The National Hockey League’s season has reached its halfway point and the question remains: anybody watching?
Hockey has been low on the charts of major U.S. sports for many years now. The sport’s popularity is healthy on a global scale – huge in Canada and immensely popular in European markets. The NHL has expanded the league to 30 teams, with franchises reaching Sunbelt cities such as Tampa Bay, Fla.; Dallas; Phoenix; and San Jose, Calif.
Northern U.S. markets have never had a problem drawing fans or with popularity for the sport. The success of the league is dependant on the ability of smaller market Southern teams to flourish, such as the Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes. Since 1998, four of the last 10 Stanley Cup winners have been franchises in the South – the Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning and Anaheim Ducks.
The success of these teams came when a salary cap was implemented, leveling the playing field between bigger and smaller market franchises, creating more parity in the league.
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby, the NHL’s youngest team captain and biggest star, has been nicknamed "The Next One," as some hail him as the second coming of Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky. Crosby is to the NHL what Lebron James is to the NBA – exciting, talented and ready to carry his team (and league) on his shoulders.
Talented youth is plentiful and spread out amongst the 30 league franchises. The problem is the current NHL schedule that features increased divisional play, meaning some Western Conference teams will not see any action against some of the Eastern Conference.
If you were looking to boost attendance in Phoenix, wouldn’t it be necessary to have Crosby’s Penguins pay a visit?
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman apparently doesn’t think so, as he is sticking firmly to his theory that divisional play is a huge ratings and attendance draw, despite what the fans think. For the NHL to gain the notoriety it deserves, it needs to showcase its stars all around the league. Large markets and original franchises such as the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens have no problem filling their arena to capacity. If the NHL wants to see the same thing in Nashville and Florida, it needs to adjust the current schedule format.
In Houston, we are without an NHL franchise, but the American Hockey League’s Houston Aeros, serve as the primary farm team for the NHL’s Minnesota Wild. The Aeros have won two championships (1999 and 2003), and the organization has developed quality players who have moved on to successful NHL careers.
The Aeros draw decent attendance if the game is on a weekend. The majority of the attending fans, however, are hockey fans and those who play the sport.
There are currently ice rinks in Sugarland, Clear Lake, Willowbrook, Sharpstown, The Galleria, Memorial City and many of the outlying towns in the Greater Houston Area – an impressive number considering Houston doesn’t have an NHL franchise.
