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Introducing Snap Shots from Snap.com!

Hello NHL Business Blog Readers!

In my never ending quest to ensure that you have the best possible experience on my site, I decided to install a nice little tool called Snap Shots. It enhances links with visual previews of the destination sites, interactive excerpts of Wikipedia articles, display inline videos, RSS, MP3s, photos, stock charts and more.

Sometimes Snap Shots bring you the information you need, without your having to leave the site, while other times it lets you "look ahead," before deciding if you want to follow a link or not.

Should you decide this is not for you, just click the Options icon in the upper right corner of the Snap Shot and opt-out.

As always, if you have any questions, comments, concerns or anything else you would like to share with me, fire up an email and contact me at: nhlblogger@gmail.com!

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

LA Kings to Hike Ticket Prices Next Season

According to team president "Lucky" Luc Robitaille, the team has lost millions of dollars, even more than it lost before the lockout.

The Los Angeles Kings announced today that season ticket prices will increase 5.66% next season, though many of the cheapest seats will decrease in price by as much as 21%. Prices for individual game tickets for next season have not been announced yet.

This move was predictable and necessary for the team to keep pace with the rest of the league and be able to stay within the salary cap range. According to team president "Lucky" Luc Robitaille, the team has lost millions of dollars, even more than it lost before the lockout. This price hike will help the team hold the line on it's losses, while still keeping LA Kings tickets well below the league average price of $57, at $48.

I have to be honest though, even though I think it's the right move to increase ticket prices,

I disagree with the statement made by their Chief Marketing Officer, Chris McGowan, that it's better to increase prices a bit every year regardless of team performance

, as opposed to a huge price hike after a good year. Fans are often more incensed an grudging to part with their hard earned dollars after years of poor performance, even if it's less money than when the team wins. As you can see, teams who win can coax their fans to pay more money after good years, even if they don't like it. Never do you see a dominant team in a market that has had continuous success play in front of sparse crowds. Either way, this was the right move, as the price hike is not monumental.

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Monday, April 28, 2008

NHL on NBC Ratings Dissapoint This Weekend

The NHL on NBC ratings for this weekend were disappointing. The Detroit Red Wings-Colorado Avalanche game only managed a 1.0 TV rating

The NHL on NBC ratings for this weekend were disappointing. The Detroit Red Wings-Colorado Avalanche game only managed a 1.0 TV rating, which is even with the rating the Red Wings-Sharks series got last year. Apparently the renewal of the old Detroit-Colorado rivalry wasn't enough to convince hockey fans to tune in. Or maybe they saw Game 1. If they did, I don't blame them for not tuning in. You would never know these two teams were once heated rivals by the way they played. There was very little physicality and bad blood between the teams, in fact it was downright boring. Things better pick up when the two teams meet in Colorado, otherwise they may have a hard time convincing fans to tune in.

Even more astonishing is the fact that they couldn't even equal the 1.3 rating the Rangers got playing the small market Sabres last season.

Even more disappointing, was the meager 1.2 rating that the Penguins and Rangers pulled in. Personally, I was astonished that the most famous US team in the NHL and Sidney Crosby and his band of stars were only able to pull in 200,000 more people than the Wings and Avalanche. Even more astonishing is the fact that they couldn't even equal the 1.3 rating the Rangers got playing the small market Sabres last season.

It seems as if the NHL is consistently around a certain TV rating for each round and gets only that rating no matter which teams are playing. They seem to lose enough fans in the markets that are not participating to ensure the ratings stay around that number. The league is going to have to find more ways to build scale and fan loyalty to improve these ratings. The NHL Network and NHL Network Online are good starts, but we'll have to see what they can do in the future.

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Sunday, April 27, 2008

HELLO READERS!

Hello to the NHL Business Blog Community!

I have to apologize for not having posted in a few days. I am currently under the weather and feel horribly. As well, I have spent the last little while really thinking about where I want to take this site. I have been so focused on posting everyday, adding new features etc I haven't really had the time to really think about "the big picture." Anyways, I will share all of my insights and plans with all of you shortly. I will be back tomorrow to weigh in on what's going on in the business side of the NHL. What happened in Vancouver, and other more current issues. Thanks so much for all of your patience. I will talk to you soon!

Friday, April 25, 2008

Columbus Blue Jackets Owner John McConnel Dies

Today was a sad day for the NHL as it lost a member in their family, Columbus Blue Jackets owner John H. McConnel died after a long battle with cancer.

Via the Canadian Press:

McConnell brought major professional sports to Columbus when he led a group of investors that acquired an NHL expansion team that began play as the Blue Jackets in 2000.

He called the team his gift to the city.

"Columbus has been good for me. I think this is good for Columbus," McConnell said when Nationwide Arena opened in 2000.

"I just think Columbus is a good sports town. They need athletics."

He was also an early investor in Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew franchise and a former minority owner of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Blue Jackets, now seven years in, are the only NHL franchise that has yet to make the playoffs. It was something McConnell had often said he couldn't wait to see.

"It's been a tough day for everybody here," Blue Jackets general manager Scott Howson said.

McConnell wasn't around the team much toward the end of last season because of his health, but he did attend the Blue Jackets' last game on April 6, Howson said.

"The players liked him," he said. "I think they saw him more as a father figure and a friend rather than an owner. It was a privilege to work for him."

McConnell was born May 10, 1923, in Pughtown, W.Va.

After serving three years with the Navy on the aircraft carrier Saratoga during World War II, he graduated with a degree in business administration from Michigan State in 1949.

In 1954, a steel company put McConnell in Columbus as a salesman. After realizing how much money he was making for his employers, he decided to put a phone in his basement and start his own company.

"My dad said, 'Don't do it,"' McConnell told The Columbus Dispatch for a story in 2000. "He said, 'What happens if you go broke?' I said, 'Well, I don't have anything to start with, so what am I going to lose?"

McConnell started Worthington Industries a year later by borrowing money against his 1952 Oldsmobile. The company now employs about 8,000 people, with 69 facilities in 11 countries.

McConnell's son, John P. McConnell, became chairman and chief executive in 1996 while McConnell became chairman emeritus.

As the NHL looked to expand in the late 1990s, the original owner of the Blue Jackets was supposed to be the late Texas oil magnate Lamar Hunt, who owned the Crew. But Hunt blanched on funding an arena after voters turned down three ballot proposals that would have provided public financing.

McConnell stepped up with a new ownership group while Columbus-based Nationwide Insurance put together a plan to privately finance an arena.

An ugly court fight followed when Hunt alleged he was elbowed out of the ownership group. McConnell, who ended up winning the lawsuit, said he did it as a matter of civic pride. He ended up committing $120 million to building the franchise.

Nationwide Insurance stepped in to construct a 19,500-seat, glass-and-brick arena downtown, with spectacular views of the skyline and a rejuvenated business district.

