Why the NHL Needs the World Juniors

The World Junior Hockey Championships have grown in leaps and bounds from the days of the 1987 "Punch-up in Piestany," (video evidence provided below) played primarily in the far-reaches of Europe, only televised at truly ungodly hours of the morning. This fact still didn't deter me from 4am wake up calls to watch round-robin mismatches like Canada-France in 2002. I think that one ended 17-0 and prompted me to consider whether I could have cracked the roster of the French squad, but I digress. 

  
While the tournament has become a fixture of the holiday season in Canada, consistently attracting TSN's largest ratings year in and year out, it remains merely a blip on the hockey radar in the United States.

Popular sentiment might hold that even the avid American hockey fan isn't ready to embrace the international game and that the National Hockey League is currently leveraging the marketing potential of the event via occasional broadcasts and re-broadcasts on the NHL Network. Rhetoric might indicate that the week prior to and the week following the New Year is "Bowl Season," a time where (ahem) scholar-athletes should take their place under the national spotlight. Call me crazy, but here's why the World Juniors have the potential to dispel both of these notions.

1. International Hockey can and has played to the American general public

Aside from Lindsey Vonn and Shaun White, Ryan Miller was the star of the 2010 Winter Olympics for the United States - and he didn't even win gold. It seemed like 1980 all over again as America fell in love with an Olympic hockey team whose roster didn't match up on paper to that of the Canadians and arguably to that of the Russians or Swedes for that matter.

Even prior to the Olympics, NBC made the conscious decision to shine the spotlight on this group of  relative underdogs and specifically on its goaltender, who had the potential to steal games, and perhaps even the tournament for his country. As America got to know Miller and his teammates, medal round games became appointment viewing.

If a team of millionaire professional athletes could capture the imagination of the country with the storytelling of network sports television, even just for two weeks, think what this kind of exposure could do for a team of 18 and 19 year-olds still toiling in the college or junior ranks. 

2. American sports fans currently have very little exposure to the future stars of the NHL

Basketball has March Madness. Football has the SEC Championship (I sincerely hope my American readers get that one). Simply put, the premier talents in College Football and Basketball are household names long before they are called to the podium at the NFL or NBA drafts. Look no further than Tim Tebow to see what can happen to ticket and merchandise sales when a high profile college star is drafted into the professional ranks.

Hockey simply hasn't been afforded this luxury by virtue of the fact that there is not a single junior/college feeder system directly into the NHL. The only place you can see the top young talents in the game compete against one another is in the World Juniors. Add global bragging rights to the equation and you have a first rate product, and a preview of the future of the game. If this product can receive added exposure in the United States, fans of floundering NHL teams can be provided with a look into the future of their teams. Penguins fans knew who Sidney Crosby was when he was drafted. The outpouring of interest and support that ensued sold out Mellon Arena, and ostensibly built the Consol Energy Center, insuring the long term viability of the franchise in Pittsburgh. The NHL needs to find a way for their stars to gain some notoriety before they become pros. 

Now I have to temper my enthusiasm a little by acknowledging the fact that this vision of the World Juniors is a tough sell. Games may never appear on a platform with greater reach than the NHL Network. Despite this, do me a favor and try to watch a World Junior game over the next few weeks. The caliber of play will speak for itself and the unmatched enthusiasm and national pride that seeps from the pores of these young men encapsulates whatever purity that remains in elite level sport.

As always, yours in hockey,

JK

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

No, it's not because of 8 nights of presents (yes, I enjoyed that well into my 20s). It's not about playing dreidel or lighting the menorah (sorry Mom). It's certainly not because of any reindeer games, or jingle bells (sorry Mr. Tebow).

While the Stanley Cup won't be awarded for another six months, two key dates on the hockey calendar have drawn near, and they couldn't be more different from one another. One is a right of passage for future NHL stars and has deep roots north of the border with interest having stretched from Victoria to St. John for decades. The other is of recent vintage, and if last year's premiere season has given any indication, it's that hockey is the ultimate form of reality TV. So on the eve of HBO's 24/7 Rangers-Flyers Road to the Winter Classic and less than two weeks from the opening faceoff of the World Junior Hockey Championships, let us (or perhaps in this case, just me) rejoice.

Besides holding a special place in my heart, the World Juniors and 24/7 are amongst the most effective marketing vehicles that the sport of hockey currently possesses. The only catch is that one of these seems to have been conceived solely for this purpose, while the other seems akin to the Tragically Hip: Revered in Canada and completely unknown in the United States.

