This Stanley Cup Final has had a lot of everything. Great action. Ridiculous ratings. The awkwardness of Ed Olczyk pretending he doesn't hold a grudge against the team that fired him. 24-7 coverage on the NHL Network, which is bordering on annoying.
But for us hockey fans, it's a little bit more than all that.
Think back to three years ago... or, technically speaking, two years and eight months ago. The NHL was just coming back as "The New NHL". A few months prior, the league held its' annual draft in a hotel conference room. The league had just literally given its' broadcast TV rights to NBC for no money. Perhaps worse than that, they had just signed with a network called the Outdoor Life Network for cable coverage. Of course, nobody got the Outdoor Life Network. ESPN effectively boycotted the NHL, pushing hockey virtually off the map in America.
Look at our game now. The quality of play is the best it's been since the mid-90s. The NHL boasts legitimate superstars that people who don't watch hockey actually care about. The OLN changed its' name to Versus and became an all-sports network, with hockey as its' centerpiece. The NHL held the Winter Classic this year, and what was once a one-off game in Edmonton has since become an annual affair whose destination is savagely debated. The NHL has its' own network that shows hockey throughout the day. Perhaps most remarkably of all, TV ratings are better than they were before the lockout.
How did the NHL do this? Consider for a second that the NHL built itself up from pretty much nothing to reach the highest points it's reached in a decade. And it was all without the promotional arm of ESPN shoving the sport down people's throats. What were the keys?
- The Lockout. It sounds stupid, but it's true. The lockout itself did a world of good for the game. The old NHL was broken. Too much trapping, too much clutching and grabbing, not enough scoring. The economics of the game were totally out of control, to the point that the league would have been in serious trouble without the work stoppage.
Over the last three years, many have asked if the lockout was worth it. Looking at the game now, I'd have to say it definitely was. Just about everything good about hockey is because the league took the opportunity to totally reinvent itself. Would Sidney Crosby be such a breakout superstar under the old rules? I doubt it.
- Versus. Of all the insults the major sports media throws at hockey - and God knows there are more than a few - the leader of the pack seems to be shots at the NHL's TV deal with Versus. Sure, the channel was hard to get at first; I didn't get it until Game 1 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals. But now, it's available on just about every digital cable system, meaning that argument doesn't hold too much water.
What's most important about Versus' contribution is the way they present the game. When the NHL was on ESPN, you got the impression that The WorldWide Leader was more concerned with cutting to SportsCenter or a late NBA game than going in-depth into hockey. That's not a problem on Versus, who has really given the NHL a home. We get weekly games on Monday and Tuesday with Versus, along with proper pre-game and post-game shows. That goes a long way toward building loyalty with viewers. Not to mention the fact that Versus pretty much shuts down in April and May to show every playoff game they can possibly get on air. If the NHL were still on ESPN, their games would be bumped onto ESPN Classic so they could show more NBA shows on ESPN and ESPN2.
(Speaking of ESPN, doesn't it say something that even they have been forced to significantly up their coverage of the NHL these playoffs? That might be the biggest sign of all that the NHL is back.)
- Pittsburgh vs. Detroit. The game has been improving steadily over the past three seasons, both in quality and in building an audience. But it takes casual viewers to make something a hit, and this year's Stanley Cup Final was the perfect way to showcase "The New NHL". It's not so much that hockey died in America as much as nobody had a reason to care about it. I'll admit, it's hard to sell a casual sports fan on the merits of the Edmonton Oilers or Ottawa Senators. But the Penguins, with all their star power, and the perennial giants in Detroit? That's just too much.
And the proof has been in the pudding; in this case, TV ratings. The night the Detroit Pistons were bounced from the NBA playoffs, more people in Detroit were watching hockey. This year's ratings have almost doubled last year's across the board, and Game 5's rating is comparable with what the NBA has been getting for their playoffs. Mind you, this is with infinitely less promotion and media coverage. And if you incorporate Canadian viewers, it's quite likely that more North Americans are watching the Stanley Cup than the NBA.
As happy as I am to see the Finals go one more game - even if I was asleep when the goal was scored - I'm so much happier for the game of hockey. Even after the lockout, just about all of us have silently wondered if the NHL would make it. This is a tribute to all of those fans who kept watching in spite of the insults of just about everybody else. Finally, we have our day in the sun - we've certainly earned it.
But for us hockey fans, it's a little bit more than all that.