Unlike many owners, "Mr. Mac" as he was called by his coaches and players, was idolized by fans who filled Nationwide Arena to capacity to watch the Blue Jackets.

On opening night, Oct. 9, 2000, McConnell received a standing ovation that lasted nearly a minute when he slowly moved to centre ice on a blue carpet - ever present cane in hand - to drop the first puck along with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

The first Blue Jackets team was among the most successful NHL expansion teams in history, winning 28 games and collecting 71 points.

McConnell had made a friendly wager with Bettman that the Blue Jackets would be better than anyone thought - and he won the bet.

"I used to tell them: 'You don't have to win all the games. We know that. As long as you do your best out there, why, we're happy with you.' And that's what they did," McConnell said.

The next year's team, beset by injuries, was a major disappointment. At the team's last home game, McConnell appeared in a video in which he thanked the fans for selling out the entire the season, apologized for the poor record and promised a brighter future.

"You did your job; I'm not sure we did ours," McConnell said. "I guarantee you next year we'll do better. That's a guarantee."

McConnell was also a noted philanthropist. He is the founder of the McConnell Heart Health Center at Riverside Methodist Hospital.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

NHL.com Records All-Time Traffic High

NHL.com set an all-time record for traffic since the launch of NHL Network Online. Traffic is almost double what it was before the launch on April 9 as it has increased a reported 75%. The NHL Network Online also drew a whopping 7 million page views in its first week (the week of April 13) alone.

Also, interestingly Alexa.com is reporting that traffic has increased significantly to NHL.com, mostly in the United States. NHL.com currently ranks 640th in the web, with 44.7% of users
coming from the United States, 37.4% coming from Canada
and the rest coming from abroad (mainly Europe). This contrasts with earlier on in the year and past years where Alexa.com reported that the majority of traffic came from Canada. This may be due to the launch of NHL Network Online, but this may also be due to the changed rankings system used at Alexa. In the past they used to rank sites based on visits from users who had installed the Alexa Toolbar on their browsers. Now they compile rankings based on data from a number of sources. They're not revealing which sources or how they do it but that's what they say.

Also, another reason why traffic may have spiked, is the presence of many big market US hockey teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. NHL fans usually tune out the playoffs unless their teams are involved. NHL Senior Executive Vice President of Business and Media, (and former Cleveland Browns President) John Collins recently said that 80% of fan viewership is determined by whether their teams are in the postseason, and that 50% of the NHL's most avid fans will not watch the Stanley Cup Finals, unless their team is involved. With the Rangers, Flyers, Red Wings, Penguins, Stars and Sharks still involved, this has probably driven a ton of fan interest, that probably spilled over to NHL.com.

NHL Network Online is a cutting edge portal that features archived game highlights from the Stanley Cup playoffs, as well as podcasts, live coverage of league events such as the amateur draft, behind-the-scenes features, and links to XM Radio's NHL Live show. It replaced NHL TV as the main portal for NHL.com.

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NHL on NBC Extended For Another Season

NBC has reportedly renewed their contract with the NHL for the 2008-09 season. Dick Ebersol, Chairman of NBC Universal Sports & Olympics said in a statement: “Ratings were up this year; the Winter Classic in Buffalo was a huge success; advertising sales were healthy; and the product on the ice has never been better, led by young, marketable stars such as Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin.”

Not only did NBC's ratings rise 11% this year to a 1.0, but it got a boost in a key demographic, as viewership in the male 18-49 category jumped 33%. To keep things in perspective, it must be noted that these numbers include the Winter Classic ratings.

This deal makes sense for both sides, NBC gets another Winter Classic game, the NHL gets to stay on network television. Also, even though ratings haven't been great, the NHL is able to draw high-end, affluent consumers to NBC. This no doubt helps NBC get healthy revenues for ad sales. Plus, there is always the promise of the NHL breaking out and finally getting the viewership it needs, especially if large market teams like the Rangers do consistently well.

Despite the fact that many people want to see the league ditch NBC to go to ESPN, having a presence on network television is far more important. NBC is available to everyone, ESPN is not. Despite the fact that ESPN is in some 110 million homes, TV ratings are consistently higher on network television for all sports. Plus, the NHL may be able to command a healthy rights fee after next season, especially if two large market American teams make the Stanley Cup Finals.

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Another Local TV Record for the Washington Capitals

The Washington Capitals have set another all-time record for local TV viewership during Game 6 of their first round series with the Philadelphia Flyers. The game received a 3.8 household rating in the D.C. market, along with a 4.5/12 (rating/share) with men 18-49 years of age, and a 4.2/10 with men 25-54 years of age. The game also got a 2.6/7 in the total 18-49 demographic.

For those who are unfamiliar, a rating is a percentage of households with TV sets who are tuned into a certain program in a specific market. A share is the percentage of households who are using their televisions who are tuned into a certain program in a specific market. (i.e. Rating = number of households watching the program/number of households with TV sets, Share= number of households watching the program/number of households who are watching TV during the same time)

While it's predictable that the ratings would be huge, I'm actually pretty shocked that the Capitals didn't draw higher ratings in their Stanley Cup year of 1998. Also, the Caps have been to the playoffs 18 times before this season, I'm surprised they didn't draw ratings like this before. The fact that they were able to smash the record in the first round may indicate that hockey is on it's way up in Washington D.C.

P.S. Expect another record for Game 7, it's in their home building and ratings always improve as series's move along.

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Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Tampa Bay Lightning Sale to Proceed; Can Koules Avoid Bankruptcy?

It seems as if the sale of the Tampa Bay Lightning to Hollywood mogul Oren Koules and OK Hockey will be completed after all. The sale was in jeopardy when French bank Societe Generale who agreed to lend to Koules was rocked by the largest trading scandal and fraud in bank history. According to reports they lost 7.2 billion dollars when a single trader, Jerome Kerviel orchestrated a series of transactions that spiraled out of control as the world financial markets became exposed to the US sub-prime credit mess.

Koules then could not get another bank to finance him, as lending standards and credit markets tightened in response to the bursting of the sub-prime mortgage bubble. In response to this, current Tampa Bay Lightning owner Palace Sports and Entertainment has agreed to finance Koules, until the credit markets loosen up and he can get another bank to finance him. Apparently they will provide him with as much as half of the purchase price of $200 million. Should Koules and his partners get in over their heads, Palace Sports and Entertainment will foreclose on the loan and re-take the team. After the paperwork is completed later this week, the last hurdle for the deal to go through is league approval.

This deal looks fishy to me. The fact that Koules and his partners needs to finance up to $100 million is a huge red flag. It's obvious that he doesn't have the assets to afford to buy the team. Sports is not a great business, it requires ever increasing amounts of capital to be re-invested, usually in players, but every ten years or so in the arena and ten years later in a new building. People usually don't make huge amounts of money running a sports franchise. On top of that, the Lightning have had problems for a long time, not with their revenues, but with their profitability. They have reportedly lost $76 million since 1999 and have never had a year in the black, save for their Stanley Cup winning season. This, despite sellout crowds and strong fan support for many years, not to mention the fact that "the city and county picked up millions over those years for the team in ancillary charges such as property taxes and parking revenue shortfalls." Koules and his partners will have a hard time breaking even, let alone making enough for them to repay the loan.

