Unless you live in Michigan or Canada, you probably didn't know Sports Illustrated put Marian Hossa on the cover this week. Why put Hossa and the NHL Preview on the cover only in Michigan and Canada? Well, there's a little thing called the NLCS and the ALCS going on right now, not to mention a full slate of college football games this weekend, headlined by the Red River Rivalry between Oklahoma and Texas. Putting Hossa and the NHL on the cover right now would make about as much sense as doing a cover story on the Detroit Shock winning the WNBA title.
To be honest, until I saw the Hossa cover, I had almost forgotten that Thursday was the opening night of the NHL season in North America. It got me thinking: When was the last time the NHL was on the cover of SI? After doing a little research in the old SI Vault, I found out that while the Red Wings have now graced two regional covers and two other commemoratives since 2006, the last time the NHL graced a national cover of SI was Oct. 14, 2002, when the Red Wings were once again featured as part of the NHL Preview. It's been six years and counting since SI has put the NHL on national, non-regionalized cover. In fact, until this year, the NHL hadn't been on the cover of any issue since 2002.
I found it funny that after SI's famous "Why the NHL's Hot and Why the NBA's Not" cover in 1994, it would be about two years until the NHL did something "hot" enough to get back on the cover. During that time, the NBA was on the cover 12 times. This isn't to knock the company that pays my bills, they're just giving sports fans what they want. Judging from television ratings for NHL games and the amount of coverage most teams get even in their local market, they're getting about as much coverage as they deserve.
At the same time, do you think it's the media's responsibility to cover the NHL the same way it does the NBA, NFL and Major League Baseball? The NHL used to be a part of professional sports' so-called "Big Four." But in recent years, it has taken a back seat to sports such as golf, racing and even soccer at times. How much of that has to do with the lack of media coverage as opposed to the NHL's lack of properly marketing itself to a shrinking fan base?
Ireivy Guerra
Jessica Trainham
Mavs Dancers
College Football, Top 25 Review
Comments (40) Add A Comment
Absolutely. If NASCAR Drivers, horses, tennis players, soccer players, swimmers, golfersm and other luminaries can be put on the cover then a sport that is infintessimally more popular even in the US should have it's fair share of face time. Most of this has to do with media bias against a sport that is the fastest, most intense, hardest-hitting, exciting one out there yet is played on ice, a surface that is not seen south of New Jersey. Also, the media wants to be careful of publicizing a sport that is seen as "theirs" (their being Canadian) not "ours" (ours being a sport imported to America from the hated British) and has the temerity to be proud of it.
That's my rant for the day.
Redwing19: MARCH…
Ottawa, ON
Total Comments (3197)
Not a band rant.
Being a Canadian and a Wings fan, I was quite happy to see Hossa on the cover but shocked to hear its been 6 years since the NHL has been on it. There's an issue every week. Surely something big in the NHL could have made the cover.
Buck4
Port Elgin, ON
Total Comments (165)
We here in Minnesota would love to have an NHL cover...and the closest thing to hockey on a cover since 02' was the Hanson brothers on the cover of the "where are they now issue" on July 2, 2007
"Bender"
Total Comments (2)
Canada will always be a backward country as long as its media worships at the cult of hockey, a vicious, barabaric sport that brings out the worst in people. Being stuck in Toronto, I resent not being able to get my issue of Sports Illustrated with my Sox, the surprising Phillies or even (ahem) Manny on the cover. Jason Bay is a Canadian, doesn't anyone in this country care? Besides, why have a cover celebrating the opening of the hockey regular season when it seems like apporximately 85% of the teams make the playoffs anyway.
More Red Sox in…
Toronto, ON
Total Comments (1)
How many time is Sports Illustrated going to run the same old article again and again. Yes, we know that SI hates the NHL, you guys don't have to say it over and over and over again. For all of us who love our hockey and don't care about the tedious rambling article of writers with too much time on their hands (that includes you Arash Markazi), please stop bashing an awesome game!!!! If you don't like watching it then don't watch it, simple enough, and quit trying to get all of us lovers to become haters just because the rules are too complicated for you, Thank You!!
Oh and by the way, GO PHILLIES!!!!
Oilersrule
Total Comments (2)
Moron.
YODA
Total Comments (15683)
Good to see this occuring again......No matter what sport it is Hockey has never had enough media coverage as they should.
Grossedout9
Total Comments (3138)
Now, now. let's be fair. The NBA is a much more barbaric sport than the NHL. How many times have NHL players jumped into the stands and assaulted fans? How many NHL players regularly make the police blotter? A lot less than any of the "major" US sports. Even college athletes get arrested more than NHL players. Are you aware that the NBA "borrowed" their playoff format from the NHL? Perhaps if more people would watch the game, a lot more people would become fans. I am from small town West Texas. I didn't know anything about hockey and had the "this game doesn't make any sense." A friend of mine from Pittsburgh made me sit down and watch it and 17 years later, I'm still watching.
Master and Overlord
Bossier City , LA
Total Comments (20)
Gee, you're dumb.
The Pitt Panther is…
Telford, PA
Total Comments (11784)
Pithy.
And oh so accurate.
Oilers: NHI
Total Comments (2043)
On ESPN's SportsCenter this morning, meaningless preseason basketball got airtime before brief hockey highlights were crammed into the back end of the program.
