Los Angeles Kings Parade 2012: Celebration in Hollywood Is Great Story for NHL

Following one of the great postseason runs in recent memory, the Los Angeles Kings will allow the City of Angels bask in the glow of the first Stanley Cup victory in the franchise's 45-year history. 

As big as this story is for the Kings and hockey fans in Los Angeles, it is a bigger deal for the National Hockey League. 

This sport needed something special to get behind. Many agree that the NHL has the best postseason of the four major sports in North America. Every single game is so close that it plays out like a psychological thriller, where you are watching it and your jaw is clenched so tight because you don't know what's coming next. 

By having a high-profile city like Los Angeles represent the sport in the Stanley Cup Finals, the NHL was able to generate the kind of buzz it hasn't had in years. Say what you want about the television ratings, but people were talking about it. 

Kings goalie Jonathan Quick became a sensation because of his amazing performance over the entire postseason, and specifically the Stanley Cup Finals. 

We always talk about what the NHL needs to generate the kind of mainstream interest needed before it can get back to being considered one of the Big Four sports in this country. 

Having a great postseason is a nice start, but the NHL has that virtually every season. It is a nice marketing tool to build around, there just has to be something else. 

The easiest way to do it is have a team in a major market win the Stanley Cup. The Kings play in one of the three biggest media markets in the United States, so they certainly qualify. 

Having a parade in Los Angeles, with so many celebrities and press surrounding the Kings, makes this a huge day for the franchise and the NHL. It is going to take a lot of time before we see the results in ratings, so for now it is best to just appreciate that the NHL is on an obvious upswing. 

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