It seems that what Koules and his partners are banking on is the 5 1/2 acres of land they're acquiring along with the team. In February, The Globe and Mail ran a story suggesting that former NHL player and current property developer Len Barrie was poised to become a significant investor in the team. The report suggested that he had participated in discussions with other Lightning executives on the direction of the franchise, and was part of Koules's first attempt to buy the Lightning with Absolute Hockey Enterprises. Barrie for his part, denied being part of the first group. I don't know whether that story was a case of fanciful journalism, putting two and two together, but it makes a lot of sense. The only hope they have of making any money is to develop that property with the way the Lightning are bleeding cash. Also the fact is it will probably only get worse, as the team's attendance may decrease and ticket prices may have to go down due to their last place finish this year. However, unless they create Disneyland 2.0 or the next Augusta National golf course, it's highly unlikely they will make enough to repay their loan.

Should this happen, Koules may suffer the same fate as another mega-debtor, Rod Bryden did in Ottawa, bankruptcy. If this happens, unless there is a benevolent Tampa billionaire willing to buy the team simply to keep it there, the team will likely have to end up moving.

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Monday, April 21, 2008

NHL on NBC Playoff Ratings Up Big Time; Flyers and Capitals Draw Record Ratings

NBC registered huge increases in playoff ratings this weekend according to Sports Business Daily via SportsMediaWatch as "Game Five of the Washington Capitals-Philadelphia Flyers series drew a 1.2 overnight rating up 33% from a 0.9 for Flames/Red Wings Game 5 last year and Game Six of the Detroit Red Wings-Nashville Predators series drew a 1.3 up 18% from a 1.1 for Devils/Lightning Game 6 last year. The 1.3 overnight is the second-highest of the season for the NHL on NBC, behind only the 2.6 for the Winter Classic in January."

I'm quite surprised that the Capitals-Flyers series didn't draw more viewers, conversely I'm astonished that the Red Wings-Predators series drew so well. I thought they'd have a hard time breaking a 1.0. There are two possible reasons for this, there were a lot of Red Wings fans nationally who didn't tune in last year for the series vs. the Flames, that did this year, or there are more Predators fans in the US than I thought.

The Caps-Flyers series should have creamed the Red Wings-Predators series though. Philadelphia is a hockey crazy city where only the Eagles are really in the same league as the Flyers. Washington isn't the craziest hockey town, but it is a big market which is supporting the Capitals very well this season. Their combined market population (metropolitan area population) is 11.1 million people compared to approximately 6 million combined market population of Detroit and Nashville metropolitan areas. Philadelphia is the nation's fourth largest media market, Washington is ninth, Detroit is eleventh and Nashville is 30th.

To add to the surprise, this series is setting record numbers in terms of viewers in both local markets. According to TVbythenumbers.com, Game Four set an all-time record in viewership for a Washington Capitals game drawing a 3.3 rating locally. Game Three gave the Philadelphia Flyers their highest rated game in two years, drawing a 5.4 rating locally.

I guess there are just a lot more Red Wings fans outside of the Detroit Market, and not as many Flyers fans as I thought.

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Tim Russert is a hockey fan?

And finally from guess where..... Eric McErlain from AOL Fanhouse, Tim Russert is a hockey fan! I sometimes (very rarely) catch his program Meet the Press. Apparently he often asks his panelists about the Buffalo Sabres. I had no idea! Here, a few days away from the Pennsylvania Primary, with his beloved Sabres out, Russert breaks out the hometown colours:

Networks Should Televise Events in their Entirety... No Matter How Many Eyeballs Are Watching

Also from Eric McErlain of the AOL Fanhouse, the NHL apparently dodged a bullet today as the program on NBC before Game 6 of the Detroit Red Wings-Nashville Predators series, the Outback Steakhouse Pro Am Golf tournament, nearly went to a playoff, thanks to Scott Hoch. This potential episode brought back memories of the Eastern Conference Finals last year, between the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators, when NBC switched to the race track, to air pre-race coverage of the Preakness Stakes. This time, NBC said it would switch the golf tournament to the Golf Channel and air the game. However, that was unnecessary, as Scott Hoch missed a put from 2.5 feet to lose the tourney.

Personally, had NBC decided to not air the beginning of the Red Wings-Predators game, I don't think it would have been as embarrassing as last years fiasco. When a network is televising an event, it makes an implicit promise to show the event in its entirety. If people didn't expect to be shown the whole event, how many people would tune in? Especially if the ending isn't shown, that's the most important part! People may be able to live with missing some of the start of an event, but to not finish an event, especially an event as important as the Stanley Cup playoffs, after building up to it is just plain cruel. Rarely will I ever say that something is beyond ratings, profits, or the bottom line, but this is. No matter how small the event or how few people are interested in watching, it should go on till the end. Not everyone subscribes to the Golf Channel or USA network. They shouldn't be cheated! That's why I could live with missing the start of the Red Wings-Predators game. It would be the right thing to do, just as showing the Buffalo-Ottawa game in it's entirety would have been the right thing to do.

Your thoughts?

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Sunday, April 20, 2008

NHL Should Find Ways to Encourage Video Responses to Increase Interest (ie Response to Darryl Parks Video)

You got to give this guy credit, whether you agree with him or not (is there anyone out there? lol). This is extremely innovative (who ever thought they would see something like this? I sure didn't) and shows us the power of Web 2.0, as some people like to call it. The NHL ought to find ways to encourage this. It allows fans a way to directly interact with their teams and the league. They can let the league know what they like and dislike (player moves, hirings and firings etc.) and whatever else is on their minds. NBA on TNT will sometimes take video responses to questions on Youtube and air them for their NBA games. Versus and NBC ought to think about this. They need all the help they can get (Versus especially) to get TV ratings, if fans thought their responses would be aired on National TV, thats a pretty strong incentive to tune in. Also, if the responses are fun and interesting, and get a reputation for providing good entertainment, then another incentive is created for regular folks to tune in as well. I don't know if the Vancouver Canucks hockey team agree with Darryl Parks but I give him credit for his creativity.

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Darryl Parks Has A Solution to the Cancuks GM Dilemma......

I was surfing the net today and got a chance to read the latest edition of the NHL fanhouse at AOL fanhouse. Blogger Eric McErlain of the Off Wing Opinion website had a very weird but kind of interesting post on a guy named Darryl Parks. Parks is a die-hard Canucks fan who had an interesting solution to the Vancouver Cancuks GM dilemma:



I don't know whether the Vancouver Canucks hockey team agrees with him, but you got to give him credit for his originality!

