Today, according to an Olympic article from CTV in Canada, Rene Fasel (IIHF President) said that Gary Bettman was dead wrong in his assessment that the Olympics were worthless to th NHL. That when the games are played outside of North America, the benefits are less. Fasel made the point that almost 14 billion worldwide watched the Olympics in 06, a number that clearly dwarfs potential audience in North America. While Fasel is correct in his assessment of Bettman’s statements regarding the Olympics, Bettman is not entirely off-base. The NHL lacks any sort of nation prospect presence that football, baseball and basketball has within the US, outside of Frozen Four and when someone breaks the Memorial Cup. The Olympics offers just that sort of attention that the NHL needs for its youth. While at the same time, the World Championships can offer the IIHF international exposure and a pan-European presence that the WCCH and the Olympics currently lack. The NHL’s involvement with the Olympics, as well as its relationship with the IIHF and the World Championship, needs to reevaluated.
While the Olympics are important and do draw an international TV audience of upwards of 14 billion, the hockey competition is rather limited. Every four years, we see the same 8 super powers (US, Canada, Russia, Detroit, et al.) fight for medal contention, while lesser squads like Italy, France, or Latvia compete to lose. Looking at the rosters for the United States, there has been very little diversity since the 96 world cup team, and dynamic Canadians like Sidney Crosby are left off their national teams for role players like Shane Doan. Not to take anything away from Shane Doan, or players like him, but they are hardly the marketable players that are Sidney Crosby in ’06 and in all likely hood, Steve Dueschne and Jon Traverse this coming Olympiad. The numbers do not lie. As Rene Fasel has stated, it would be foolish for Gary Bettman to ignore a potential audience of 14 Billion just to have the NHL season get ignored during the media hype that is the olympics. However, this is the time where the NHL can take a page out of FIFA’s playbook and make the Olympics about prospects.
In the United States, hockey fans have had to put with essentially the same national team roster. Aside from a retired Hull and a Rick Dipeatro replacing a Mike Richter in 06, the national team has not had any infusion of fresh blood and talent. This year, fortunately, players such as Tim Thomas, Zach Parise, and Patrick Kane are rounding out the US Olympic cast. But what Pens prospect and Philly native Eric Tangradi? He’s a strong forward who can play wing and take faceoffs whose career was unknown in the US because he went to play junior in Canada. The Olympics would be a perfect time to a player Eric Tangradi to be introduced to a national TV audience in the US. Americans, without a minor league team, junior or college program near by their NHL teams hardly get know any prospects. The Olympics is the perfect opportunely for the NHL to introduce the prospects, since they lack a large of collegiate feeder like football or basketball has. Fans across the world would’ve been introduced to a duel between Crosby and Ovie 3 years earlier, had the NHL followed this route. Also, not to mention the big game experience that would help these younger players compete for roster spots on their NHL clubs. With a mature Crosby, Ovechkin, and a US national team infused with new blood, fans in the US and the world will see great and inspired competition. In keeping step with FIFA’s model, the IIHF and NHL would naturally reserve roster space for veteran players. Thus making the threats of defection from foreign stars like Malkin and Ovechkin moot.
The NHL and the IIHF will benefit tremendously with their partnership for this coming games. However, they lack a coherent plan that will help them to ride the wave of positivity that arises from the Olympics. Post Olympic hockey enthusiasm can be best captured through the world championships. Unlike the NHL’s World Cup of Hockey, the world championships are concentrated in one or two countries and attack a large media and fan presence. The games are covered by TSN and Universal Sports in North American and by Sky sports in Europe. Not to mention, Shalke FC’s soccer stadium is hosting a sold out game between Germany and the US. The field for this tourney is greater than the Olympics and the WCCH and offers a chance for the smaller hockey nations like Italy or Slovenia to compete against top flight teams. However, these teams lose some of their best players for parts of the tournament to play in the NHL playoffs. Ovechkin joined the Russians after qualifications due to the Eastern Conference Semis. As with the US in 1980, the chance for a team like Germany to defeat a hockey power like Russia, the US, or Canada can provide excellent opportunities for growth of the sport within that country. Even just a solid game can do wonders for the sport’s exposure and the benefits would be greater than the premier games in Europe. However, the NHL and IIHF need to arrive at an agreement as to when the Worlds would take place and when the NHL season would end, in order to achieve this. The NHL is not going to drop any games and hockey in July is not an option for the IIHF, since that would be nearly a 3 month break between the Euro seasons and the start of the tournament. But, where there is a will there is a way. Maybe tightening up the playoffs to end in May and start the tournament in June or simply move the tournament to September and of course would be a mainly veteran affair.
The emotion that is emitting from Fasel and Bettman’s inability to admit an initial mistake suggests that an agreement can be made. And, looking at the good will fall out of tournaments past and the need for money, the NHL and IIHF will come to terms with the Olympics. Hopefully offering hockey fans, worldwide, multiple opportunities to watch great hockey.
