[Carlo Colaiacovo] I hope this is a wake up call for change in the NHL. Fans are losing interest. No rivalries; lacking storylines; more buzz around t

[RebuildinVan]

Connor McDavid is one of the most exciting players in sports, what % of Americans know who he is...or even his face? Hint, its low

 

[Devils090]

Connor McDavid is one of the most exciting players in sports, what % of Americans know who he is...or even his face? Hint, its low

Cant force people to like hockey, also not sure too many people are going to tune in for Edmonton Oilers games. It’s easy when you watch an NBA player, they play almost the whole game, you can see their face clearly etc. Hockey is a niche sport, always will be, it doesn’t ruin my experience of the game not sure why it does for others.

 

[joelef]

Cant force people to like hockey, also not sure too many people are going to tune in for Edmonton Oilers games. It’s easy when you watch an NBA player, they play almost the whole game, you can see their face clearly etc. Hockey is a niche sport, always will be, it doesn’t ruin my experience of the game not sure why it does for others.

No but you can at least try to create hype the nhl doesn’t even try

 

[RebuildinVan]

Cant force people to like hockey, also not sure too many people are going to tune in for Edmonton Oilers games. It’s easy when you watch an NBA player, they play almost the whole game, you can see their face clearly etc. Hockey is a niche sport, always will be, it doesn’t ruin my experience of the game not sure why it does for others.

Get that but the face of your sport shouldnt be so unknown in the country you're trying to grow the sport the most

 

[Devils090]

Get that but the face of your sport shouldnt be so unknown in the country you're trying to grow the sport the most

Hockey will be always be 4th fiddle here, it’s just how it is. I mean you could put a billboard of McDavid in every major city I don’t think it’s really going to make a huge difference. Hockey is just not going to be a sport that caters to casuals the way football or basketball do.

 

[JianYang]

The US is the primary market.

Not Canada.

I think Canada is still the primary market assuming that they still make up a disproportionate amount of revenue in the league.

America is their growth market. If they are going to make growth leaps, it will come from the US, but it's an incredibly tough nut to crack for a variety of reasons.

 

[psycat]

I get that it's problematic if the games are hard to watch but what is the bad thing about the sport "shrinking"? I just don't see any inherently negative effects of it unless it risks dying out?

 

[The Panther]

- any time a team has quality star players the conversation always turns to how they will keep them and manage the cap. Sometimes quality players are traded for nothing for cap reasons

You're right, and I f***ing hate this!! Drive me crazy.

I swear, nowadays the moment a team lifts the Cup, this is the first thing they talk about:

"The Colorado Avalanche . . . are 2022 -- Stanley - Cup - Champions!!"

(8 seconds cheering. Team captain passes Cup to first teammate.)

"Now, of course, they're going to have massive cap-issues, starting with...."

 

[wavaxa2]

So he's calling out who? No one. He's calling out hockey in general and giving no ideas or possible solutions.
Grow a sac CC. Call out Bettman, call out the owners.
Hey, here's A thought, call out your fellow players: stop being jock, meat head, bullies. Stop using your athlete status to prey on women. Stop looking the other way when your teammate is sexually assaulted, stop with the code of silence to cover up dirt bag predators who share the locker room with you. I mean, that sort of shit turns me away from the league much more than anything he mentioned.
But I suppose, in the mind of a hockey player, the real enemy will always be math.
f*** YOU MATH!!

Sexual assault isn't unique to hockey players. This occurs with athletes in all sports, and hockey is not the worst sport when it comes to sexual assault.

 

[Voodoo Child]

Out of nowhere he comes up spitting facts

f***ing two minutes after the OP.

Game recognize game.

 

[Deas]

Higher or no cap would increase rivalries for sure, which add tons of story lines. Long term cores of around 10 players mean tons of story lines, community involvement, rivalries and so on.

The current situation with 3 player cores surrounded by constant player turnover due to cap management prohibits all of this. A more even league is great, but isn't it exciting enough if 10 teams can realistically contend? Does it have to be 20?

Or am I forgetting all the things that improved with the cap?

