How can the NHL grow the sport of hockey?

[Old Guy]

Ways to grow the game by The Old Guy;

1. Require every team to only have 41 home games in their home arena. Each team must select one game that they would move to a qualified rink or arena within 150-180 miles of their home rink. This would be hard for the Rangers. Islander, Devils and Flyers. But having Dallas play in Houston or Oklahoma City would be good. The Florida teams could each play a game in Orlando. Columbus could play in Cleveland or Cincinnati. How cool would it be to have hockey back in Hartford for a game? Yea, its less money, but it grows the game.

2. Each year, exempt two teams from idea #1 above. They play a home and home match up in England, or Germany, or Sweden, or China, or Switzerland. Season ticket holders are given the first right of refusal on tickets if they want to travel and combine a vacation. But you take 5 or 7 days and both teams travel. The games could be in the same arena or two close by. There is plenty of time for rest, travel and promotion. The games would count in the standings. They already have the Outdoor Series and Stadium Series. This would be the International Series.

3. Repeat idea #1 only for a pre-season game. No exemptions.

4. Sponsor a US High School invitational tournament. Imagine an 8 team invitational tournament of the best high school teams in the USA. Every team gets 3 games. The match ups are drawn ahead of time. After that, winners advance. Somebody goes 3-0 and wins the Championship. Have it in conjunction with some NHL team, in an NHL city. A different NHL team would host it each year. This would be other than a team participating in the Stadium Series, Outdoor Series or International Series. Think about 8 teams and fans and families descending upon a town like Nashville. They could do it over 4 days. Play day 1, play day 2, NHL game day 3 and final games day 4. The participating teams would be honored at the NHL game on Day 3. Every team (along with their fans and families) would know they get 4 days in a city once the invitations are accepted. Select an all-tournament team. Create a tournament MVP trophy. It would begin to work its way towards a High School National Champion.

 

[patty59]

Keep finding ways to make the game more affordable. The number of kids registering for hockey is down in some communities because of the price to play hockey. Registration, gear, and travel expenses add up quickly.
Former Bruin, Aaron Johnson, is from the town where my child plays hockey. Johnson gave gear through the player’s association. First year players here have access to this gear if they need it. Great way to help and cut the cost early on.

Totally agree, my kids are playing hockey now and it's super expensive, from equipment to fees.

The Flames are hosting a learn to play camp currently in Lethbridge and my son is in it, it's for kids that havent registered in minor hockey and want to try it out. I was lucky enough to notice it since this year will be his first year and he wouldn't qualify next year. The cost was $175 and included all the equipment and 6 ice sessions of 1 hour each.

Lethbridge has a population of almost 100,000 and last year there was only 60 5 year olds signed up for hockey. That seems extremely low and cost is a huge deterent.

 

[Estlin]

Some suggestions, a couple of which echo earlier posts:

1. Make the sport less expensive. The cost is prohibitive for many families and dissuades parents from having their children take up the sport.

2. Promote the game better in the USA. Get a better TV deal. The NHL needs to improve its marketing drastically. Focus on marketable players like PK Subban. Unfortunately, the next star, Connor McDavid, appears to have even less of a personality than Crosby. On top of that, he plays in Edmonton. That sucks for the league, but perhaps the NHL can focus on other players.

3. Hockey is, and always will be, a niche/fringe sport compared with the other major sports. I therefore don't believe that efforts to grow the sport in places like Asia and the United Kingdom will pay dividends in the future. Accept that reality and focus instead on areas where the sport is strong or is getting strong (e.g., Switzerland, Denmark and Germany) or where it could grow because of a strong connection (e.g., Kopitar and Slovenia).

In terms of the USA, I think that the NHL should abandon a place like Arizona. While expansion into the southern US may have paid off in a couple of areas, the league should cut its losses in Phoenix and Miami, for example, and move to other areas in the country where hockey could thrive, such as Seattle or Milwaukee.

4. The NHL has to improve the game itself. Fix the inconsistent and often inept officiating. Focus on speed and skill and making the games entertaining. Banish the trap, as mentioned above. Get rid of the loser point and the sometimes incomprehensible points system. Lastly, make the damn season shorter! Have the season last 70 games max and have the Stanley Cup Final in May at the absolute latest.

 

[Aeroforce]

Not to take anything away from Nashville's accomplishments; the same thing happened when Carolina won the cup ... everybody loves a winner.

Exactly. Where were all these so-called celebs when the Preds were bowing out in the second round?

People are assuming these 'celebs' are crawling out of the woodwork because they all of a sudden developed an interest in hockey.

I would imagine it has more to do with blatant self-promotion.

 

[patty59]

While equipment is expensive, the cost to play on a team is even more expensive.

My son plays on a Pee Wee team and a Middle school team, cost me just under 2K. That's not including equipment, tournaments, USA hockey number...etc..

Unfortunately it's an expensive sport to play..