Think back to three years ago... or, technically speaking, two years and eight months ago. The NHL was just coming back as "The New NHL". A few months prior, the league held its' annual draft in a hotel conference room. The league had just literally given its' broadcast TV rights to NBC for no money. Perhaps worse than that, they had just signed with a network called the Outdoor Life Network for cable coverage. Of course, nobody got the Outdoor Life Network. ESPN effectively boycotted the NHL, pushing hockey virtually off the map in America.
Look at our game now. The quality of play is the best it's been since the mid-90s. The NHL boasts legitimate superstars that people who don't watch hockey actually care about. The OLN changed its' name to Versus and became an all-sports network, with hockey as its' centerpiece. The NHL held the Winter Classic this year, and what was once a one-off game in Edmonton has since become an annual affair whose destination is savagely debated. The NHL has its' own network that shows hockey throughout the day. Perhaps most remarkably of all, TV ratings are better than they were before the lockout.
How did the NHL do this? Consider for a second that the NHL built itself up from pretty much nothing to reach the highest points it's reached in a decade. And it was all without the promotional arm of ESPN shoving the sport down people's throats. What were the keys?
- The Lockout. It sounds stupid, but it's true. The lockout itself did a world of good for the game. The old NHL was broken. Too much trapping, too much clutching and grabbing, not enough scoring. The economics of the game were totally out of control, to the point that the league would have been in serious trouble without the work stoppage.
Over the last three years, many have asked if the lockout was worth it. Looking at the game now, I'd have to say it definitely was. Just about everything good about hockey is because the league took the opportunity to totally reinvent itself. Would Sidney Crosby be such a breakout superstar under the old rules? I doubt it.
- Versus. Of all the insults the major sports media throws at hockey - and God knows there are more than a few - the leader of the pack seems to be shots at the NHL's TV deal with Versus. Sure, the channel was hard to get at first; I didn't get it until Game 1 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals. But now, it's available on just about every digital cable system, meaning that argument doesn't hold too much water.
What's most important about Versus' contribution is the way they present the game. When the NHL was on ESPN, you got the impression that The WorldWide Leader was more concerned with cutting to SportsCenter or a late NBA game than going in-depth into hockey. That's not a problem on Versus, who has really given the NHL a home. We get weekly games on Monday and Tuesday with Versus, along with proper pre-game and post-game shows. That goes a long way toward building loyalty with viewers. Not to mention the fact that Versus pretty much shuts down in April and May to show every playoff game they can possibly get on air. If the NHL were still on ESPN, their games would be bumped onto ESPN Classic so they could show more NBA shows on ESPN and ESPN2.
(Speaking of ESPN, doesn't it say something that even they have been forced to significantly up their coverage of the NHL these playoffs? That might be the biggest sign of all that the NHL is back.)
- Pittsburgh vs. Detroit. The game has been improving steadily over the past three seasons, both in quality and in building an audience. But it takes casual viewers to make something a hit, and this year's Stanley Cup Final was the perfect way to showcase "The New NHL". It's not so much that hockey died in America as much as nobody had a reason to care about it. I'll admit, it's hard to sell a casual sports fan on the merits of the Edmonton Oilers or Ottawa Senators. But the Penguins, with all their star power, and the perennial giants in Detroit? That's just too much.
And the proof has been in the pudding; in this case, TV ratings. The night the Detroit Pistons were bounced from the NBA playoffs, more people in Detroit were watching hockey. This year's ratings have almost doubled last year's across the board, and Game 5's rating is comparable with what the NBA has been getting for their playoffs. Mind you, this is with infinitely less promotion and media coverage. And if you incorporate Canadian viewers, it's quite likely that more North Americans are watching the Stanley Cup than the NBA.
As happy as I am to see the Finals go one more game - even if I was asleep when the goal was scored - I'm so much happier for the game of hockey. Even after the lockout, just about all of us have silently wondered if the NHL would make it. This is a tribute to all of those fans who kept watching in spite of the insults of just about everybody else. Finally, we have our day in the sun - we've certainly earned it.
This series is rated highly and so I do hope it goes 7, but if a sleeper of a series, say Ottawa vs. Vancouver happened, ratings would be dreadful.
ReplyDeleteHowever, ratings were huge for Game 5, in NHL-standards. 4.3 rating on NBC in America, 79% higher than the Ducks winning the Cup last year. Sure, America's Next Top Model gets higher draws, but it's a start.
Imagine the ratings if the Rangers were there!
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5g6oJoKDk6hzKb6cT5yamfO-0hC5A