Improved NHL Delivers

By: Pat Parker

Posted: 4/28/06

This year's NHL season was supposed to be "new and improved," as some officials in the commissioner's office said, but has the sport really changed that much for the better? I'll let you decide after reading a summary of what the NHL did this past season.

The 2005-2006 season has had its ups and downs from the drop of the first puck in October. The sport has seen the new on ice changes increase enjoyment for those who are able to find a game on TV. But, to only have national coverage on the Outdoor Life Network was a serious downgrade from the coverage on ESPN in 2003-2004.

The shoot-outs were exciting, the new fast passed tempo was thrilling and the amount of star power on nearly every team was impressive. The NHL really scored big points with these additions to the game.

However, the season did have some bumps in the road it could have done without. The first was the "Great One's" gambling questions. Wayne Gretzky, one of the faces of the NHL, with his wife and Phoenix Coyotes assistant coach Rich Tocchet were all in the mix of questions in regards to a gambling ring that was going on in the country. Though the Gretzky was never charged with any crime, this smudge on his almost flawless Hall of Fame career didn't help the NHL one bit.

The Winter Olympics was the next bump in the road for the NHL this season, as first it had to lose two weeks of playing time and second, it dealt with a lot of injuries that hurt franchises during the end of the regular season. Not to mention the two teams with the most NHL star talent, Team Canada and Team USA, did not even make it to the medal round.

The NHL hoped to increase its viewing audience after the Olympics, but with the poor play from both star teams, it may have lost more viewers than the league ever expected.

Although, the NHL did have some bumps, it did have some high points from its rookie class. Both Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin led their dismal teams in points and goals this season. They are both two faces that will be the cornerstones for the NHL for the next 20 years. However, to improve their star quality, they must be put on teams that they can actually win with. These two are as good as Mario Lemieux and Gretzky, but they young kids will need a supporting casts to have any shot at notching up as many wins as those "ice gods."

The NHL also saw some improvements in the divisional races this year, especially in the Atlantic Division. The Flyers, Devils and the surprising Rangers fighting it out for the title on the last game of the season made for some exciting puck action.

However, this wasn't the case in the Central Division as three out of the five teams finished with records below .500. Columbus, Chicago and St. Louis must either leave their respected cities, or find a way to build around pitiful franchises. The attendance figures for these teams are awful and this dismal fan support for all the teams is equal to the poor play out on the ice.

With all the ups and downs the NHL has gone through, I think they deserve a C+ for the entire season, but a note - they must improve the fan base and viewing availability or this "new and improved" or the NHL will fall to the pits of such marketing ideas like "New Coke." Anyone remember that idea? Only because it was awful. NHL, get your act together and bring the fans back to the sport everyone loved.