10 Things the NHL Could Fix to Combat Bad Ratings in the Stanley Cup Finals
The NHL ratings are down and here are some ways to correct the problem.
The NHL Stanley Cup ratings are down, and everyone wants to know why.
I think that there is an obvious correlation between the ratings being down and half the games starting in late on the east coast, and probably something to do with there being more entertainment options at ones fingertips than ever before. But more than anything, an NHL final that doesn't feature the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Vancouver Canucks or one of the other Original Six Franchises just isn't going to drive ratings.
That said, if hockey is less popular than it could or should be, it could be the NHL's own fault.
This is a league that seems to go out of its own way to alienate its fans. Whether we are talking about the arrogance with which the league communicates, it's inability to get anyone to understand basic concepts like "what is a penalty?" or it's bizarre Stanley Cup Final schedule, the NHL seems to shoot itself in the foot at every opportunity.
They can't even manage their own game, let alone market it.
So when the discussion turned to "why are the ratings down" it seemed like a good idea to voice a few grievances. Now it must be said that I love hockey and the NHL, I just think they could be a little better.
The Stanley Cup Final Encapsulates Everything Wrong With the NHL
The NHL Stanley Cup Final is being played in late June. There are two days off between every game. Anyone who was not a die-hard that somehow watched and got into the awesome game on Saturday has long forgotten about it by Tuesday night.
I think the fact that the SCF is scheduled to take 17 days if it goes the full length embodies both the obvious and the underlying issues the NHL has - mainly that is a self-inflicted problem they could easily address.
Here is a list of things that I think are problems the NHL has, and perhaps they pertain to why the ratings are lower than they should be:
1. The Win Or Else Mentality.
There are only 2 teams that make the SCF and everyone else goes home disappointed. The NHL Culture is such that we get articles talking about the Oilers being failures and needing "big changes" if they don't win it all. I think it's bad for the game.
I don't know how you'd fix this, but I think if the NHL awarded say the 10th overall pick every year (an additional pick) to the President's Trophy winner, maybe people would care more about the regular season.
I think teams should also get rewards - whether draft picks or extra cap space - the farther they go in the playoffs. Anything the league could do to combat the idea of 31 teams being failures every year would be a step in the right direction.
2. Technology.
Last week the Washington Capitals bought Capfriendly, and it came out that the NHL doesn't like that this information is public.
How dumb is that? The NHL should love that their fans spend hundreds of hours online making trade proposals and making mock-rosters. They could make their own official cap-friendly site and make millions of dollars for themselves but they are apparently blind to this fact.
This is just one example of many. From rights issues with replays and gifs, streaming access, local blackouts, tv scheduling etc. the NHL fumbles technology driven advances at every turn.
NHL.com should have a capfriendly style page, they should have their own trade rumours page, they should have an easy to use GIF builder and archival footage. There are so many ways to use technology to get fans to interact and care about the game it's amazing how badly the NHL is botching it.
Make your own highlights packages, scouting reports etc. People love charts and player cards that show attributes and advanced stats. Basically everything cool that people do without the NHL's authorization, the NHL should do officially instead of trying to ban everything and block access.
3. Gambling
Its a huge turn off to people who don't gamble - i,e most of us - to have to sit through a three hour gambling commercial every time we want to watch hockey.
There is nothing wrong with gambling, but does it have to be the sole focus of everything outside the play-by-play?
I realize that gambling is subsidizing the sports world, but this is dangerous because the societal costs haven't even begun to be reckoned with and what they are doing is not sustainable, and no one even really talks about the possible repercussions.
I'm all for gambling, all I'm saying is that at the moment, it's a bit much having to sit through wall-to-wall gambling commercials and talk all night long when you sit down to watch a hockey game.
4. Trades.
The NHL doesn't seem to realize how much traction they get out of roster moves and they should work to make trading players easier and more frequent.
The salary cap is annoying and everyone hates it, but every single fan of the NHL that likes to engage in online trade discussions knows the salaries of every player and does the math to make their fake trades work.
The people who like to talk NHL roster moves like doing it so much that they voluntarily do math. This should tell the league how much people like trades.
5. Video Replay.
Everyone hates it, get rid of it.
The coaches challenge is dumb too. I would rather the NHL get some calls wrong than to pause any game for ten minutes to debate the minutia of a parallax angle or whatever the heck they are talking about for 20 minutes when I hit mute.
And that's just goals, which I can at least understand. Video replays on offsides are an affront to the inventors of the game.
6. Arrogance.
The fans hate the electronic boards. Fair or not, they are universally hated. The NHL doesn't listen to its fans and this is just one example.
7. Ads on Jerseys and Helmets.
This is just disgusting greed and the cost isn't worth the reward. Like the electronic boards, the extra profits just aren't worth the degradation of the product. You can't put a price on the goodwill of your fans, and no matter what trends come and go, the only thing that will always be universally uncool is selling out.
8. TV Broadcasts.
The NHL broadcasting format is dated and unwatchable. Updating the 20 years out-of-date TV Broadcasts would go a long way in fixing the NHL.
To their credit, broadcasters are being more inclusive, but they aren't paying attention to the main thing they exist to create: entertainment.
What no one wants: cross-talking panel discussions that remind us of the horror of cable news.
9. The Rules.
No one knows what a penalty is anymore, and the rules change depending on what teams are playing, what the score is and what period it is.
This is just bad business.
10. Talk About What People Love About Hockey
Goal scoring, fighting, big hits. The NHL obviously has to balance this stuff with player safety, but what makes hockey fun is not a secret.
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More talk about big hits and fights, less talk about point spreads and faceoffs. It's not that hard.