It is insane. I have a 4 year old and a 6 year old and the registration cost this year for the 2 of them was $800. My 4 year old will get 1 ice time a week and the older one will get 2 and it'll be split ice with another team.

I friend of mine has a 15 year old kid playing a pretty high level now and he told me he pays $600/month and that's not including gear or anything.

If the NHL wants to grow the sport they need to invest in youth minor hockey programs. If they start dumping a ton of cash in those to make the game more accessible to kids they'll see a huge payback in future fans and players.

 

[AngryMilkcrates]

Exactly. Where were all these so-called celebs when the Preds were bowing out in the second round?

People are assuming these 'celebs' are crawling out of the woodwork because they all of a sudden developed an interest in hockey.

I would imagine it has more to do with blatant self-promotion.

Barring Charles Barkley the celebs have been preds fans and at the games for years. It's just that Nashville home games are getting NBC main channel level of facetime whereas they were only on NBCSN previous seasons. Most of the celebs you are seeing at Preds home games are actually locals who have season tickets.

 

[s3antana5757]

Eight games in the division vs each team.

Drop the instigator.

Outlaw the trap.

Get rid of offsides review where in zone possession is greater than eight seconds. Also make the skate in the air over the blue line legal instead of having to be touching.

Drop the game misconduct for starting a fight in the last five minutes.

Would be a huge fan of contraction and or relocation.

Use NHL NETWORK ffs. They should show every preseason game. They should have more AHL games on. They should have more original programming instead of those God awful top 10 shows.

Reg wins 3 pts.

Ot ten minutes 3 on 3

Have the 8th and 9th seed play a one game playoff for the last seed.

Re-seed after each playoff round.

Forgot to add that point to my post. America hates ties. People don't like going to games, and not having a result. Yes you can one but shoot outs are pretty silly. Fans would happily stay up late a couple times a year for late OT games. Would make the sport so much more exciting.

 

[Aeroforce]

Barring Charles Barkley the celebs have been preds fans and at the games for years. It's just that Nashville home games are getting NBC main channel level of facetime whereas they were only on NBCSN previous seasons. Most of the celebs you are seeing at Preds home games are actually locals who have season tickets.

That may be in some instances, but I don't remember seeing them in previous years in earlier rounds in nationally televised games.

I do remember previous seasons when the Preds disallowed playoff ticket sales from certain area codes for fear of it feeling like a Blackhawks home game.

Either way, it's just my opinion, but I don't think having country music entertainers at Finals games will have any tangible benefit to the NHL beyond this series.

Especially with the current on-ice product.

 

[Mainehockey33]

Some great ideas in this thread. I love the idea of NHL teams playing in different arenas. I doubt it'll happen but seeing a Bruins preseason game in Portland would be great.

NHL officiating goes without saying at this point. More consistency and stop reviewing those damn off-sides, it's pretty lame.

Even though I hate the trap I don't see how they could get rid of it.

 

[RedBruin]

Quit growing it. Maybe it'll become good and respectable again.

 

[BMC]

Eight games in the division vs each team.

Drop the instigator.

Outlaw the trap.

Get rid of offsides review where in zone possession is greater than eight seconds. Also make the skate in the air over the blue line legal instead of having to be touching.

Drop the game misconduct for starting a fight in the last five minutes.

Would be a huge fan of contraction and or relocation.

Use NHL NETWORK ffs. They should show every preseason game. They should have more AHL games on. They should have more original programming instead of those God awful top 10 shows.

Reg wins 3 pts.

Ot ten minutes 3 on 3

Have the 8th and 9th seed play a one game playoff for the last seed.

Re-seed after each playoff round.

Retired WBC8 for NHL Commissioner!!!!

PS You forgot to get rid of that #$()ing shootout!!

 

[duffy]

Eight games in the division vs each team.

Drop the instigator.

Outlaw the trap.

Get rid of offsides review where in zone possession is greater than eight seconds. Also make the skate in the air over the blue line legal instead of having to be touching.

Drop the game misconduct for starting a fight in the last five minutes.

Would be a huge fan of contraction and or relocation.

Use NHL NETWORK ffs. They should show every preseason game. They should have more AHL games on. They should have more original programming instead of those God awful top 10 shows.

Reg wins 3 pts.

Ot ten minutes 3 on 3

Have the 8th and 9th seed play a one game playoff for the last seed.

Re-seed after each playoff round.

You have some awesome ideas there and the only one I take issue with is the trap!
There are about 1000 versions of the trap , so that may be tricky.
Add guys that are of color or Muslim doing home town talks to promote the game to kids and that draws in kids , parents, relatives etc to the sport!
Kadri has a big mouth on the ice, let's see him pump the tires of his own sport, not a huge PK fan , but you can't ignore his off ice stuff to grow the sport!

 

[LouJersey]

The trap would be tough to get rid of but give a penalty for illegal defense when the team without the puck has four players skating backwards in the neutral zone. Would encourage a constant two man forechecking which would open up more ice for odd man rushes.