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Friday, April 18, 2008

New Study States That New Oilers Arena May Cost Albertans Untold Millions

A new report out of Edmonton contends that a new downtown arena will end up costing Alberta taxpayers untold millions. Former University of Illionois professor, and current University of Alberta professor Brad Humphreys told members of the Economics Society of Alberta the folly of trusting early building estimates, as building cost usually overrun by at least 30%. In Edmonton's case it would be even higher, as not only do they need to fund the building, but they need to look at acquiring downtown land, and a potential new LRT station (light rail transit for people who aren't familiar, it's similar to a subway).

Humphrey's research also indicates no economic gains from a new facility, however, it can shift where development takes place. So, instead of Edmonton continuing to develop on the outskirts of city borders with new houses, stores, hotels etc, that development could shift to downtown with the help of a new arena. However, he warned that this always doesn't happen. Busch Stadium in St. Louis was supposed to drive development in the surrounding area, but has failed to so far.

He also conceded, that a new arena will be a huge money maker for the new owner, allowing him to charge premium prices for luxury boxes, and a big concourse full of vendors. He also confronted the belief that the Oilers provides intangible benefits to the city like increased profile. He said that though that is absolutely the case, it is overstated. The benefits are usually in the $60 to $80 million range (if you were to put a dollar value on them), not half a billion, like many believe.

One point that he made that I thought was excellent, was that it is a mistaken belief to think that the new arena will "ensure Edmonton's place as a world class city." It may give the city some profile across North America among hockey fans, but those fans really don't get to see the city during broadcasts in Edmonton. It just gives some name recognition, people still have to look Edmonton up, to see if they want to go there (ie for vacation, or maybe move).

People who maybe wondering just who is Brad Humphreys to be telling us all this, and whether we should trust him. They should know that he was commissioned by the Cato Institute (one of the leading economic think-tanks in America) to see if there were economic benefits to bringing the Montreal Expos to Washington. He has also testified before U.S. Congress on the issue of publicly financing arenas. You can see an article on his work published by the University of Illinois News Bureau here: www.news.uiuc.edu/news/04/1117stadiums.html


(RSS and Newsletter Readers: I have two polls below, I'm not sure you can see them, I'll make sure to see into fixing that problem. The questions are: Should the Edmonton Oilers New Arena Receive Public Funding? and If so how much?)





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Thursday, April 17, 2008

Minnesota Wild: Do They Get the Attention That They Deserve?

I came across this article in the Minnesota Star Tribune recently, complaining about the lack of national attention the Wild get. They didn't get to make an appearance on NBC this season. In fact, there weren't even any Wild games on the match-up list (which is pre-determined by the NHL) that NBC gets to pick from, as part of their flex-scheduling deal. The NHL apparently says they were in consideration for two games, but due to their start times not being in sync with NBC's start time, they couldn't be chosen.

Personally, I think that's just a corporate line. I don't think they ever considered broadcasting the Wild, nor should they. Minnesota is a tremendous hockey market, maybe the best in the country, but the Wild are not a team that has a national following. Being a fairly new franchise doesn't help in a sport where history is venerated. The bigger problem though, is their coach, and the style of hockey he insists on playing. The neutral zone trap is not going to get people across the US stampeding towards their TV sets to watch a Wild game. It may help them win, (well.... at least in the regular season!) but it puts people to sleep. What many people in hockey still don't realize, is that in the 21st century, people don't watch sport for sport. They watch it for entertainment. You can't just rack up the wins, you got to do it in style.

The Wild are already a team that is constricted by the market they play in. Minneapolis-St. Paul is the 16th largest city in the United States based on its metropolitan population, with barely 3.2 million people. Despite this, there are many teams in the NHL which play "bigger than their market." Like a tiny player who "plays big" on the ice, there are teams that are able to draw crowds that are much larger than their market. The Detroit Red Wings are the prime example of this. Metro Detroit has only about 4.4 million people, not much bigger than Minneapolis-St. Paul, but they consistently draw high ratings in the Stanley Cup Finals, plus opponents buildings regularly sell out when the Wings come to town. A lot of this has to do with the Wings history, there are generations of Detroit expats who grew up Red Wings fans, who've moved out all across America, but they also play an exciting style of game, and are never short on star power.

An even better example may be the Colorado Avalanche in the pre-lockout era. Denver-Aurora is the 21st largest metro area in the US, with 2.4 million people. Smaller than even Tampa Bay, which has 2.7 million. Yet the Avalanche never drew less than a 3.3 in their Stanley Cup Finals appearances, compared to the 2.6 Tampa Bay got in theirs. The Lightning weren't helped by the fact that they faced a Canadian team, but their rating was .7 below Colorado, suggesting that even if they faced a US based team, unless it was a large market team, they wouldn't have drawn as well. That's not even touching the 3.6 rating the Avs got when facing a fairly new franchise in the Florida Panthers.

So, if the Wild want national attention, they ought to start playing like it. Until they do, things should just roll on, the way they are.

What Are Your Thoughts?











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Wednesday, April 16, 2008

A Day in the Life of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman

Did you know NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman spends about a third of the calendar year on the road? Did you know of his affinity of hot dogs on a toasty bun in Montreal? Or his love of Bud Light fresh from the tap? Or if you put a bowl of Hershey's Kisses near his face, he would gorge on them like a starved hyena would a carcass? (Well maybe that exaggerating a little...) Now you can! Fortune Magazine recently went on the road with Gary, to get the lo-down on a day in the life of the Commish. You can see what really makes Gary tick, from cranking up head banging tunes from the Grateful Dead to what he puts in his Tumi bag. (What in the world is a Tumi bag???) View the article right here: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2008/04/28/105538201/

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Nonis The Fall Guy for Burke's Mistakes

The Vancouver Canucks announced the firing of GM Dave Nonis yesturday, ending his three-year tenure as General Manager. Canucks owner Francisco Aquilini seemed to indicate that the reason for Nonis's firing was the team's inability to make the post-season saying that: "this important change in leadership is critical to the future of the team and the direction we need to take. It’s not acceptable to our fans or to us as owners that our team isn’t in the playoffs.”

This is a horrible decision on the Canucks part. They're right to be indignant about missing the post-season for the second time in the last three years, but they're blaming the wrong guy. The main reason for the Canucks failures isn't Nonis's decisions as GM, but Brian Burke's decisions, particularly his inability to run successful drafts. If you look at all the teams that are in the playoffs, and all the elite teams in the league there is a direct correlation between their success in the draft and their records. In today's salary capped NHL teams cannot stockpile players thorough free agency, there are too many teams with need for free agents who have the money to get them. This creates such demand that elite free agents usually get paid so much money that one team cannot sign a bunch of them, without going over the cap, like they used to pre-lockout. If you look at the Canucks draft history it has to be one of the worst in the league.

