NHL Drops Puck with New TV Deal: ESPN, Expansion Should Have Been Goals

Today the NHL announced it was re-upping its TV deal with NBC and Versus. What a colossal mistake. The NHL season runs almost simultaneously with the NBA season and overlaps a good part of the NFL season as well. 

Both of those leagues are either currently in a lockout or possibly facing one this offseason. If there were ever a time for the NHL to capitalize on the sports watching public's attention, it was over the next year. It simply let this opportunity go right through the five hole.

If the NFL and NBA are locked out the NHL would be the only major professional sports league in North America functioning as normal at that time of year. Common sense dictates that people who already like hockey would watch even more of it if the NFL and NBA were not an option on television. 

Even more importantly, people who normally wouldn't watch the NHL would be far more apt to watch on TV to fulfill their sports-viewing cravings. New fans are crucial to growth and the future of the NHL.

The NHL is currently the fourth-most popular of the four major North American sports leagues. I am by no means insinuating that the NHL could have leapfrogged any of the other leagues, but it certainly could have narrowed the gap. The problem with staying with NBC and Versus isn't the quality of the coverage—it is the amount and availability to the general viewing public of that coverage.

NBC currently shows one afternoon game on the weekend during the regular season.  That is fine. MLB currently does the same thing with FOX on Saturdays. The NBA does a slightly better job by showing more games on ABC. Clearly, the NFL dominates the major national non-cable networks with its Sunday offerings on CBS, Fox and NBC.

The problem lies in the cable coverage. Versus is a network that many people do not receive. 

Further complicating the issue is many people who have Versus don't even realize they have it. That is due to the fact that Versus typically has nothing of interest to the general public other than the occasional NHL game.

The key word I just used is "occasional." Versus doesn't even show games on a regular basis multiple times a week. MLB and the NBA have games televised multiple times a week by large cable networks like ESPN and TNT.

I believe the NHL turned down the opportunity to come back to ESPN out of spite.  During the 2004-05 NHL lockout ESPN dropped the NHL like a bad habit. While ESPN has flaws, it is still the best option out there for getting the exposure the NHL so desperately needs. I think the NHL still harbored resentment over being dropped during the lockout and it clouded its judgment. 

Getting back on ESPN and having several games a week televised on either ESPN or ESPN2 would have been huge for the growth of hockey. Thursday Night Hockey could have been something you mark on the calendar throughout the season.

Not only should the NHL have inked a deal with ESPN, it also should have smelled the labor strife elsewhere and proactively announced expansion plans. It should have gone back to Winnipeg and Quebec, bringing back the Jets and Nordiques. 

Some may argue that both of those markets previously failed; however, that was before the current CBA was struck. There is now a cost certainty in place that would enable both of those markets to exist once again. There are talks of the Phoenix Coyotes moving back to Winnipeg anyway. Adding two more Canadian teams also enables for some interesting realignment.

Here are the divisions I am proposing:

Western Conference

Western Canada Division
Edmonton
Calgary
Vancouver
Winnipeg

Central Division
Detroit
Columbus
Nashville
Chicago

Pacific Division
San Jose
Anaheim
Los Angeles
Phoenix

Midwest Division
St. Louis
Dallas
Minnesota
Colorado

Eastern Conference

Eastern Canada Division
Toronto
Ottawa
Montreal
Quebec

Southeast Division
Florida
Tampa Bay
Atlanta
Carolina

Northeast Division
Boston
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Washington

Empire State Division
New York Rangers
New York Islanders
New Jersey
Buffalo

These divisions allow for several advantages. First, it follows the wise NFL divisional alignment that allows for increased parity and rivalries. Parity and intense rivalries are what drive fan interest. Point out a newly formed division that is less desirable than what is in place now. I dare you. 

Having four division titles in each conference up for grabs keeps a larger number of fanbases interested for a greater length of the season.

Forming two all-Canadian divisions not only creates a great rivalry situation, but it also ensures at least one Canadian team will make the playoffs in each conference. Having those types of passionate fans around in the playoffs is contagious to other fans. 

Canadian teams, as well as the four non-Canadian Original Six teams (Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers and Boston Bruins) are integral to high playoff ratings.

The new alignment also helps balance the regular-season schedule. The Detroit Red Wings, for example, would play each team in their division six times in my proposal. That is the same amount as now, but it only constitutes 18 total games as opposed to 24 games. Each conference foe will also still be played four times. This now accounts for 48 games as opposed to 40 games. 

Most importantly each non-conference opponent will be played once for a total of 16 games, as opposed to 18 games.  As it stands now some non-conference teams are played once and others twice, which creates a small amount of inequality.  That is now eliminated.

The NHL should also remain open to realignment in the future after these moves are made. For example, if the Atlanta Thrashers go belly up and move to Hartford to reincarnate the Whalers, the Washington Capitals should be moved out of the Northeast Division and back to the Southeast Division.

The NHL needs to be more proactive with growth in the future. This was a golden opportunity it let slip through its hands.