The Curious Case of The NHL: Successes, Problems, and Solutions

When people say the NHL needs "fixing", what exactly do they mean? 

Do they want to heighten the quality of play, or are they simply aiming to increase the popularity of the league and hockey as a whole by whatever means necessary?

As for the latter, there is only so much that can be done because the NHL will never catch up to the NFL or Major League Baseball in terms of popularity.

Hockey was simply too much of a niche sport to begin with. When the NHL began gaining some national popularity in the early 1990s, the lockout of 1994 was a step backwards and the lost 2004-'05 season brought things to a screeching halt.

Yet, for all of the bashing they take regarding these circumstances and others, I believe that Gary Bettman and company have done a nice job of bringing the league back into prominence in the last few years.

Maybe the league got lucky that stars like Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin burst onto the scene right when they were needed most. Having marketable players like these brings more attention to the league, and to the sport in general.

While many have complained about the league’s television contract, it isn’t as big of an issue as it’s made out to be. While Versus will never be confused with ESPN, it was actually a good move for the league to make a pact with the fledgling network (then OLN) in 2005.

On Versus, the NHL takes center stage, as opposed to being shoved into the last segment of SportsCenter like it often was on "the Worldwide Leader" in ruining sports.

In more recent developments, the addition of the New Year's Day Winter Classic has become a huge windfall for the league, and now easily draws more attention than the All-Star Game.

So, what can we fix on the ice?

Eliminate silly rules like the trapezoid behind the net, and be more stringent in enforcing rules that promote more offense and scoring chances.

Starting all power plays with an offensive zone faceoff was a good addition to the rulebook this season, but I’d also like to see more frequent calls of intentional offsides, which sends the faceoff back into the guilty team’s zone.

And even though the shootout has largely stolen the thunder of the penalty shot, I want to see more penalty shots called during the course of the game. If a player is taken down with an unimpeded path to the net, give him the benefit of the doubt even in borderline cases.

It may also be time to seriously consider a return to serving the full length of a minor penalty, even if a goal is scored during the power play.

Yes, the league can go too far in its longing for offensive explosions, but I don’t advocate anything ridiculous like the notion of 4-on-4 play all the time.

Rather, the changes I have suggested can all have a hand in upping goal totals across the league, which may help to serve the ultimate goal of growing hockey’s popularity in the U.S. once again.

Unfortunately for some, growing the popularity of hockey and the NHL might necessitate the shuffling around of a few franchises—something the league stubbornly refuses to admit.

Clearly, the league has overextended itself by putting franchises in places like Phoenix, Miami, Nashville, and Atlanta (again). And even Carolina and Tampa Bay, despite both having won a Stanley Cup within the last five years, are on rocky ground.

The first relocation move the league should make (and I definitively say relocation because any further expansion would be insane) is to Las Vegas. The NHL would become the biggest game in town.

I’m sure gambling regulations would preclude the casinos from taking bets on the Las Vegas team’s games, but that is a small price to pay for having the real thing in town. By becoming the first major sport to set down roots in Sin City, the NHL would be doing itself a big favor.

Cities like Kansas City should also be seriously looked at, even though the league has been there once before. Don’t be discouraged by the mess in Atlanta because Colorado (Rockies and Avalanche), Minnesota (North Stars and Wild) and the California bay area (Seals and Sharks) are all doing pretty well the second time around.

Sadly, despite whatever remedy we might choose, the NHL is still probably destined to always be No. 4 among the major sports leagues, and even behind NASCAR and the PGA.

What a shame for those of us who live and breathe the game of hockey. All we can do is enjoy what we have and feel a little sorry for the people who are missing out on such a great game.