A compromise could be - cap hit discount on drafted players. This would put focus on building long term cores, but they could consist of 10 players instead of 3. So cap for example stays at 83 mil, McDavid is still paid his 12.5, but the cap hit for the Oilers would be 6.25 because they drafted him.

Imagine Buffalo having Cozens, Thompson, Dahlin, Tuch, Peterka, Quinn, Krebs, Power and Levi/6K for 15 years. All the storylines and rivalries coming from that.

 

[joelef]

I get that it's problematic if the games are hard to watch but what is the bad thing about the sport "shrinking"? I just don't see any inherently negative effects of it unless it risks dying out?

I’ve

Hockey will be always be 4th fiddle here, it’s just how it is. I mean you could put a billboard of McDavid in every major city I don’t think it’s really going to make a huge difference. Hockey is just not going to be a sport that caters to casuals the way football or basketball do.

it would be allot bettter then now if they did thst

 

[HabsWhiteKnightLOL]

Perhaps put more games against division rivals
Perhaps change the regulation win for 3 points and 2 points in OT and 0 for the loser
Perhaps stop taking all the gambling ads and put them on TV
Perhaps nobody in the newest generation use Cable , People have intelligent Televisions. People even buy mini computers to plug them into the TV so they can do both at the same time.
Perhaps stop promoting hockey in dead places , we don't need to name them.
Try to do something else with the all star games which isnt cringey
Stop with the god damn ugly variation jerseys
Stop with the outside games , it was cool the first year now nobody cares.
Try to sell Franchise players instead of BET99 on TV.
Perhaps change playoff format into 1v8 or 1v16 at this point. We know 12 of the 16 teams making the playoffs before the season start.

 

[KapG]

He isn’t wrong. The playoff setup is a joke.

 

[Hockeyfan2390]

This garbage



42k views
59 likes
Getting dragged in the comments(thankfully)

It’s the all Star game, a weekend where the biggest players get have the stage to themselves and this moron has to pour water all over it with his personal agenda and blatant lies. Everyone wants to cry stars aren’t promoted? Well, here’s why.

Great to see that he's getting absolutely destroyed in the comments, considering nothing that he said in his latest whiny tweet is factually correct.

 

[ijuka]

Maybe if the refs called according to what reads on the rulebook instead of according to what they had for dinner, people might enjoy watching the game more.

Also, make reg wins grant 3 points so teams aren't as inclined to just play for the reg tie. This free loser point business just rewards scared play.

 

[dragonballgtz]

I'll add too many teams as well. Take out 4 teams or so and you have more top end talent boosting other teams. Is today's average NHL player better than the 80's average player? Yes. But it's all just better grinders and defensive play understanding, IMO, in order to shut down other teams.

 

[Hanji]

Kind of expected.

Racial and cultural demographics of the United States are rapidly changing. Yet hockey still resemble a polar bear in a snowstorm with country music playing in the background.

 

[bert]

The people complaining about the restrictions of the cap and lack of trades.. I have to ask. Have you been living under a rock since Feb 2020? The caps flat because of a global pandemic.... The cap actually created more trades and player movement. UFA age was moved from 31 to 25-27. I find it extra hilarious that the complaining comes from Toronto. Your team over spent on UFA's before and were one of the main reasons the cap was implemented. Secondly your own cap issues are self inflicted. You took advantage of the new UFA standards and signed Tavares then overpaid more players. Your organization has more resources than anyone else. Just stop.

As for the NHL's current issues in terms of viewership.

1. No best on best for how long? That globalizes the game and brings in casual.fans. absolutely pathetic this hasn't happened for almost a decade.

2. Scheduling. Beyond brain dead timing of games. Starts should be staggered and there should be hockey on every night from 7 pm ET to 1 AM. No excuses. On light nights games should be spread out. What we saw on Sunday and Wednesday this week should never happen. Ever. Two games each day on at the exact same time. Saturdays should have hockey on from 1 PM until 1 AM all staggered starts. More prime time Friday night games. More prime time feature games.

3. No more loser points. All games should be 3 point games. It will make the games more exciting and teams will play for the win in regulation.

4. More playoff games with play in games so the 3 point games don't separate teams from the pack and there will still be playoff races. I think it gives teams more hope to make it too. Easier to make up ground.

