Penguins Perspectives: The NHL needs to go for 'Gold'
Welcome to Penguins Perspectives, a weekly column by KDKA-TV Digital Producer Patrick Damp. Each Friday, Patrick will talk about the week that was, the week to come, what to watch for, and more.
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - It's easy to listen to the NHL's higher-ups and roll your eyes any time they get in front of a microphone because they have a serious history of doublespeak, half-truths, and even sometimes outright lies (stares in concussions), but this past week, Bill Daly said something that caught my attention.
"The goal is to make it an international competition of some sort. It's going to obviously be heavily NHL-centric in terms of the player base, maybe entirely NHL. We'll see what form it takes, but that's something we're working on with the Players' Association."
So, the NHL and the NHLPA are working toward an agreement that would get them back to the Olympics as well as re-establish a 2025 international competition, the 2026 Winter Olympics, a 2028 "World Cup of Hockey" the 2030 Winter Olympics, and so on.
Basically saying NHL players will be back at the winter games and every two years in between a World Cup of Hockey (I'm guessing since that's what they've done in the past.)
I've spoken about this on 93.7 The Fan, Twitter (or X, if you're so inclined), as well as the Locked On Penguins Podcast - this must happen.
The National Hockey League has a branding and a popularity problem. They have for most of my 33 years on Earth.
He may be a goofball, but ESPN personality Max Kellerman absolutely nailed the NHL problem in 2020.
"...in every town, there's 20,000 hockey fans [and] they all have season tickets. So the arenas are always sold out, but the TV ratings don't do anything. It's not one of the four major team sports."
You might not like hearing that, especially as Penguins fans, but it's mostly true. Hold up a picture of Steph Curry and a picture of Sidney Crosby in a town that doesn't have NHL, NBA, or both, and most will likely know Curry and not know Crosby.
It's the sad reality of the NHL.
However, there is a way to change this.
Consistent, repeated, international exposure.
Think back to 1992. Team USA announced that they're forming "The Dream Team" for the Summer Olympics and players like Michael Jordan, Ervin "Magic" Johnson, Larry Bird, Patrick Ewing, Charles Barkley, and the six other unquestionably best American basketball players were headed to Barcelona for the games and they were going to dominate.
It was more than just reestablishing Team USA as the world's best basketball team, it was about growing the sport of basketball and turning the NBA into a global brand.
Jordan, Johnson, Pippen, Barkley, and the rest of the team weren't just there to win gold and represent their country. They were, for all intents and purposes, international ambassadors for the NBA and the sport of basketball.
Watching them dominate on the floor captivated millions of people at a time when the world stopped to watch the quadrennial event. It gave people who otherwise would not have watched North American professional basketball the chance to see the best at their absolute best.
First - the elephant in the room: The Summer Olympics are the offseason for the NBA, so it's a little easier for franchises to let their stars head to the games, the Winter Olympics are when the stretch run to the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin in the NHL, which gives owners, managers, and coaches pause.
I also know that NHL owners, at their core, are capitalists. Yes, possibly losing a superstar to injury when the Stanley Cup Playoffs are around the corner is an absolute risk.
However, that's a short-term risk for a long-term gain.
Yes, we're in an era of connectivity because of the internet but there are many who aren't fans of a sport, but suddenly find themselves captivated once the Olympics come around.
Will this be as easy and as simple as I am making it? Of course not - a lot more has to go into it, but it starts with a will and from there you find the way.
Putting Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, the Tkachuk brothers, and so many other bright stars on the world's stage every 2-4 years is only a net positive for the league and for the sport. Being able to showcase the best it has to offer with the implicit message of "you can watch them do this 82+ times a year in our league" will only benefit the bottom line.
Countries' sports programs use world tournaments and the Olympics to send a message of relevance and go for gold.
For the National Hockey League, this is their chance to do the same with the eyes of the world watching.