If you look at the players acquired via draft during Burke's six-season tenure the only players who made it to the NHL, and had decent careers are: Bryan Allen, Jarkko Ruutu, the Sedin twins, R.J. Umberger, Kevin Bieksa and Ryan Kesler. That's hardly a foundation that can make the playoffs every year. If you want to break it down even further, you'll find that Burke actually isn't totally inept at the draft, he just is when he doesn't have a top three pick. If you look at situations where he has had the top three pick in his career he has picked: Chris Pronger, the Sedin twins and Bobby Ryan. Those three were all excellent picks. It's when Burke is forced to draft low that he struggles. The main reason he has had such unbelievable success in Anaheim is that he was lucky to inherit one of the best farm system's in the game from Bryan Murray. Getzlaf, Perry, Penner, Smid (who they used to get Pronger), Kunitz, McDonald, Giguere and Bryzgalov were all acquired by the Ducks before Burke came on board. Then he did what he does best, make trades. If you look at Burke's career he has dominated the trading game. He swung deals for Markus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi, Brendan Morrison, Bryan McCabe and Dan Cloutier, only giving up Alek Stojanov, Trevor Linden, Alexander Mogilny, and Adrian Aucoin. He worked the same magic in Anaheim acquireing Francois Beauchimin, Todd Marchant and Chris Pronger for an aging Sergei Fedorov, Ladislav Smid and draft picks.

Looking at Nonis tenure he did as good as anyone would be able to considering all the turmoil the team was in when he got hired. He stole the best goalie in the NHL from the Panthers, Roberto Luongo for Todd Bertuzzi. That might be the best trade in NHL history, if not it's certainly up there. I don't know anyone who could've expected that considering the situation Bertuzzi was in. However, that trade might not be due purely to Nonis's genius as much as Mike Keenan's wackiness. It was still a good job though. It is certainly true that Nonis paid a little too much for defence. This was a mistake. The Canucks had a goaltender that was used to playing with porous defences in Florida, consistently stopping the most shots in the NHL. That's not saying they shouldn't have brought in some defensive players, but they shouldn't have spent as much as they did. Many defensive players, particularly many good defensive defencemen can typically be had for paltry sums (ie Jason Smith $1.9 mill), the Canucks didn't need to invest $10.5 million per season, in Ohlund, Mitchell and Salo. However, the amount of money they would have saved, by not investing in all of those three likely wouldn't have been enough to bring in a top flight offensive player. They might have been able to bring in some good ones though. With that said, the real reason for the Canucks disappointing season is the underacheivement of Naslund and Morrison as well as all the injuries the club faced. They are paid a combined $9.2 million a season, and they both were on pace to average around 50 points a piece this season. If Naslund and Morrison were able to produce at their pre-lockout levels, then the Cancuks would have been fine for offense. The majority of the Canucks offense depended on Naslund and he couldn't deliver. Nonis cannot be blamed for this, as I don't know one GM who could have foreseen the collapse of Markus Naslund coming out of the lockout. Ditto for Morrison.

As for the farm system, Nonis finally put some good players into the pipeline. Cory Schneider looks like a top flight goaltender and was a steal at 26th overall. The Canucks also got two excellent offensive defenceman with good size in Alexander Edler and Luc Bourdon, and three offensively gifted forwards in Mason Raymond, Michael Grabner and Pat White. For the first time in their history, it seems as if the Canucks will finally produce some very good homegrown talent. They could provide the foundation for a contending team in the future, but young players take time to develop. If Nonis had stayed on and continued to draft like this, then the Canucks would have had an excellent chance to become a dominant NHL team down the road. Unfortunately if it happens, it will have to be without their former architect, Dave Nonis.

What's your point of view? COMMENT BELOW!

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NHL Paramount Pictures Partner to Promote the "Love Guru"

The NHL and Paramount Pictures announced a historic partnership today, to promote Mike Myers upcoming film "The Love Guru," which is due out on June 20th. The NHL will include co-branded spots airing on NHL TV telecasts (NBC, Versus, CBC and TSN), online, in arenas, exclusive NHL.com content, and retail activations. All of which are designed to promote the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In the movie, Mike Myers plays an American left at the gates of an Indian ashram, who is subsequently raised by Hindu Gurus. He then moves back to his homeland to try his hand at the self-help/spirituality game, hoping for fame and fortune (I thought gurus weren't supposed to care about that kind of stuff!!!). His quirky methods are put to the test when he is hired by Toronto Maple Leafs owner Jane Bullard (played by the lovely Jessica Alba) to settle a rift between Maple Leafs star player Darren Roanoke and his estranged wife. After they split, she starts dating LA Kings player Jacques Grande (played by Justin Timberlake) to get revenge, sending him into a tailspin. Pitka must work his magic to get Roanoke back on track so the Leafs can break their curse and win the Stanley Cup (lol, LAUGH OUT LOUD! ya right!!!!!!!!).

I dug up the preview for the movie from Youtube right here:



The movie itself looks ok. It looks like Myers has took a lot of jokes from his Austin Powers series (ie. when he makes fun of the midget) and used them in the movie. Jessica Alba seems quite genuine, and the golden underwear or cup is just hilarious! I'm not to big on Justin Timberlake's acting from seeing the preview but maybe he will prove me wrong in the movie.

For the NHL from a business perspective this is great! A lot of people rightfully criticized the league when it failed to capitalize on the success of "Miracle." The NHL made sure that would never happen again, as it signed a deal with the William Morris Agency coming out of the lockout. The intent was to build bridges and relationships in Hollywood. This relationship resulted in the NHL co-promoting 300 last summer, and in the charity celebrity hockey game at the Sundance Film Festival this year, headlined by NHL legend "Lucky" Luc Robataille. The NHL also smartly got Jerry Bruckheimer to advise them on entertainment related decisions. This movie will insure that mainstream America gets more exposure to the sport. Having three of the most recognizable actors in America taking part in this movie certainly doesn't hurt! Getting more attention definitely helps build the next generation of hockey fans, and with the fortunate timing of the movie being released around the Stanley Cup Finals it could increase ratings and attention.

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Sunday, April 13, 2008

Craig Leipold 'Wildly' Rewarded for Loyal Service to the Predators




A few days ago the Minnesota Wild were officially taken over by former Nashville Predators owner Craig Leipold and super-investor Phil Falcone. Since then, Leipold has been drawing some heady praise from his NHL brethren, who are ecstatic to have him back in the fold. Boston Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman are chief among them. Jacobs lauds his commitment, admitting that "you won't find a more dedicated owner than [Leipold]." Bettman for his part, feels that the Wild "couldn't be handing this franchise over to better owners," especially when you have an owner that is so "passionate about the game" and is "great when it comes to league issues."

A lot of people have had mixed feelings about this sale. Many wondered whether the purchase of the Wild was done in an above board manner, or whether Leipold was simply given the franchise, as a reward, for his "loyal service" to the league in the past (particularly for refusing to sell to Jim Balsille). While I'm sure there are no shortage of intriguing schemes that go on at NHL headquarters, I'm doubtful he was given the franchise purely for that reason. That answer is only partially correct.

