really hard time following the puck.

Also, and this might sound dumb too, but there's pretty much zero African American or Latino presence in hockey. It's hard to engage a P.O.C. from the southern US when there are no hometown heroes for them to cheer, and no rinks to play the game themselves other than in the largest urban centres.

Even the music during the game is a turn off. Hockey rinks keep cranking out the same old dad rock that they did twenty years ago.

 

[Ursamajor25]

This sport struggles marketing itself because all of its big name players McDavid, Matthews, Ovi, Crosby, Draisaitl (minus Mackinnon) are eliminated immediately. Other guys like Kane and Panarin didn't even make it. Imagine the NBA playoffs if Lebron, Curry, Giannis, Harden etc all went home in the first round?

Guys on ESPN were just commenting on this, they were worried that nobody was going to watch the playoffs after Lebron gets eliminated.

NHL is not the NBA and should not, I REPEAT, SHOULD NOT, try to be the NBA.

 

[DuckyGirard]

Because talent follows money. How many guys who would have played baseball if this were the 70s have chased football and basketball instead for the last 2 decades? Baseball's money is quite good, sure, but it's a lot tougher to make it, so not a perfect analogy, I admit. But considering the costs involved in playing hockey growing up, there needs to be a payoff to go those extents. Similar to the question of whether Austin Matthews ever plays hockey if the Coyotes weren't in Arizona. The money draws the talent, and it's always a good thing to have a larger pool of talent to choose from.

I can't agree with that at all. Hockey's so expensive largely because so many people take it too seriously.

If it was skate once a week unless the ponds are frozen, it wouldn't be near as expensive.

Hockey skates at one point in history were just things you strapped to your boots. Their was no equipment, helmets all that jazz.

The hyper competitiveness of the sport is largely why it is so expensive.

In other sports you can't buy your kid talent. Only in hockey is this a real pathway to being the star athlete of your highschool.

Keep in mind I'm not complaining that it is so expensive.

I'm just stating only in hockey is there this all or nothing. Either your kid skates 3 times a week in summer or "you don't play hockey".

 

[93LEAFS]

I can't agree with that at all. Hockey's so expensive largely because so many people take it too seriously.

If it was skate once a week unless the ponds are frozen, it wouldn't be near as expensive.

Hockey skates at one point in history were just things you strapped to your boots. Their was no equipment, helmets all that jazz.

The hyper competitiveness of the sport is largely why it is so expensive.

In other sports you can't buy your kid talent. Only in hockey is this a real pathway to being the star athlete of your highschool.

Keep in mind I'm not complaining that it is so expensive.

I'm just stating only in hockey is there this all or nothing. Either your kid skates 3 times a week in summer or "you don't play hockey".

None of the other big 4 sports or soccer is reliant on expensive private coaching or equipment. But, if you look into the expensive private QB coaches and football camps you'd be surprised what is being put into it. The other thing is, for Football and Basketball, for a significant portion of the positions you need such an atypical build that is unattainable to most people (on top of maintaining athleticism) it makes the sport just unrealistic. NHLers are slightly bigger than the average male. NBA players outside of PG's are massive. Normal people aren't built like NFL front 7 defenders and O-linemen. Qbs until recently were almost all over 6'2. Safties, WR's, and RB's have players who are normal size, but run 4.4s. How many people do you know who are McDavid or Crosby's size? Then how many people do you know who are 6'3 or taller, weigh over 300 pounds, and are still athletic? Each NFL team has 10 or more of those on their team.

But, there are many other very popular sports which are a fortune also, such as Golf (Tiger Woods is very much an exception), Tennis, Auto-Racing (this makes hockey look cheap), and competitive skiing.

 

[93LEAFS]

As dumb as it sounds, the small size of the puck is a pretty big reason why it's hard to get into the game as a newb. Hockey fans know how the game flows, and can anticipate where the puck is likely to end up. A less experienced viewer has a really hard time following the puck.

Also, and this might sound dumb too, but there's pretty much zero African American or Latino presence in hockey. It's hard to engage a P.O.C. from the southern US when there are no hometown heroes for them to cheer, and no rinks to play the game themselves other than in the largest urban centres.

Even the music during the game is a turn off. Hockey rinks keep cranking out the same old dad rock that they did twenty years ago.

Hockey's niche in the USA is that among sports (outside of Golf or F1) it has the highest percentage of wealthy people watching it. Which is one of the things the NHL capitalizes on in how the networks that have their rights sell advertising to sponsors.

I obviously don't want the sport to die out. But, I also know its always going to be a fairly niche sport in the USA where it is most popular in parts of the Mid-West and New England. Not that I don't want it to grow, but it's always going to be limited compared to much more accessible sports. Especially ones with significant prominence at their respective high-schools (look at HS football in places like Texas, or Ohio).

 

[jetsforever]

I'd argue that the league sells itself just fine. Not everything has to be bigger, grander and more corporate, that rarely makes things any better. Players get paid well, games are readily and easily available on many viewing options, most rinks are full most nights. Why does it have to be more than that, and why would it be any be any better if it was?

Agreed, even as a Jets fan I don't particularly need to hear any more about Nate Thompson

 

[The Panther]

The problems with selling hockey to the USA are:

-- The players are bundled up in helmets and visors, so fans can't even identify who they are (even if they did have a personality).
-- Large swaths of the US don't have particularly cold winters and thus have no history / grassroots appreciation of the sport.
-- The best players on every team are on the bench for 60% of each game, and even when they're on the ice, they sometimes don't do much. (In basketball, the best players are the court for 95% of the game, and they constantly have the ball.)