5. Playoff format conference only. 1 vs 8 then reseeding. Top 6 teams make it in. 7 to 10 in a mini playoff best 2 out of 3 or what the NBA does.

6. Broadcasting this is a big one. HIRE THE BEST PEOPLE FOR THE JOB.

7. Camera angles. Stop trying to be fancy and cutting to the shot in the corner mid play. Just show us the game.

8. No more T.V time outs keep pace of play going. Find different ways to make adds happen.

9. Get rid of the offside replay or atleast modify it. Unless it happens withing 10 seconds of a goal it's not reviewable.

End rant. The cap is fine it's not the reason your favorite team didn't win. Maybe for the Blackhawks they would have won a few more but they got 3.

The Sens a small market team were screwed the hardest of anyone by it. So it isn't about screwing the largest fan bases get off your high horse. You're an individual fan just like everyone else. You personally don't bring anymore than anyone else don't act entitled there is no logic behind it. Just because you live in a bigger city or market you're still just one person.

 

[Blender]

Terrible officiating and game management, and the way the league is managed overall, are killing the league. I can tolerate officials making mistakes, but it's unwatchable trash when the officials have a mandate to call the games incorrectly as a philosophy.

 

[Frenzy31]

I think it is more basic: Cost of tickets is way to high. The average person can’t take their family to a game.

It is much easier to build interest in a team or sport if families can take their kids. This corporate tickets have increased prices way too much. Hickey is a hard sport to watch on TV if you don’t have a ton of experience with it. If fans are not seeing games in person, they are less likely to watch it on TV. Not creating new fans means you do t replace the ones you lose.

 

[Reality Czech]

Out of nowhere he comes up spitting facts

That was Carlo's exact reaction upon seeing the latest NHL TV ratings.

I do think that the NHL needs to do more to bring back rivalries. Play more divisional games and build up these rivalries as much as possible. What is more memorable in recent decades than the Red Wings/Avs wars of the 90s? Hardcore fans like me will always watch, but they could do a hell of a lot more to drum up more casual interest among sports fans.

 

[1865]

Looking at a personal level, i've never been less interested. The Flyers plight hasn't helped, but the game just doesn't feel like it's as interesting to watch as it used to be. The atmospheres are crap. This feels like a new dead puck era, but again maybe that's just the team i'm anchored to.

Massive hits and fighting have gone away (and for good, health-related reason of course) but let's be honest, that made the game exciting. The game needs a healthy balance of brain and braun.

That was Carlo's exact reaction upon seeing the latest NHL TV ratings.

I do think that the NHL needs to do more to bring back rivalries. Play more divisional games and build up these rivalries as much as possible. What is more memorable in recent decades than the Red Wings/Avs wars of the 90s? Hardcore fans like me will always watch, but they could do a hell of a lot more to drum up more casual interest among sports fans.

A good rivalry needs a healthy balance of games against the rivals. Too few and it can't build, too many and they become run-of-the-mill. More games against the Penguins won't help build the rivalry. More games that actually matter will do.

 

[Reality Czech]

Looking at a personal level, i've never been less interested. The Flyers plight hasn't helped, but the game just doesn't feel like it's as interesting to watch as it used to be. The atmospheres are crap. This feels like a new dead puck era, but again maybe that's just the team i'm anchored to.

Massive hits and fighting have gone away (and for good, health-related reason of course) but let's be honest, that made the game exciting. The game needs a healthy balance of brain and braun.



A good rivalry needs a healthy balance of games against the rivals. Too few and it can't build, too many and they become run-of-the-mill. More games against the Penguins won't help build the rivalry. More games that actually matter will do.

I would agree with that. Most rivalries are built in the playoffs anyway. It's hard to get really invested when your team isn't very good and there is nothing at stake. And as we saw with the Red Wings and Avs, nothing gets a rivalry going more than a good old fashioned cheap shot or old school hockey violence. Look at what happened after Tom Wilson manhandled half the Rangers team. That was great entertainment.

 

[Ned Bouhalassa]

I miss the Bruins-Habs rivalry. It’s dead, killed by the NHL. We played the Habs 0 times in the Fall - never seen that before.