Hockey Now As Popular as Basketball

[DarkStar50 679]

The NHL, the team owners, the vendors selling hockey gear are all businessmen. Until it ultimately hits them in profit and loss statement, not a damn thing is going to change. USA Hockey is like finding the guy behind the curtain in Oz. They are also just looking out for their best interests and keeping their business model sustained. Half ice hockey for mites is a step in the right direction but first you have to cultivate their interest to get them inside the rink!

[goblue9280 33]

Interesting analogy I heard on the way to work this morning comparing the four major pro leagues to food:

1. NFL = Italian... it may not be everyones favorite, but everyone has pizza/pasta in their top 2 or 3.

2. NBA = sushi... you either love it or you hate it.

3. MLB = tapioca... only old people love it.

4. NHL = Mediterranean... the small percent of people who love it, swear by it.

This was from Colin Cowherd... I know, I know, he's a polarizing guy (think sushi), but I thought it was interetsing and relevant to the conversation.

[MyBoxersSayJoe 133]

Just had a Devils Alumni youth clinic a few weeks ago for our sending district. The past year or two our program and local rink have put a lot of effort into getting young kids on the ice. They can rent skates a helmet and a stick for free and the ice sessions are learn to skate for free. We get the coaches involved and the high school players come out and help the kids. Flyers go out to the schools, ads in the local newspaper and word of mouth. As for funding the programs, it's all parents and fundraising efforts throughout the year.

We did a similar program when I was in high school and I ended up coaching those little 3 year-olds 13 years later up at the high school. Many of the kids reaching a high level of travel and going on to play in college/

[akravetz 29]

What i have found is that hockey is something you have to spend time to learn about. It's not very good on TV unlike football and basketball which are almost made for it. Hockey is very quick and you can lose the puck, there are "odd" rules and some people are still turned off by the fighting which has declined in the years. Add in that many people are afraid to get on skates for fear of hurting themselves, and you have an uphill battle.

But what I found that is once you get people to a game, they love it. Just prices are high and when you don't care that much, it's hard to get people there. It'll change, I hope. There is no way that Americans who love to buy toys, see violent sports and have ADHD can't get into this sport. :)

[goblue9280 33]

The past year or two our program and local rink have put a lot of effort into getting young kids on the ice.

Yeah, our organization has been doing the try-hockey-free days twice a year (HWAA in February, and Texas Hockey Day in Octoberish). We're going to try something new this summer leading up to the hockey season... a 5-week free hockey class for 4-8 year olds new to the sport. We have probably 30 sets of the youth onegoal gear, and the rink has agreed to cut the ice fee in half, so hopefully it's a success. The hard part is getting in those new kids that don't have a connection to the sport, as usually the majority of the kids who come to our free events have a parent in one of the adult leages, or a parent who may not play but is a big hockey fan.

It's not very good on TV unlike football and basketball which are almost made for it.

I'd say that has changed since big-screen HD televisions have become the standard for most homes. I've been told by numerous non-hockey fans how much easier the game is to follow in HD.

[Chadd 916]

On the fighting aspect; there are probably as many people enticed by the fighting as repulsed by it.

[iceNsteel 0]

The problem is the people that are attracted to hockey because of the fighting aren't the kind of fans a sport needs to grow. They're like people that want to see crashes in NASCAR, they don't really follow the sport and aren't likely to spend much money on it. They just want to see a crash/fight reel here and there. There was a time when if you wanted to see a hockey fight you actually had to go to a hockey game. But now days anyone can hop on youtube and see reel after reel with not a dime spent.

[Chadd 916]

The problem is the people that are attracted to hockey because of the fighting aren't the kind of fans a sport needs to grow. They're like people that want to see crashes in NASCAR, they don't really follow the sport and aren't likely to spend much money on it. They just want to see a crash/fight reel here and there. There was a time when if you wanted to see a hockey fight you actually had to go to a hockey game. But now days anyone can hop on youtube and see reel after reel with not a dime spent.

most of those guys have MMA now anyway