Where did Hockey Go?

My freshmen year in college the NHL was one my favorite sports.  I loved every moment of the bone jarring hits.  Two grown men with full lumberjack beards duking it out.  The Hurricanes had just won the Stanley Cup during my first year in Raleigh.  The NHL's popularity had never been higher (exactly like the NBA's current situation).The league was filled with tons of Hall of Famers like Yzerman, Lemieux, Roy, and Hašek.  However, one year after a lock out that destroyed an entire season the NHL had lost their luster.  After the lockout the NHL lost their TV contract with ESPN which in returned turned the casual fan (me) off.

Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals this year drew a 4.6 rating on Monday night.  Sunday night's Game 6 of the NBA finals nearly tripled that earning a 15.0.  Why is there a drastic discrepancy in viewers?  Easy answer, star power.  The NHL is a two star league, Crosby and Ovechkin, while the NBA is littered with future Hall of Famers including the most iconic athlete in sports today, Lebron James.  Constantly competing for ratings against the Miami Heat's star power doomed this year's NHL Finals.  The casual fan only has so much time they can devote to sports.  We are just too busy in today's world, so obviously they will side with the sport with a Mega-star in the Finals.

NBA has blown me away with their advertising over the past four seasons.  They promote a blend of star power and team work that can appeal to all sports fans.  Names like Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant, and Derrick Rose have become household names in credit to the NBA's marketing scheme.  At one time I could spit out 10-20 of the biggest hockey stars, now I would struggle to get 5.  Why?  Lack of major network coverage.  The NHL's prime time event is at high noon on Sunday afternoons.  Who doesn't have something to do at 12 on Sunday?  The NHL airs the remainder of their national coverage on the newly reformed Versus Network (former OLN).  I can't tell you 2 shows that air on Versus other than NHL hockey or even what night he NHL primetime events run.  Okay, enough complaining I have some suggestions that can help put hockey back on the map. 

• Bring back the "Puck Tracker."  I know the hockey purist may flip their lids but that isn't who the owners need to attract, they are going to watch regardless.  The majority of the game I spend my time straining to find the puck.  My eyes will be going back in forth and all of a sudden, BOOM!  Someone scores and I have no idea who or how.  That's a problem, I know exactly who scores a touchdown or hits a three pointer. 

• Bring back NHL "Hitz."  Just ask the Fifa franchise what the video game can do for a sport’s popularity.  In case you were living under a rock, the game play is 3 on 3 with keepers.  Playing with only the stars and only the stars engraves their names in your head.  Stars sell the tickets, not the 3rd shift winger.
• Promote your American stars.  The Olympics proved we have legit talent in the States and less than one year later I couldn't tell you who our starters were.  Positive I could tell you the US starters from the Beijing Olympics though.  Get their faces on ESPN. Get in them cameos in movies and television.  Get them Twitter accounts.  Just get them out there.
• Start the season one month earlier so that the Stanley Cup isn't competing with the NBA Finals.  ESPN and ABC have the rights to the NBA's Finals so obviously they promote and discuss only the NBA during the post season.  Hockey is hardly mentioned on their talk shows prior to the Stanley Cup.  If the NHL's postseason started earlier they would have the fan’s solo attention and wouldn't be competing for ESPN's.
• Push fantasy hockey!  The more popular the league's fantasy sport, the deeper the knowledge of the players.  There aren't a ton of stats in hockey but with stat geeks anything is possible.

Or if all else fails just sabotage the lock outs in the NBA and NFL and so you'll have the winter and spring all to yourselves.