Tonight Ovechkin plays Crosby tonight and as two of the best players/hated players/loved players in the NHL it is a great thing.
In the early 80s the NBA finals were on tape delay and the NBA was not really the big business sport it is today. Two players Magic Johnson and Larry Bird changed they way the game was seen and brought the game to the mass audience. The NBA used the Magic/Bird rivalry to build awareness and public interest in their game.
The NHL should do the same with Crosby and Ovechkin, two great young players who polarize hockey fans. They seemed to be loved or hated, but everyone seems to have chosen a feeling about the two.
This game between the Penguins and the Capitals should have prime time exposure, and the NHL marketing team should really be pushing this game.
Hockey players are great ambassadors of the sport, and the NHL should be doing a media blitz to grow the exposure of the league.
We had momentum from the NHL players in the Olympics, and that should have been used to continue to keep hockey in the minds of the public.
It just seems something needs to change to get hockey out of just being a niche sport with a small amount of fans.
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I agree that the NBA flourished once Bird and Magic entered the league. One key point of that is often overlooked.
ReplyDeleteAt that time the NBA was a TEAM sport, meaning it was Magic and the LAKERS vs Bird and the Celtics. It was not Bird vs Magic though most think it was that way today. The reason is because the NBA went to individual star promotion more then team promotion. If you look at the NBA today it does NOT have the interest it did back then. I believe team promotion with a star beats out star promotion. Look at the NFL, true team rivalry, you don't see that in the NBA.