I’m here to sell the NHL today. This is not about buying my plays, it’a about buying the product that’s currently being offered by what at times in the not so recent past has been referred to as a “garage league”. To be honest, that wasn’t an inaccurate tag. But while the league is far from perfect, the same can be said for the bigger three (NFL, NBA, MLB) and I am very bullish about the direction of the NHL right now.
The league is saddled with a couple of really bad franchises to be sure, and they need to fix that. But what I’m seeing on the ice this year has been close to exceptional. I think the replay system is about as good as it gets when implemented properly. There are some great young players in action now, and more stars are on the way.
Perhaps best of all, thanks to big screens and high-def TV, it’s no longer an exercise in futility to try and follow the action. Even for a lifer like myself who’s been around the game for more than a half century, I had to admit that the game lost a ton in translation from in person to home viewing, but that has now dramatically changed. I no longer have to be sitting rinkside to enjoy what’s taking place on the ice.
Full disclosure, this is all about doing whatever I can to help Las Vegas secure an NHL franchise. I’ve always felt the NHL was a good fit for this city, and with a brand new arena now under construction, the NHL and Las Vegas are a marriage that needs to happen. It would be great for the city to finally land an actual major league franchise. The market is sizable enough to support it, and fans of other teams, particularly those in lousy weather locales, will schedule vacations to coincide with their team’s visits to Las Vegas. But make no mistake, whatever league lands here first is going to have a huge advantage over the next arrival, and I’m not positive the city can support both the NHL and the NBA. So it’s in the NHL’s best interests to get a franchise here quickly, and if they can do so in time to help open the new arena, that’s even better.
I don’t care whether it’s an expansion franchise or one that already exists (hello, Panthers?) but the time is right for the city to go big league. Of course, there’s one caveat here. The NHL must incorporate a 21st century mentality and not sweat the legal sports wagering. If they fight that and insist that the games involving the local franchise not be available to the sports books, they’re dead before they even play one game. This is really important, NHL. If you go that route, you’re going to alienate a substantial segment of your potential local base that will look upon this as an insult to the way we do things here. Do not make that mistake. Beyond that, it’s archaic thinking that has no basis in reality.
Anyway, while the NHL to Las Vegas is not yet a reality, there’s ample reason to be very optimistic that they’re on the way. As far s as I’m concerned, the sooner the better!
What are your feelings about the NHL's future?
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