As a businessman who was a partner in the league for nine years previously, Leipold is someone the owners know well. They saw him go into his pockets to finance a venture in '98 that had little chance of succeeding and no shortage of obstacles. Unlike many owners, they saw him heap much of the responsibility for the success of the franchise on his own shoulders, as he decided to make a second home in the city to run the team. He took it upon himself to let the fans know that they were appreciated, often by greeting fans and thanking them for coming to games. They saw him hire a General Manager fresh off the unemployment line, and loyally stick by him when many questioned his wisdom, as the losses mounted and the unproven coach took his lumps. They witnessed his patience, as the franchise painstakingly developed its draft picks and grew from within. They saw him continue to finance the team even as the team lost tens of millions, unwavering in his commitment to the franchise and city. They got a first hand glimpse of his passion for winning as he opened up the coffers yet again, this time to make trades and sign top free agents, despite the fact that the team was in dire straits financially. They watched his commitment to the city, even in the end, deciding not to fight the NHL and take the lower bid to keep the team in Nashville. That is why I believe they approved this sale, that is why I believe that Bob Naegele sold in the first place, despite having no immediate imperative to do so. What better owner, what better person, to run the franchise?

Praise from a Nashville Observer:



Another Leipold Admirer:




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Saturday, April 12, 2008

Jacques Martin Canned As Coach: Is It A Smart Idea To Keep Him Around?



This still developing story out of South Florida is puzzling. If Jacques Martin's presence was so toxic as a coach, I wonder if it would be a good idea to keep him around as a GM. Ethan J. Skolnick of the Sun-Sentinel seems to concur. If he becomes GM, he may look for a coach who sees things the way he did (having similar flaws), which according to owner Alan Cohen is the reason he got fired.

As a GM, Martin has been so-so. He really put the organization's rebuilding on the fast track, while making up for one of the most lopsided deals in NHL history, by acquiring Tomas Vokoun. Vokoun did an admirable job, playing behind a porous defence, stopping the most shots in the NHL. He also wisely locked up young stud Nathan Horton to a long-term deal, and got Jason Cullimore on a one way ticket to Miami on a base salary deal. However, he also seriously overpaid Stephen Weiss and Bryan Allen, their contracts combining to form a $6 million noose on the neck of the Panthers. Also, Skrastins is an underrated defenceman, but at that salary, and with bigger priorities for the team, is also overpaid.

Based on his moves alone, it would be interesting to see how Jacques Martin would do as a GM. He seems to have some potential, however the GM's post is about more than just making trades. It's about providing leadership and a calming, stabilizing force from the hockey side of the organization. If his leadership was toxic from behind the bench, it would be stupid to give him the job. However, if they believe that his problems are strictly due to having to deal with the players on a day to day basis, and he would do well from greater distance from the players, then he might be worth hiring, so long as too many bridges haven't been burned.

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Friday, April 11, 2008

Oilers Lock Up a Key Piece of the Puzzle

Jacques Martin Gets Canned (Well...Sort Of)

The Oilers Sign Tom Gilbert to Six Year Contract: Who Will Be The Odd Man Out?

The Edmonton Oilers have reportedly signed rookie defenceman Tom Gilbert to a six year contract worth $4 million per season. Gilbert was a restricted free agent and the team would have been liable to lose him to an offer sheet from another club. Gilbert had an excellent 2007-08 campaign, broke the Oilers defenceman rookie record in goals and points, both previously held by Paul Coffey, with 13 goals and 20 assists. He also led all rookie defenceman in blocked shots with 158.

This signing was certainly an expensive one. The Oilers were definitely smart in locking him up before other teams got a chance to, this year's unrestricted free agent market is very weak, and the restricted free agent market is very strong, so I definitely expect a lot of offer sheet to be offered this offseason. Also, considering Gilbert's season, and his potential, the contract certainly seems fair. The Oilers cap figure at the beginning of this season was about $45 million, so with this contract they will have approximately $7 million worth of cap room to play with for next season, assuming the cap for next season is $56 million.

Given the fact that they still have to sign Robert Nilsson, Grebeshkov, Pitkanen, Stoll, Stortini, Reasoner, and Glencross it looks very unlikely that they will be able to bring the entire team back for next year. I would definitely look for Raffi Torres to be moved if they need cap room. He isn't a bona fide scorer, he can be a liability on the defensive end, the play often ends up dying with him, he takes stupid penalties and the Oilers have other players such as Stortini who have become "energy" type players for the team. Plus Torres makes just over $2 million per season, over the next two years.

Also, if they still can't sign everyone, I would expect Pitkanen to be the odd man out. He definitely puts up points, but he can be a defensive liability. He often is caught out of position, usually pinching way up into the offensive zone. Also the organization is extremely deep on defence with top prospects Cody Wild, Taylor Chorney (both offensive defenceman), likely to be competing for roster spots next season. Some people would advocate moving Stoll, and letting go of Reasoner, but Stoll can probably be had for a paycut (by taking him to arbitration) and Reasoner doesn't figure to make much. Plus they both play one of the most important positions in center, they are both great in their own end, they own the faceoff circle and Stoll provides good offence on the powerplay. Good centers are a lot like defenceman, you can never have enough of them.

All in all, the Oilers better hope the cap continues to rise, as they will have to deal with expiring contracts to Horcoff, Garon, Greene, Smid and Brodziak next season, with Cogliano and Gagner following them the next year. They will have soom tough choices to make, luckily they are in a great position to make them.

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Thursday, April 10, 2008

Celebrity Bloggers: Do People Really Care?

The NHL recently unveiled it's stable of celebrities who will spend the postseason blogging on NHL Connect at NHL.com. Lauren Conrad, Jason Reitman, Kevin Smith, Adam Beach, Eddie Cahill, William Fichtner, David Boreanaz, and Willa-Ford Modano are part of the crew who'll keep fans updated during the postseason.

It's interesting that the NHL asked many celebrities who blogged during the last postseason to return. Fichtner, Boreanaz, Cahill, and Tom Cavanagh were all part of the 2007 edition of the celebrity blogging crew. I also thought it was a brilliant move to bring in currently one of the most popular celebrities in Lauren Conrad. She's a huge hit with the MTV Crowd, and she'll definitely spark interest in the 18-25 year old demographic. The NHL has usually not been able to bring in the so called "A-list" celebrities, that has started to change. They got Lil 'Jon to blog last season (kind of!), and they brought in Ne-Yo, Alyssa Milano and Usher in for the All-Star Game in Atlanta.

Now, with that said, I really got to ask one question! Do fans actually care about these celebrities blogging??? When I was surfing through the NHL Connect pages during the All-Star Game and Playoffs last season, it seemed like these bloggers didn't really interact with the fans. They just posted their blogs or used the platform to announce their projects/products. The same goes for most of the NHL.com Artists of the Month. They didn't answer questions or post on other peoples pages. Now I may be wrong, as they may have messaged people privately, but I really doubt it. Also, to give them some credit some of the celebs do add people to their friends list, whether they interact with them or not.