It doesn't help that the current salary structure of the NHL means that the teams with the top-paid players never go deep in the playoffs or win.

Hockey is the unique sport where having a disproportionate number of the best players does not help you win games or championships. It's this latter point which I think is a problem. (As far as "growing the game", I couldn't care less.)

 

[DuckyGirard]

As dumb as it sounds, the small size of the puck is a pretty big reason why it's hard to get into the game as a newb. Hockey fans know how the game flows, and can anticipate where the puck is likely to end up. A less experienced viewer has a really hard time following the puck.

I find it ironic because you take these guys to a shooting range and absolutely zero folks are complaining they can't see the bullet.

You look at the guy holding the gun not the bullet.

But seriously I get the feeling, my eyes for hockey go in and out depending on my focus, stream quality etc.

Also, and this might sound dumb too, but there's pretty much zero African American or Latino presence in hockey. It's hard to engage a P.O.C. from the southern US when there are no hometown heroes for them to cheer, and no rinks to play the game themselves other than in the largest urban centres.

"pretty much zero"?

There are more POCs per capita in the NHL than there are Canadians in the NFL.

It'd be one thing if they were just buried in the ahl etc but they aren't.

Suzuki/Price/Matthews/Duclair/Simmons/Suban/Nurse/Bear/ etc are just obvious names that I've followed on Canadian teams.

The statement wouldn't bug me so much if these guys weren't highly sought after.

But it just irks me every time I hear that. Hockey is a northern sport, northerners don't look like southerners.

Even the music during the game is a turn off. Hockey rinks keep cranking out the same old dad rock that they did twenty years ago.

80s arena's rock works. It fits the sport perfectly I'm not sure I can agree with that one.

Certain genres of rock are timeless. Not sure I'm down with fad music that has no staying power.

One of the biggest movies of the decade was about those goes telling you "we will rock you". And it wasn't because boomers were out in droves.

There's a reason "Drake" exist and it isn't because of twitch.

Seriously, Canada's greatest modern artist, and he's a product of a guy who is known for his work in the 70s and 80s.

 

[DuckyGirard]

I'd argue that the league sells itself just fine. Not everything has to be bigger, grander and more corporate, that rarely makes things any better. Players get paid well, games are readily and easily available on many viewing options, most rinks are full most nights. Why does it have to be more than that, and why would it be any be any better if it was?

The point is the league is gonna sell itself regardless of what we say.

I'd rather them do so that maintains an appreciation for the actual of the sport than introducing a bunch of bells and whistles.

Also looking around this thread, I'm not just talking about new fans.

Whole lot of people ignore the bulk of the team and it doesn't help the viewing experience regardless of familiarity with the sport.

 

[Lunatik]

The biggest problem the league has selling the sport in the States is the same problem its always had:

1. Cold weather and outdoor/backyard ice rinks.
2. Affordability

In the States, regardless of where you live, you can pickup a bat and ball, a glove, a football, baseball or soccer ball and go to the park -- or in your own backyard even -- and play. You can fall in love with the sport through playing it.

Hockey is different, especially ice hockey -- you need ice, plenty of time, and accessibility to play. It's not easy and it's almost impossible to play on a constant basis. Roller hockey is different, but you still need more equipment, rinks, schoolyards or large pubic areas with decent asphalt.

In the States, hockey has grown significantly in popularity, and there are way more ice rinks today than ever before, but ice time is severely limited and it cost a fortune to get your child involved in the game. Between paying for ice time, travel, and constantly buying new equipment -- you need to be fairly well-off financially to get your children involved in hockey.

It doesn't matter how much you market the game, its stars or its benefits -- if the average child cannot afford to play it, even recreationally in their neighborhood, the sport will be limited.

3. A single payer doesn't affect the outcome of games as much as other sports. This is something many people ignore, hockey is the ultimate team sport and it makes it harder to market individual stars. In basketball, you can win with a couple elite talents. In the NFL you can win with a great QB and receivers.

 

[Asinine]

What's all this talk about selling the sport?
Players still make millions of dollars and arenas still sell out all the time.

Go watch your bright orange ball fall through a basket in one of two ways 100 times per game if you can't keep up.

Popularity doesn't mean something is the best, it just means there are a lot of stupid people in the world.

 

[DuckyGirard]

What's all this talk about selling the sport?
Players still make millions of dollars and arenas still sell out all the time.

Go watch your bright orange ball fall through a basket in one of two ways 100 times per game if you can't keep up.

Popularity doesn't mean something is the best, it just means there are a lot of stupid people in the world.

Or you know fans don't want to loose their franchise to relocation, because the league fails to share the fandom.

 

[McFlash97]

Put guys like Gretzky or Lemieux as part of head of player officiating or safety and watch the league flourish. When you have goofballs like Parros in charge ... you get a shitty outcome.

 

[OppositeLocK]

Hockey will always be a niche sport in comparison. I wish people would get used to that instead of trying to change it for the worse.

 

[Score8]

Try explaining to a casual fan why a hook in the first period is a penalty but not with 3 mins left to go in the game. Imagine having to explain why they won’t call that hook with 3 mins left to go because they have to even out the power play opportunities and it wasn’t their turn.

 

[Cursed Lemon]

Maybe the sport isn't bigger because people don't like hockey as much as other sports

Like, exactly at what threshold would some people say "NOW the NHL is marketing properly"?

 

[aufheben]

I don’t understand. A brief video (not made by the NHL) interviewing Nate Thompson made you wonder why the league focuses so much on its stars?

Wat