By all accounts, the 2009 NHL playoffs have been fantastic. They've featured some of the league's most popular teams and promising young stars in tightly contested, high intensity series that have gone 6 or 7 games each. The Stanley Cup Finals match the upstart Pittsburgh Penguins against the forever dominant Detroit Red Wings. The series has been physical and, if Pittsburgh can win tonight in game 4, has the potential to be epic.
Unfortunately, it seems that almost no one has noticed this.
Now I do not claim to be a hockey fan. I certainly respect it as a sport and I've enjoyed the handful of hockey games I've seen in person immensely, but I've never derived a great amount of joy from following the NHL regular season. However, I have historically looked forward to the start of the NHL playoffs, following their progression and watching as many games as possible on TV. But because the NHL is relegated to the Versus network, which I don't even think my cable company offers, I've seen none of it this year. I've been robbed of the opportunity to become a fan, albeit for just a few weeks, and now I find that I have little motivation to catch any of the Stanley Cup Finals on NBC.
It doesn't have to be this way.
When the NHL playoffs started and I noticed I was not able to watch them on TV, I curiously ventured to nhl.com. Like other major sports, the NHL does offer live streaming video online, and like other major sports they charge a pretty high rate to watch it. I understand how MLB and the NBA get away with this - they have strong, loyal and most importantly large fanbases. Plus, it's not hard to find baseball and basketball games on TV, so paying to watch online is a convenience that loyal fans are willing to shell out a few bucks for. But the NHL is struggling to recruit new fans, and I believe that it's missing out on an excellent opportunity to do so.
If I were running the NHL, among many other changes I would make to the league, I would broadcast games online, FOR FREE! During the regular season I would make one game available each night on the web and do the same during the playoffs. For students seeking a distraction from studying and homework or professionals looking for a diversion while catching up on emails or paying bills after a long day of work, surfing tonhl .com to check out which game was being aired would have to have some appeal. Certainly the enthused hockey fan would take advantage of the league's internet presence, and I believe that many others would be willing to test the NHL waters if able to do so conveniently and easily, without charge, at the click of a button. Ultimately, the NHL would gain much needed fans and hockey might just recapture some of its past glory - I know it would have me back again.
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