Many thought the cancellation of the 2004-2005 National Hockey League season would have buried the league into obscurity forever. Thanks to an influx of young talent and consistent enforcement of a new standard of play, viewership is up and the league is as exciting as ever.
It has been a long, tumultuous road, but the NHL is finally back on track; and as a fan of the league, I have never been more excited about it’s future.
Television Ratings
People are watching the sport again.
According to Nielsen Media Research, the Feb. 10 contest between the San Jose Sharks and the Boston Bruins hauled in 377,589 viewers, the most ever for a regular season broadcast on the Versus network. Overall, viewership is up 16 percent from last season on the network, and an astronomical 64 percent among the crucial demographic of men aged 18-49.
Perhaps most exciting is the news that many sources are reporting that talks are heating up between the NHL and ESPN for a deal that would move the sport back to the network for the first time since before the lockout.
Having games back on ESPN would increase exposure on SportsCenter and various debate shows popular on the network.
Youth Movement
The recent spat between young stars like Washington’s Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby highlights an important aspect of today’s game.
Many of the top players are in their first few years in the league, and most of them (Crosby aside), have dynamic personalities.
While the NHL continues to inexplicably ride the Crosby train, showcasing the mediocre Penguins in most of its NBC weekend telecasts, a bevy of new talent is taking over the league. Heading in to Wednesday’s action, the top three goal-scorers in the league were Ovechkin (23 years old), New Jersey’s Zach Parise (24), and Philadelphia’s Jeff Carter (24). The league leader in points (goals and assists) is Pittsburgh’s forgotten superstar, Evgeni Malkin, who is just 22.
The NHL must stop exclusively showcasing the mundane Crosby, and turn more to exciting players like Ovechkin and Malkin.
No more clutch and grab
After a few painstaking seasons of trial and error, the players have finally figured out how to play the game under enforcement of the new rules, and the result is extraordinary.
Scoring is up as skilled players are now allowed to wheel through the center of the ice without being hindered by the horizontal stick of a lesser-skilled skater.
The league successfully found a way to keep the physical aspect in the game, while almost completely eliminating the obstruction which once bogged down the most talented players.
If you are one of the few who hasn’t hopped on the NHL bandwagon, I suggest you do so, because there has never been a more exciting time to be a fan of the game.
-Jarrod Yost is a journalism sophomore.
The Oklahoma Daily is pleased to provide you the opportunity to share your thoughts about this article. We encourage lively debate on the issues of the day, but we ask you refrain from using profanity or other offensive speech, engaging in personal attacks or name-calling, posting advertising, or straying from the topic at hand. To comment, you must be a registered user of OUDaily.com. Thanks for taking the time to offer your thoughts.
You must be logged in to leave a comment. Log in | Register
legalese04 3 years, 2 months ago
if gary bettman were replaced i think the league would improve even more.