You have to love the leagues' new approach on how they are marketing
the game. They're trying to convince the fan that if you hope for a tie
and pray that no one scores in overtime you might get to see this
penalty shot thing that's the new craze. Bring your family at a hundred
bucks a ticket on a school night and hope for a tie so at around 10:30
pm you'll see maybe six penalty shots. The game is saved. They've
brought in 13 new rules that are going to fill every rink in the USA.
The game is revitalized and better then ever....Hold on here, the game
isn't saved, penalty shots aren't going to help cause there was never a
problem with the game in the first place. There was never a problem
with the fan base either. The problem with hockey is always going to be
there and Mr. Bettman can't salvage it by eliminating the red line and
shrinking goalie pads. The problem still lies withhim expanding
the game to too many cities too quickly and never really marketing it
to the fans. He thought that people weren't coming to the games because
they didn't want to see a 2 to 1 game. Gary try the fact that people in
Atlanta only think that ice is suppose to be in your Gin and Tonic with
lime.Hockey has expanded into areas where the game isn't
apart of living, part of your lifestyle. I'm not too sure how
often thelakes freeze over in Nashville and Billy Ray Cyrus
throws on his skates and goes for a twirl.I'm from Montreal where
hockey is everywhere. We have outdoor rinks in the winter, minor league
systems for kids from the ages of 3 to 20 and leagues for women and men
of all ages all year round. Families play the game together and enjoy
going to watch the game together. If it weren't for ludicrous ticket
prices the new forum would be filled every night, it almost is
anyways.Hockey is all around us. Unfortunately, that's not the
way it is in Atlanta, Columbus, Nashville, Carolina,the Floridas
and the Californias. Hockey is a novelty in these places. It's where
Tony brings his buddy from work to see these guys put blades on their
feet and prance around on the ice hitting each other. Fans aren't going
to start coming to games because of the hopefully more scoring or the
brilliant new rules, heck, most of them don't even know the old ones.
In Europe, soccer games are played to a 0 -0 tie in front of sixty
thousand people screaming and cheering.No one istrying to
change the size of the nets or make players play with one cleat on.
People know the game, understand the game and appreciate it. We have to
create that in the areas where we expanded to in the last 10 years. I
don't know if we can but that is where our effortshould
be.The fan base that was created in these areas was just
destroyed over a year and a half lock out. To get them back into their
100$ seats we're promising them that hockey will be more entertaining
because there will be more goals scored. Great if your team's doing the
scoring, not so great if they aren't. Bettman should be on the corner
of the street outside these facilities handing out free beer. Come
watch the Florida panthers play the Nashville Predators and drink for
free. That rink would be sold out in seconds, I'd be there. We have to
get people into the rinks and teach them about the game. We have to
teach them to play it at home and at school and to talk about it at the
dinner table. (I don't know if thefree beer will really work but
I thought I'd throw that in there in case some ownerwas silly
enough to read this and them do it. If you'rea silly owner
reading this, I apologize.)Maybe though we are fighting a
losing battle. My opinion is that ifthesecitiesnever
have hadthedemand fora hockey team, it's
difficult to create one.Maybe some of these cities aren't meant
to play host to an NHL franchise. MaybeGary Bettman promised
these owners that he'd bring hockey to them and fill up their
buildings. Maybe Gary thinks that these new rules are the way to do so.
(personally I like the beer way, shh)

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