I watched this piece on Avery last night and it was intriguing. I'm not going to get into the whole intern, interest in ladies fashion, people thinking he's gay, bush league antics thing. That part that got me was when he was talking about Bettman and the NHL not marketing the game correctly. We all know he's got the balls to say some outlandish stuff, which this was. But was he right?
He of course is right about Bettman and the NHL, and I commend him for saying it. But what he said is that the essence of the NHL game is the battle of villains and heroes on the ice and that is what should be marketed. To me, this was a brilliant, unexpected idea. For one, I hadn't really thought of marketing "villains" in the NHL. Secondly, it seems he considers himself villain out there. Both are interesting turns.
So do we think that heroes v. villains would sell the NHL to average America? Obviously something different has to be done. The lockout was a league breaker, and the game hasn't been the same since. Bettman's short-sighted vision has inhibited the league's growth. He had no more ambition towards larger viewing appeal than Versus. One has to give the NHL some credit for also tacking themselves onto Sunday NBC, but if you don't have exclusive partnership with just one network, why not try to branch yourself out to more. It used to be you could watch NHL on ESPN during the week, either on ESPN2 or their "Hockey Night", so now we get MAC or Sun Belt college football to fill the space. I think you need to concentrate on possibility of exposure before anything else, but I also think Avery's idea could be plausible. Everyone loves good versus evil.
But will there be enough supply of both? Can you just have some "villains" on a team to make it interesting, or do you need some teams pegged as villanous? You've had the likes of the "Broad Street Bullies" and others previously, but I don't see anything like that now (no offense to our kind Philly fans for calling that team "villanous"). The bloody Avs-Wings rivalry was a great ratings event. So my siding with Avery is that there aren't enough villains right now to keep bigger interest in the NHL. Too many vying for the Lady Byng instead of penalty minute kings. Do you think the NHL trying to squelch fighting has been bad for the game? I do. Bettman and the execs think that parents won't let their kids watch because the rough play is not good as a role model. Well guess what, they're not watching now. The sparkle, the persona of hockey has been toughness that has to go along with the grace, and I think Bettman has robbed some of that essence.
After all, we love the skating skill of our NHL, but we also love our thugs.
Kayla Oberg
Hilary Rhoda
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Addendum: I should have titled this "Old Time Hockey". A prime example of what I am talking about he is in Slapshot, in which fan attendance shoots up when Reg challenges his team to play rough, "old time hockey."
Titling this blog differently would have paid homage to the late, great Paul Newman. The Syracuse Crunch have decided to pay homage their own way on Oct 11, raising Reg Dunlop's number to the rafters. RIP Paul.
http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3725741
santapig
Kansas City , MO
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Good blog...
FoosBall
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Good blog. I don't know that it's plausible, though. Sean Avery is a pretty smart guy, but there just aren't enough teams to market as "villainous" right now. I could think of maybe 4 - Ducks, Avalanche, Flames, and Flyers. They are really the only ones that have enough characters and grit to fill the role. The first thing that they need to do is take the NHL and put more of it on network TV (I'm counting ESPN, but not Versus). Moving almost exclusively to cable is what hurt the league in the first place in the 80's. If they would get over their stubborn stance that ESPN quit on them, that is an opportunity that will come available.
wtnelson = Big Chief
Fort Collins , CO
Total Comments (3649)
The concept of heros and villains is, of course, an attractive one.
But I think the real key is to properly marketing rivalries rather than promoting individual teams as villains or certain players as villains.
Team rivalries need to be played up to a much higher degree than they are - and individual rivalries as well. Not just a good vs. villain --- but in the chase for the league's top awards.
Avery was, of course, right on one level - but let's face it, the guy is an arrogant prick - The fact that he believes HE is so marketable is just a testament to his own ego.
Of course, the NHL has some incredible marketing opportunities that Bettman continues to squander --- While Crosby is signing good endorsement deals, he is not being used anywhere close to optimally in terms of promoting the game. He should be on the late night talk shows, he should be on Oprah, he should be a household name at a much deeper level than he is.
The NHL also has a GOLDEN opportunity to bring hockey to the next level by properly marketing the Winter Olympics this time around.
As you say, they also need to get their heads out of their arses and get a proper U.S. network deal done.
As far as promoting old time hockey, this is essential. The league can do it by promoting the hard hitting in the game rather than by promoting the fighting. The hits as 40 mph are what makes hockey incredible - That would appeal to NFL fans who like the rough aspect of the sport.
YODA
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NHL needs to get on the freaking TUBE!!! It's all about exposure, if they can do that, people will but into whatever hero vs. villain crap they want them to.
cmelton22
Snellville , GA
Total Comments (100)
I agree with Yoda there. As a casual fan who's just gotten re-interested in the game, thanks to the resurgence of the Caps, I'm more interested in the speed and hits than with actual fights. They're entertaining enough I suppose but to me they mostly slow the game down. I, like most fans I believe, like action and good teams playing skilled hockey provide plenty of it, fighting or no fighting.
The NHL has done a very poor job of marketing their sport. Living in the burbs of DC, I see or hear virtually no ads for hockey on the TV, in the papers or on the radio. Not even Ovie.
The NHL has a good crop of young marketable stars that it could be promoting in national ads - Crosby, Ovechkin, Malkin, Zetterberg, etc. and as I had mentioned in one of Spiny's blogs relating to this same subject, why not produce an ad featuring the black players in the NHL, saying "Hey, we're the NHL too", in an effort to promote more minority interest in the game?
And as everyone has said, and what is obvious, TV is key. Being broadcast on Versus just isn't going to cut it. The league has to get on one of the big 4 to show off their newest generation of stars; it's the only way these players are ever going to get to be the household names like Orr, Howe, Gretzky and Hull were.
And Avery, I don't think so......for that kind of fame he'll have to find himself a starring role on Sex and the City if it ever gets reprised on HBO. Maybe he could play a ladie's shoe salesman...
Great blog, ASE.
Seabird 56
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