Hockey is in a peculiar spot in North American sports. It has the arguable best playoffs in all of sports with speed, adrenaline, and excitement all at its core. With over 100 years of professional play, it is now the fifth most-watched professional sports in North America. Recently, Adidas has opted to renew the manufacturing contract with the National Hockey League which ends in 2025. Adidas has seen more value in jerseys for Major League Soccer which will welcome its latest expansion team, the name pending San Diego Football Club, in 2025. From outside looking in the NHL is in trouble as the cap has remained stagnant for a few seasons even with the implementation of jersey and helmet ads as well as an experiment with Disney’s “Big City Greens” virtual hockey game on March 14, 2023.
There is some good news, however, sunbelt teams have been showing signs of growth, especially in Arizona with Arizona State having a D1 hockey program that the likes of Josh Doan has recently graduated from. Girls hockey in Arizona is very strong in growth numbers thanks to Lyndsay Fry and the late Matt Shott whose Arizona hockey story has hit legendary status, definitely earning a spot on the Arizona Hockey Mount Rushmore in my eyes. Florida playoff games have hit numbers in viewership not seen since 2018, especially with the likes of Matthew Tkachuk absolutely being a star in The Sunshine State. Auston Matthews, Tage Thompson being Arizona natives also prove the fruits of the sunbelt expansion labor.
Hockey does have a few problems in its way, however and I personally do not believe there’s an easy fix as of now. The 7-year ESPN deal (with emphasis on streaming) was a great idea. Millions of Americans have cut the cord, offering all of hockey including playoffs, on one platform with usability on a large array of devices was a great deal especially with Peacock, NBC’s streaming platform, looking to be a bust minus the Office reruns and Premier League Matches. ESPN+ is fairly inexpensive and accessible to most Americans, the Achilles Heel being the blackout restrictions something Apple TV+’s MLS Pass has mitigated all together. ESPN also barely posts NHL content on their social media pages or network with one of ESPN’s flagship personalities, Stephen A. Smith saying the only thing he knows about hockey is the “puck is black” on First Take when the NY Rangers were talked about being the next New York team to win a championship. Not a good look and doesn’t help to grow the great game.
One of the biggest hurdles in the NHL’s way isn’t talked about enough in my opinion. It is not bringing back the Nordiques or putting a team in Hamilton, Ontario both of which aren’t good ideas, it’s the sport of soccer. Soccer is the biggest hurdle in this writer’s opinion and this is coming from a huge soccer fan. I have the unique lens of seeing the growth of both sports and soccer is absolutely poised to become HUGE in the US.
The MLS could provide a blueprint for NHL growth
The US, Canada, and Mexico are hosting the 2026 World Cup which as you know is the largest sporting event and tournament on earth. The MLS has a megadeal with Apple TV+, Ted Lasso has started to bring Premier League teams onto televisions and phone screens in droves. Being a Chelsea fan, many coworkers and some family members have mentioned that they recognized Chelsea and some even have begun to follow the league itself. The MLS or Major League Soccer, as mentioned above, has made great strides in growth and welcomed its latest, St. Louis FC, this season just 2 years after Austin FC made its debut in 2021. Lionel Messi, the greatest footballer of all time, earlier this month announced that he will be playing for Inter Miami FC and tickets have completely sold out for his home and away games. As this article was being written, FIFA announced the 32-team FIFA Club World Cup is also coming to the US in 2025.
I do see hope, however, The NHL has an outdoor game planned in Seattle featuring the two newest expansion teams: The Stanley Cup Champions Las Vegas Golden Knights and the Seattle Kraken. These outdoor games are an exciting event featuring unique jerseys and scenery representing the hosting state/city. The NHL is also having preseason games hosted worldwide with the Coyotes and Los Angeles Kings playing hockey in Australia and the Red Wings, Ottawa Senator, Leafs and Wild playing in Sweden. This is a good step to make and one I hope includes regular season games at some point in the future.
I think taking a page from the Apple TV+ deal and having NO blackouts is paramount, especially in the era of streaming. There should never be any blackouts. That will increase subscribers and lower piracy. Allowing players to show their personalities more like the NFL and NBA do is also a good idea, they don’t need to wear suits and ties for every game, let them market themselves to the younger demographic, that’s where the true growth of the game will occur.
In the coming weeks, I’ll be asking hockey fans what they think the NHL can do to grow the game ad get out of this rut. Stay tuned for that and feel free to DM or comment on this article’s post to have your opinion heard!