Over the next few weeks I'll make a number of posts assessing the overall effectiveness of both 24/7 and the World Juniors as key marketing vehicles for the sport of hockey. In the meantime, for your viewing pleasure, here are a few highlights from last year's Penguins-Capitals Road to the Winter Classic, interspersed with a little Eberle magic from World Juniors past to whet your appetite.

Maxine Knightengale. Absolutely timeless.

Yes Pierre, I can believe it.

"Hockey won't hold still to give you a better look. You wouldn't want it to anyway."

Ladies and gentlemen of HBO, you've got your work cut out to top that one.

Yours in hockey,

JK

Sun Shines on the Sunbelt in Realignment

Within 24 hours of the NHL's announcement of a significant divisional realignment, the potential on-ice effects of the new arrangement have been analyzed, scrutinized, and dissected by all of the so-called experts. Early returns indicate that new rivalries will be forged, with a greater probability of these rivalries being played out in the first two rounds of the proposed playoff format. Perhaps the most attractive feature of the new schedule is that each team will have a home and home series with out-of-division opponents. Gone will be the days of having to wait one, two, or even three years in cases where an injury keeps a star player like a Sidney Crosby from making an appearance in an out-of-conference building.

Monday's realignment shows that the league has reached a point in its post-lockout history where it can apply a progressive (and potentially less-frugal) line of thought to its scheduling as teams are expected to have anywhere between $400,000 and $850,000 of additional travel expenses for the 2012-2013 season. While the supposed on-ice winners, (Detroit - no longer having to play in the Western Conference despite being located in the Eastern time zone, and Winnipeg - no longer having to assume the schedule of the Atlanta Thrashers in the Southeast Division) have been a hot topic amongst hockey insiders, the off-ice winners have yet to be proclaimed.

At first blush, I couldn't help but notice the potential boon this realignment might provide for the NHL's Sunbelt franchises. Tampa Bay and Florida will now host Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Boston and Buffalo up to three times per season. Phoenix, Los Angeles, and Anaheim will now count Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton amongst their closest rivals. Not only will the new format place these new divisional foes in direct competition for playoff spots, but it will also provide these sunbelt franchises with an opportunity to directly market, both in and out of their local market, to "snowbird" fans of these Canadian and Northeastern teams. Fans currently living in these cold weather climates can conceivably plan multiple vacations to Florida, Southern California, and Arizona each season.

Without question, this will increase attendance figures for the Sunbelt franchises. The atmosphere in a building filled to near capacity creates an infinitely better fan experience than what Sunbelt fans have become accustomed to in Phoenix and Florida. As the rivalries between traditional market teams and Sunbelt teams intensify, local fans will feel more compelled to support their team and experience the festive atmosphere that thousands of boisterous visiting team fans create. As individual game tickets become a more sought after item, season ticket packages will purchased in greater numbers. Assuming the revenue sharing provision of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement isn't dramatically altered prior to the 2012-2013 season, increased revenues for "have-not" franchises will ease the burden currently placed upon the owners of the league's most profitable franchises. Does this mean that long term viability exists for Gary Bettman's Sunbelt vision? Could the Phoenix Coyotes stave off what seems to be an inevitable move to Quebec City? Maybe not so fast.... 

Yours in hockey,

JK

Like He Never Left

Well, it took 3 posts to deviate from my intentions of sharing insights related to the growth marketing of hockey, however tonight's events have certainly proved significant enough to make an exception.

After what seemed like an eternity, tonight marked the first opportunity of the season to marvel at the gifts of Sidney Crosby. Having watched Crosby from the time he was named the Most Valuable Player at the Canada Winter Games as a fourteen year old (a tournament almost exclusively for sixteen year old major junior rookies), I have never been able to succinctly articulate what makes him so special. Tonight it became clear: Nobody does things as quickly as he does. Combine that with the fact that his overall skillset is more diverse than any forward in the game, and you have the consensus best player in the world and a once in a generation talent.

While most highlight reels will focus on his two goals, Crosby's first assist exemplifies his ability to make high-degree of difficulty plays almost instantaneously. On the play, Crosby is able to make a backhanded pass 40-plus feet across the ice that arrives flat for a Brooks Orpik one-timer. 

Oh yeah, that pass was made on ice that had seen 17 minutes of action prior to the 2-0 goal. Therein lies Crosby's understated genius.