However, a couple days ago ESPN ran a 5-minute piece on SportsCenter about Sean Avery's interest in lady's clothing.
The message? The media likes metrosexual goons, but couldn't care less a REAL team sport.
RP-29
Oshkosh , WI
Total Comments (356)
To "More Red Sox In": you don't really pay attention to the other sports do you? Football players are CONSTANTLY whining and in trouble, and in some cases getting shot. Baseball is coming off an embarrassing steriods scandal of its own making. NBA players are constantly embarrassing themselves, not to mention the referee scandal that Stern is desperately trying to keep under wraps. Golf is Tiger Woods and a bunch of guys that make Pete Sampras look like the life of the party. What about hockey? When was the last time anything bad happened in hockey? Bertuzzi? That was quite awhile ago. McSorley? That idiot that tried to kill his agent? Thats three incidents in about fifteen years. You get three incidents a week in the NFL and NBA. I'll take this "barabaric sport that brings out the worst in people" over the other sports any day.
Capsfan
Arlington , VA
Total Comments (97)
SI is now and always will be second rate magazine and a total waste of perfectly goods healthy trees as long as it show so much obvious bias towards hockey. When was the last time you saw a fat overweight hockey player. Certainly can't say that about MLB of NFL. Those tow sports are so full of criminals, I am surprised none of them have shown up on the FBI's Most wanted list.
massconn72
Portland , CT
Total Comments (2)
The NHL has lost relevance because the league expanded too much into unnatural markets. Moving the Jets from Canada to the middle of the desert? Yeah, that made sense. I can't imagine why their attendance is so poor.
saintlupus
Buffalo, NY
Total Comments (3)
The fact the Wings can't even make the cover after winning the cup is just plain stupid. The NHL shot itself in the foot when it allowed teams to move to areas of the country that could care less about hockey. It sucks that the magazine I got in the mail in Atl. had baseball on the cover for the 1000th time but as a hockey fan my favorite sport is put on the back page simple because of where I live.
motown madman
Dallas , GA
Total Comments (6)
It's moronic how little SI and ESPN care about the NHL. Especially after last year's Cup Final. I live in Pittsburgh and haven't seen anything on Sid on it. And don't bring up baseball because unless you are in Philly, Boston, LA or Tampa most people tune baseball out once their team is no longer in the running.
cjewart
Pittsburgh , PA
Total Comments (106)
Um, thou who is without smarts shall not cast the first stone ... I believe the last time a player tried to go into the stands after a spectator during an NHL game was in 1996: some 12 years ago. It was a game between the fierce city-to-city rivals Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers. A "fan" thought it would be funny to douse Flames assistant coach Guy Lapointe (I think it was) with the contents of his beer cup, and a shameless self-promoting pugilistic puckster by the forgettable name of Sasha Lakovic tried to climb over the glass to get at the offender. Prior to that ... the last time it happened was a fantasy, a fictionalized version of the Charleston Chiefs in a little Paul Newman classic called "Slap Shot" ... Prior to that ... I think you have to go back to the Montreal Forum "Rocket Riots" of 1955 to see an exhibition of classlessness on that kind of pedantic level. I don't recall the infamous "Broad Street Bullies" of the "violent" 1970's era ever going into the stands after fans, either ... For a beautiful game so often characterized as violent and blood-thirsty, I think most professional pundits would have to admit that the majority of ice hockey players (who don't spell their name "S-t-e-v-e A-v-e-r-y") are classy, quiet and community-minded PROFESSIONALS. In what other team sport do you see, at the end of a hard-fought seven-game series, two battle-scarred and exhausted teams line up at centre ice to shake hands? That's a tradition that's unique to ice hockey - and it's one of those special little quirky traditions (virtually) exclusive to the National Hockey League that, for some reason, isn't marketed to the world (outside of Canada, Michigan and Minnesota) as something GOOD and TRADITIONAL about the grand old game.
So, Mr. Pitt ... don't be calling the kettle 'black'. If there's anyone "dumb" around here, well ...
Thierry_Nihill
Raleigh , NC
Total Comments (3)
A little hockey more coverage would be great. It seems that we must be subjected to daily reports of only certain teams by the main stream media, even in off seasons, i.e. the Cowboys, the Yankees, and the Lakers. I think all sports and all teams must have some interesting story lines and something of interest to the sports fan. Instead, we only seem to hear of the activities of those who make up the highest paid and at times under performing individuals and organizations. All players work hard, have great skills, and are gifted to some degree to have made it to the highest level of their sport.
RetSab
Jamestown, NY
Total Comments (1)
more hockey love. it's not the "popular" game but it is much more exciting to watch than basketball and at time the NFL.
asualumn05
Highlands Ranch, CO
Total Comments (376)
It's really a shame, but the NHL has hurt itself by the lack of effort in pursuing major media contracts. Hardly anyone pays attention to the Versus channel, unless you know that it exists. Even if the NHL had to give in a bit on a contract, it should. The league needs more expposure because it really got hurt by the lockout. The annual outdoor games that have started up are a start, but it needs a lot more.
RaiderDave
Danville, CA
Total Comments (382)
Comment
Remember to keep your posts clean. Profanity will get filtered, and offensive comments will be removed.