Hearing their thoughts in their blog is interesting, but the whole point of inviting these celebs on in the first place is to create fan interest by getting them to interact with fans. Now personally, I understand these people have busy lives, and it's not practical to talk to every person who posted on your page, the amount of responses would be monumental (plus, people have lives!). But a little more direct interaction, answering a question here and there, and directly posting on someone else's page once in a while wouldn't hurt. Like I said, the whole point of inviting these celebs on in the first place is to create fan interest by getting them to interact with fans, and post their thoughts. That's what the NHL ought to push for.

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Tuesday, April 8, 2008

NHL Reportedly Sets Another Attendance Record, Are the Numbers Real?

The NHL reportedly set another attendance record this season. They were able to surpass 21 million people at the gates, had an average of 17,265 people at every game, and played to 93.6% capacity. Last season, they played to approximately 20.8 million fans had an average of 16,955 per game, and played to 91.7% capacity.

All Canadian teams sold out all their games (big surprise!) and joining them were the Pittsburgh Penguins (for the first time, surprisingly!), the Minnesota Wild (they've sold out they're entire history according to NHL.com), Philadelphia Flyers, the New York Rangers and even the Anaheim Ducks. San Jose and Buffalo were almost 100% sold out. The Blues (+40%) and Blackhawks (+32%), Devils (+10%)and Caps (+11%) posted the largest increases in the league.

Well, all in all it looks like a pretty good season for the NHL. However are these numbers real? They are no doubt inflated as the NHL reportedly uses "Tickets Distributed" as opposed to "Paid Attendance" to calculate their attendance figures. That means that even tickets included in giveways or that are won are included in the attendance figure. However, NHL attendance is probably higher than the paid attendance figure, since that metric fails to take into account, people who've purchased tickets but decided not to use them. At the recent NHLPA meeting, Larry Brooks of the NY Post reported the NHLPA expects most of the expected $6 million increase in the salary cap to come from increased ticket prices and the strong Canadian Dollar. Regardless of whether more people were at games, you would think ticket revenue would be on the way up. It would be extremely odd if the NHL's owners were willing to pay more money for player salaries, without a corresponding increase in ticket revenue. So either way, it's good news for the NHL!

Monday, April 7, 2008

NHL To Launch NHL NETWORK ONLINE on Wednesday

This Wednesday, the NHL will get set to launch a seven channel digital network: The NHL Network Online! The Network will include shows that cover highlights, updates, on and off ice interviews, morning skates, news conferences, live events, playoff news, highlights, and features (take a breath *gasp*...) podcasts, radio programming, and archival features! They have also been able to lock up Bud Light, Cisco and Dodge to sponsor three of the channels.

One of the main objectives, if not the main objective of this venture, is to get more of their 53 million core fans to experience and hopefully become interested in more than just their local teams. The goal is to get interested in other teams and the league itself. The hope is that this will build the national scale the league so desperately needs, and maybe even get that to transfer over to other mediums such as television, where the league experienced just 1.5 million viewers on and 272,417 viewers on Versus.

The NHL may or may not succeed in attaining this national scale, but the creation of two shows ("The Hockey Show" and "Livewire") on the network will certainly help. They will force fans to look at what is going on outside of their market. For highlights, people can just skip to their own teams. In the future, the NHL would be smart to create more shows, similar to television, to enhance loyalty to the NHL brand. The NHL was also smart, to focus on pulling in existing hardcore fans, as opposed to marketing to the casual fan, like they were accused of before the lockout. They will have a greater chance for success with this strategy.

Also, whether the national scale succeeds or fails, they will have at least built themselves another advertising platform which could be extremely lucrative. On top of getting sponsors for the shows, they could sell commercials like many web tv sites do, essentially acting like a tv network except on the internet! Plus they could sell banner ads, to monetize further. As more and more dollars pour into online advertising, this revenue source could eventually someday rival or eclipse TV revenue.

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Sunday, April 6, 2008

NHL Playoffs Set for Wednesday: NBC Makes A Curious Broadcasting Choice




Well it looks like the second season is finally upon us! There are really some surprises from the broadcasting front. has apparently decided to skip showing the Rangers vs. Devils series in favour of Detroit/Nashville??? If I were NBC I wouldn't even show a Western Conference series, it would be the Rangers/Devils and the Caps/Flyers. Those are the series which have the largest combined TV audiences. If they had to show a Western Conference game it would have to be Dallas/Anaheim. I can understand their reasoning behind showing Washington/Philadelphia, but I have no idea what the hell they were thinking when they decided to show Detroit/Nashville!!!! I would be surprised if they get decent ratings from the Western Conference Series.

On the Versus side of things, it looks like they will be involved in broadcasting nearly every series. However Sidney Crosby and his Pittsburgh Penguins will only be shown twice! Only Montreal/Boston will be shown less with one national TV appearance. You can find the schedule for the quarterfinals at NHL.com

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Saturday, April 5, 2008

NHL Gets A Much Needed Tire Change: Bridgestone Firestone Becomes 'Official Tire' of the NHL




This is one of the most extensive commitments any sponsor has made to the NHL. It looks like they'll be involved in almost every aspect of the NHL and NHLPA's operations. Despite the fact that this is a global deal, the NHL was not able to fetch much more than the $50 million Scotiabank shelled out to be the "Official Bank in Canada." This deal, which runs for two years will reportedly fetch the NHL approximately eight figures. With the deal, along with the Scotiabank and Ticketmaster deals, the NHL has approximately doubled their sponsorship revenue in a measly six months! Either Gary has done one hell of a job, or there weren't that many sponsorship dollars to begin with! Either way this is excellent news for the NHL.

I find it fascinating that despite all the ruckus about low TV Ratings, a Versus deal that has not met the expectations of many people following the game, and less coverage by traditional media (mostly newspapers) many companies in Corporate America and Canada seem eager to do business with the NHL. Is the NHL's marketing reach that significant? The Scotiabank deal was understandable, as the NHL has an extremely strong position in Canada. The Ticketmaster deal also makes sense, because the NHL has long had excellent attendance figures on both sides of the border and an affluent, tech-savvy fan base who are already exploiting the secondary ticket market(legally re-selling tickets). However, in the offseason a couple of years ago, Pepsi put their faith the NHL and signed a significant sponsorship deal. So it seems that there are many highly visible companies that seem to believe the NHL has good marketing reach now or are betting that the NHL's reach in the future will be worth their investment.

Lastly, I have learned that the NHL had been looking for sponsors in the banking and automotive categories since the end of the lockout. Apparently a deal with a pharmaceutical or overnight delivery company may be next on their checklist.