Crosby is unlikely to ever threaten any of Wayne Gretzky's scoring records. However, The Great One never had to face defensemen possessing the sheer size and physicality of Zdeno Chara or opposing forwards with the checking ability of Pavel Datsyuk. No disrespect to the Brian Trottier's of the world, but I don't think Trots could do this. 

Not to mention, I haven't seen too many goalies that look like this in between the pipes nowadays. 

 

Sorry, Panger.

Love him or loathe him, Sid the Kid is back and the game of hockey is infinitely better (and more marketable) for it.

Welcome back Sid. Keep making us '87s proud.

Yours in hockey,

JK

Why it Can Work – The “Gretzky Effect”

August 9, 1988 marked a truly historic moment in the proliferation of the sport of hockey. In the wake of the Edmonton Oilers’ fourth Stanley Cup of the decade, the game’s star attraction, Wayne Gretzky was for all intents and purposes sold to Bruce McNall and the Los Angeles Kings for the sum of $15 million. Previously thought of as a Canadian game played north of the border and in the far reaches of the Northeast and Minnesota, hockey had arrived in Tinseltown aboard a private jet on the arm of Janet Jones.

With new uniforms (black and silver, much to the chagrin of Los Angeles Raiders owner Al Davis) and a new superstar in tow, the Kings rapidly ascended in the California sporting landscape to stand alongside the Showtime-era Lakers at the height of their popularity. Hockey was not only relevant, it was downright cool.

While the Gretzky-era Kings never managed to capture the franchise’s first Stanley Cup, the team’s legacy has perhaps yet to have been fully realized, even 15 years after Gretzky was dealt to the St. Louis Blues.

The success of the Kings in the early 1990s fueled not only the establishment of their cross-town rival, the (then) Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, but also gave rise to a generation of youngsters that gravitated toward the ice rink and not the football field, baseball stadium, or basketball court.

In seasons prior to the lockout, states like California, Florida, Texas and Arizona simply didn’t produce hockey players. The 2005 NHL Entry Draft marked the beginning of a seachange that has continued through this past summer’s draft. Exactly 17 years after Gretzky’s arrival in Los Angeles, players hailing from Southern California and other “Non-Traditional Hockey Markets” (NTHMs) began to hear their names called from the draft podium en masse.

This growing trend, or the “Gretzky Effect,” became most apparent in the 2010 Draft, where two players from the Los Angeles area (Bennett & Etem) were selected in the First Round. This doubled the number of 2010 first-rounders hailing from Sweden and Finland.

So it appears that it took the Gretzky Effect 20-years to have a demonstrable impact in the form of homegrown NHL talent. With the Sunbelt expansion of the early to mid-1990s, more prospects are sure to emerge from NTHM’s. While a club can claim to have cultivated a strong following, we can all agree that the most self-sustaining fanbases are comprised of fans who actually play the game. These are the fans that will endure losing seasons, draft-day busts, rebuilds, and salary cap casualties. In cases like that of Emerson Etem, some of these young fans might even suit up in the colors of the team that they grew up watching.            

With all of this in mind, shouldn’t the NHL and its member clubs look to expend greater resources toward cultivating hockey players and not just paying customers?

Yours in hockey,

JK    

Welcome

As Atlanta's Phillips Arena sits vacant in the wake of the re-location of its former National Hockey League tennant and with the long term viability of franchises in Florida, Dallas, Columbus, Nashville, and Long Island very much in doubt, hockey "insiders" and fans alike have been provided with considerable ammunition to assert that hockey will never become more than a regional sport in the United States.

The American Sunbelt might never become a true hockey hotbed (pardon the pun). The NHL might never rise to the level prominence attained by the NFL. The nicknames "Sid the Kid" and "Alex the Gr8" might never hold the same reverence as "Air Jordan," "Tom Terrific," and "Hammerin' Hank." However, I remain, and always will be a staunch believer in the growth potential of a game that combines the physicality of football with unmatched speed, skill and dexterity.

I've created this blog as a space to share anything and everything related to the growth-marketing of professional hockey - from macro-level NHL initiatives like the Winter Classic to game-experience enhancements such as the recent installation of lightning-shooting Tesla coils in the St. Pete Times Forum. With the compilation of marketing techniques and innovations highlighted in this space in mind, perhaps a formula does exist to successfully weave the sport of hockey into the fabric of American society in a way in which few of us could imagine while sitting in a half empty arena, wondering why nobody seems to care about a Coyotes-Stars game.

Yours in hockey,

JK