For two week in February, NHL fans were treated to a different type of all-star break. We saw NHL players take time off from their team and watched them play for pride of their respective countries. When the two weeks were up and the dust settled, Team Canada beat Team U.S.A. in OT to win the Men’s Winter Ice Hockey Gold Medal. This was a win/win situation in the ratings department for the Olympics and the NHL.
Prior to the Olympics the NHL hosted the 3rd Winter Classic in Boston. This game was a huge ratings boost for the NHL. It featured the Boston Bruins and the love to hate Philadelphia Flyers. This game is a huge draw for casual fans and normal TV watchers. The Olympics was a whole new story for drawing interest in the league. Now it’s time for the NHL to run with the successful rating for both events and promote the hell out of the 2010 NHL Playoffs and try to grab a whole new fan base.
Normally the playoffs are a huge deal for the existing fans and their teams but after the successful Olympics the NHL has a lot riding on them. Already with the first 28 games played, the 16 teams in the playoffs are going to give the Olympics a run for their money. They have been the most competitive the playoffs have been in the longest time. They have been fast paced, hard hitting and in some cases high scoring. Even with the high scoring games have produced close 1 goal wins. Already there have been 8 OT games that leaves old fans and new fans on the edge of their seats to see who will score the game winner. Also for the first time in NHL history each series was tied 1-1 after two games.
If the games aren’t enough, the players in the games will be a huge draw. Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Ryan Miller, Roberto Luongo and the other superstars of the NHL along with teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers will help promote the game to non fans that are looking for a new sport to follow. If the NHL promotes it right and shows the right match ups on NBC and VS, they stand to see an increase in fans for the league and at least the 16 teams in the playoffs, if not the team that is close to where they are living..
The 2010 Playoffs are a make it/break it for Gary Bettman as Commissioner of the NHL. A lot of fans of the NHL don’t like him already but if for some reason the NHL doesn’t draw in a large amount of new fans, the dislike for him will not only be from the fans but possibly the owners of the 30 NHL teams. The players are doing their jobs and the owners are promoting and selling their teams but it all comes down on Bettman if it fails to be a huge draw. The next attempt to draw in a large amount of fans is in another 4 years after the Olympics in Russia, providing Bettman allows NHL players to participate in those Olympics.