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Friday, April 4, 2008

NBC and the NHL Close In On An Extension

William Houston of the Globe and Mail reports that and the NHL are closing in on an agreement to televise games next season. Houston indicates that a potential point of contention is that the network would rather avoid having to broadcast Stanley Cup Final Games during highly-rated primetime weeknights. "That may be partially achieved by coverage starting on a Friday, with the fourth game on Sunday, followed by a fifth game, if necessary, on a Wednesday, before returning to the weekend for the sixth and seventh, if needed."

I've got to believe that if this goes down, a big incentive to renew on part was the possibility of televising the last event in Yankee Stadium history. If the game does happen, and if they find the Rangers another compelling big market opponent, it could get terrific ratings. You would think it would get substantially higher ratings than the 2.2 it got for the New Years Day Game in Buffalo. The facts seem to back that up as Buffalo and Pittsburgh were the markets in the US which had by far the highest ratings for the event. That indicates, that the event is is driven by the two markets which participate in it.

Also, another possible reason for interest is the realization that though the NHL's current ratings are comparable to poker, arena football, and bowling, the NHL is far more scalable and is the only entity with top flight unrealized potential. Even though ratings have suffered, the fact that small markets have competed in the last two Stanley Cup Finals have seriously affected ratings. Also there is a lack of dominance by the large market teams such as the Chicago Blackhawks and LA Kings. The New York Rangers have done ok, but have hardly performed like an elite team. Should this happen in the future or should the Penguins and Capitals have a lot of success the NHL could garner much bigger ratings in the future. Poker, Arena Football and bowling just don't have that going for them.


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Alexander Ovechkin: A Transcendent Icon

Washington Capitals beat writer Tarik El-Bashir (no relation to Martin Bashir of Michael Jackson fame) wrote a piece in the Washington Post yesterday commenting on the impact Alexander Ovechkin would have on the team and league if the Capitals were to make the playoffs. I think he was bang on. is the one guy in the league who actually seems to have a personality. He says what's on his mind, wears his emotions on his sleeve and isn't afraid to throttle himself into the glass after scoring a highlight reel goal! He's the one guy in the league who has transcended the conventions of the sport, both on and off the ice. He loves to score goals, not make pretty passes, but score goals, and he isn't afraid to say so. Unlike the other 99% of hockey players out there, he isn't branded as selfish for saying that (ie Pavel Bure, Ilya Kovalchuk though does have a defensive game, and doesn't seem to show up opponents on purpose). When the Caps acquired Cristobal Huet at the trade deadline, he actually had the balls to go into the GM's office and criticize him (he had scored four goals in a game on Huet earlier in the year). How many players would've done that! (or at least admitted to it publicly?)

There is something about such players, no, about such people, that allow them to transcend language, ethnicity and sport, and etch them firmly into our collective cultural consciousness. A lot of people say it's the genuineness of the person, the fact that we really get to see who they are, that gets such a response from people. This was often said about Michael Jordan. Wayne Gretzky was able to transcend what was a fairly unknown sport, and become a significant icon in America, because we got a feel for how genuinely humble and nice he was. He often would say things that other hockey players say all the time, but we got a feeling that he really meant it. I don't agree with this principle, as I don't believe you can ever really know who another person is. We can get an idea, but even after a lifetime of knowing a person, we can be surprised. What I believe, is that certain people project a certain ease about themselves. About who they are, what they're doing and how they're perceived. They don't really seem to care, they just buckle up and enjoy the ride. seems like such a person.

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Wednesday, April 2, 2008

NHL TO TEST VIRTUAL ADS FOR THE PLAYOFFS

SportsBusiness Journal reports that the NHL will test virtual ads for their national postseason telecasts this year. The NHL will also place two "Stanley Cup Playoffs 2008" logos inside the bluelines during the postseason and two NHL shields behind the nets as well. The virtual ads will be placed on the glass above the dasherboards that protect spectators. The ads, being virtual, will not be seen in the arenas and will not affect camera angles or live TV shots. NBC and Versus will not sell the virtual spots separately, but will give them to the companies which buy the most 30 second spots during their telecasts. The idea to sell virtual ads comes from MLB telecasts on FOX, and ironically come from the man who proposed it for FOX, former FOX ad sales chief Jimmy Burnette. He was apparently hired by the NHL as a consultant once he retired from FOX. The idea to place the shield and logos come from the NFL's decision to place their logo on the field during the NFL postseason, as well as the NBA placing their postseason slogans on their courts during their playoffs. The television networks will keep all of the ad revenue, and if everything goes according to plan, Versus, NBC and the regional networks will use the virtual ads next season.

This is a smart initiative by the NHL, designed to keep the national networks interested in broadcasting the sport. You see, TV networks make their money by selling ad spots during their broadcasts. The reason TV ratings are so important is that shows that have higher TV ratings, can charge more money for their spots and there will be more companies interested in buying those spots. The huge investment, will also give these companies an incentive to promote these shows, in order to make sure a lot of people tune in to see their ads. Unfortunately, the NHL is struggling in terms of pulling in decent national TV ratings, so, another way to ensure that the national networks make enough money on their broadcasts, is to offer up more ad spots in prominent places in their telecast. By giving these spots away to companies that buy the most 30 second spots, they are trying to create more demand for those spots. This will ensure more profitability for the networks, and create an incentive for a network like NBC, to renew their deal with the NHL (and maybe even give them a rights fee). Regional sports networks have always been good at this, which is why they have become so lucrative to own. Many owners of NHL teams (such as Colorado Avalanche owner Stan Kroenke, Rangers owner the Dolan Family and Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs) have created their own regional sports networks (Altitude in Colorado, MSG in New York, and Bruins own 20% of NESN in Boston). This brings up a really good point that TV ratings, are not the only metric which is important when considering what to broadcast. The NBA, for example, was able to secure better TV deals despite all-time low ratings because advertisers loved the power the brand had over the all important 18-49 demographic, as well as the NBA's reach on other platforms, such as the internet and cell phones.

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Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Chicago Blackhaws Add TV Presence for '08-09

The Chicago Blackhawks announced today that they will televise their entire 82 game regular season as well as all playoff games in '08-09. WGN Television signed a 3-year contract to televise games along with Comcast Sportsnet Chicago, Versus and NBC. WGN will televise 20 games next season, all in HD, with Comcast Sportsnet picking up the rest of the games, except for the ones televised on Versus or NBC. An interesting little tidbit of info, is that WGN actually was the home to the Blackhawks in the '60's and early '70s. They actually ended up televising the last Stanley Cup game for the 'Hawks back on April 16, 1961!

This is a huge deal for the
Chicago Blackhawks. Finally their fans will be able to catch all their games, and connect to their team in the way they want. The biggest result of this though, is finally the bad blood caused by the late Bill Wirtz's decision to not televise home games has run its course. It seems the last year has been almost all about healing of the organization's wounds. Now the Blackhawks will be better able to move forward with their exciting, young team, into the future.




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