Of the four “major” sports, the NHL is clearly the forgotten member of the group. While it has a passionate group of followers, the NHL's numbers are small in the U.S. compared to the other major sports. That’s why it is vital for hockey to do everything it can to promote the sport, including stopping the season for almost three weeks to let its athletes compete in the Olympic Games.
Yes, the disruption to the season is tough. Most NHL players have been off since February 14th and while teams have been practicing, they are doing so without the players who are in the Olympics. After today’s game between the U.S. and Canada, players like Zach Parise and Chris Drury will have to rush back to their teams and get ready to play in games on Tuesday. Add in the injury risk, and the Olympic experience has a lot of downsides.
However, the exposure that it gives the league is invaluable. Last Sunday’s clash between the U.S. and Canada drew 8.2 million viewers, about 750,000 more than Game 7 of last year’s Stanley Cup.Today’s game should well exceed that, drawing fans who have only a casual interest in hockey.
Will those casual fans become regular watchers of the NHL? It’s impossible to say, but the NHL has to take that risk. The league is desperate to grow the game and the Olympics provide a perfect showcase for the sport. The 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia, may be four years away, but the NHL should commit to playing in those games and future ones now.
