Unsure if the NHL will be participating in the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia in 2014? Wonder no longer. They won’t. I know I’ve harped on this before, but I think now that we’re over halfway through the Vancouver Games, we can take yet another look.
The reason the NHL got involved with the Olympics in the first place was to increase the exposure of the game in the United States, leading to higher television ratings. With most media outlets covering the games in some way or another and professional hockey being one of the most popular winter sports, it just makes sense that the sport would receive a ratings boost after the games. This didn’t happen after the games in Nagano or Turin, but often the time difference was cited as the reason. Well, it didn’t happen after the Salt Lake Games either, and now NHL ratings are lower than ever. There is no reason to think this will change after the Vancouver games.
The first blow being dealt to hockey was the lacklustre teams participating. Teams like Belarus, Norway, Germany and Latvia are sent like lambs to the slaughter against the traditional powerhouses. It just isn’t that entertaining watching such lopsided affairs. Added to this is the Women’s event, which has no place in the Olympics. Even the most ardent fan doesn’t enjoy watching Canada beat someone 18-0. The lopsided nature of many games is a big turnoff for the casual fan.
The second problem for hockey is that Americans don’t really like it. This was made very clear when NBC opted to show figure skating last night, instead of the Canada-USA game, which was bumped to the nether regions of the dial on CNBC. NBC is the main American network for the NHL in the United States, and they chose not to show the marquee game of the tournament so far. This speaks volumes of the NHL’s problems down South.
Further evidence could be found on the internet, where Team USA’s major upset wasn’t the first or even the second story on most websites. On FoxSports’ website, the network that broadcasts more NHL games than any other, the game was the third story after one about the upcoming NFL combine and one about the art of singing free agents in baseball. On NBC’s sports site, the hockey game was at the bottom of the page. Some of the stories that came in ahead of Olympic hockey were, “NBA and TNT to Discuss Changes to Dunk Contest” and “Vick Offered $1 Million to pose for Playgirl.” That’s more exposure alright, but probably not what the NHL had in mind.
Now comes the big question of why on earth would the owners risk their prized assets, players with whom they have invested millions and millions of dollars into, for the Olympics, where it is clear they aren’t benefiting one bit? The answer is of course, they won’t. Imagine a big time player getting injured in the Olympics, and missing the rest of the season. More specifically, imagine Kiprusoff getting injured in the Olympics and missing the rest of the season. Any chances the Flames had of post season success would be dashed, all so Finland could have a better chance at winning a medal. Who wasn’t a little concerned when Jarome didn’t play most of the third period against Switzerland? Of course some will argue that it should be up to the players, but I’ll say they’re wrong.
NHL contracts already limit players from things like skiing, sky diving, driving race cars, etc. They can do this for Olympic hockey as well. If I had invested $50 million in someone to play hockey, I sure as hell don’t want them risking themselves to play for another team.
Not only are the owners putting their players in jeopardy, but they’re also disrupting their league’s schedule for someone else’s benefit. Any story lines that might have been developing in the NHL season are all but forgotten by most people now, and it almost seems as if the Olympic year is two separate seasons; one season without a championship and a second season that’s only 20 games long. Of course this isn’t as much of an issue in Canada, but imagine what’s going through a Columbus Blue Jackets fan’s head. His team has no chance of winning anything this year and after two weeks without playing a game, he’s probably lost what little interest he had in the end of the season. He isn’t going to tune in on television, and he isn’t going to spend his money going to the game either.
The next Winter Olympics will be in Russia, specifically Sochi, which is eight hours ahead of the Eastern Time zone; meaning games will take place in the morning in Canada. This means even fewer people will be watching Olympic hockey in four years, than are watching now. If it isn’t worth having NHL players right now, it certainly won’t be worth it in four years from now, in Russia.
-TheRev
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