Would You Miss the NHL?

Continuing my “Would You Care” series ...

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Does the National Hockey League (NHL) provide such a unique product and customer experience that we would be saddened if it didn’t exist? Does the NHL treat its employees so astonishingly well that those workers would not be able to find another employer to treat them as well? Does the NHL forge such unfailing emotional connections with its fans that they would fail to find another sports team that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

What say you?

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Comments

[Dave]

Interesting Would You Miss...

First of all, we sort of know the answer to this from the response to the NHL work stoppage a few years ago. The great majority probably wouldn't care. What would take its place? Another sport? Do people really rank their favorite sports or isn't it a deeper connection. Another hockey league? Could another league come in and make the sport more marketable. In Detroit people would care. In Lincoln, Nebraska I don't think it would matter much.

[Rob]

After the lock-out the league has returned with a much better product then before. With that being said the NHL is popular in the towns it plays in..and with the NHL renewing it's media partnership with VS that will never change. I love the NHL..but I was born and raised in Buffalo and hockey matters in Buffalo not Austin TX. The NHL as a brand needs to stop trying to be everything to everyone, market and grow in the markets you are in and stop trying to break into Florida and Arizona..."barrier of entry"

[Joe]

And in Montreal, this would amount to the apocalypse.

Heck, the Canadiens not making the playoffs was almost that.

I agree this is highly location dependent. It doesn't make sense to ask of places without a local (or reasonably local) franchise. And where there is one, it's either got a loyal fan-base or it doesn't. Where it does, there's no substitute for hockey. If the NHL ceased to exist, could some other league replace it? If it had the players, yes. If not, no way - or not for a very long time.

[patmcgraw]

What's the NHL? How can I miss something that never comes up on my radar? Montreal might explode...but what about those real hockey towns like Phoenix?

[Ian]

Oddly put question, because it's hard for me to see the NHL as a brand. At a higher level there is the sport of hockey, which would be sorely missed in certain locations as noted. At the local level there is the team brand, which would be devastatingly missed in most of the cities in which they play. Detroit calls itself "Hockeytown" for a reason.

But the NHL (as oposed to the "IHL" or "NAHA" or (insert your governing body initials here)? No difference.

[Pete]

It's the perfect niche brand. Widespread appeal is down but local attendance at games is up. It also has some of the best "new products" (young players) than any of the major sports. If the Stanley Cup makes it to a major market this year, I think you could find a lot of people rediscovering the sport after the rules changes they've made to be more fan-friendly.

Disclaimer: I LOVE hockey. (Go Rangers!)

[Justin Kownacki]

I didn't miss the NHL during the lockout. I felt bad for hockey fans, but as the players were about to prove (by leaving droves, before they caved and accepted a lousy labor deal), the NHL is not the sole arbiter of hockey. It might not pay as much, or be as pretigious, to play elsewhere, but the players can always find a place to play.

Meanwhile, if the audience is large enough, another league would come along to take the NHL's place.

Would I miss the NBA or the NFL? A little more than the NHL, but the same rules apply. It's impossible to presume that the death of a league would mean the death of a sport.

Or, going back to the Chili's "Would You Miss" posting awhile back: just because there's no Chili's doesn't mean there're no bland mass-market sit-down restaurants.

[Alex B]

As a non-Detroitan, and non-Minnesotan American...no, I wouldn't miss the NHL. The player's bickering over a few million dollars here and a few million there, cost bar owners, sporting shop owners, and I'm sure a few scalpers, their jobs.

And is it just me...or does hockey seem as if it's a year 'round sport? The game's omnipotence is a negative for the league in my mind. True offseasons create excitement, demand, and anticipation...something this league needs dearly.

"Forge unfailing emotional connections with its fans", I think not.

[DeeFrost]

I miss that old logo, anyway.

[Robert Wheatley]

NHL has never approached the likes of major league football and baseball in its ability to promote itself. The result is a small hardcore fan base in markets where teams exist. In the US it lacks the cultural relevance that it enjoys in Canada. It is likely to remain an acquired taste in the absence of any substantive branding effort and sustained strategy to broaden its audience. Perhaps some within the team ownership circles also lack vision to see beyond their own market interests, which may handicap progress in this key area. Hockey has the unique distinction of being more interesting to watch live than on television. Bringing the ice as close to the prospective fan could be part of a solution.

[Lewis Green]

I love hockey and watch the Bruins and Rangers whenever they are on TV. Played the game as a kid, watched the game ever since, and would miss it lots.

[collin]

Fighting words in canada son.
watch it.

;-)

[MT]

Please. Your site is called Brand Autopsy and assuming your bio is accurate you appear to have the tools & experience needed to answer this question. You're supposed to be the "brand pathologist," so why are you handing the scalpel to ham-fisted laymen?
I wouldn't miss Whole Foods because it doesn't exist in my market - the brand is a non-factor. The NHL, on the other hand, is a dominant brand in my market. Does any of this mean that Whole Food's brand is worthless, of course not, it simply means that it, like the NHL, is a niche brand, not a global one.
So come on, put in a little effort here, put a bit of your oqn reputation on the line and answer the question yourself instead of having others do your work for you.

[Tom L]

This is simple click-trolling, as expressed by my fellow-blogger Eric at Off Wing Opinion. And a lame attempt at that.

The NHL is just fine thank you very much.

Ta,

[Scai]

I would miss the NHL galore. Wouldn't care the least if Brand Autopsy went out of buisness today though.

[johnmoore (from Brand Autopsy)]

DeeFrost ... I also like the old logo.

MT ... I am more interested in hearing from impassioned NHL fans and detractors because I do not have a strong opinion about the NHL. These comments are showing that some folks have strong takes about the NHL.

Spread love Scai ... spread love.

[Mark R. LePage, AIA (Entrepreneur Architect)]

If someone asked me to describe the NHL logo, I could not have done it with a gun to my head. I think that says much about the NHL brand...

[Joe Wikert]

Would I miss the NHL? I already do. I'm a huge fan, but not huge enough to pay for a Versus subscription on my cable bill. The result? I've only seen 3 or 4 games all season on NBC.

This league needs some serious help. Just when they were starting to get a tiny bit of momentum they get shut down by that strike a couple of years ago. Then ESPN walks away. Ouch.

I'm a huge Penguins fan and managed to watch their win over Ottawa yesterday on NBC. I also have XM Radio, so I'll be listening to the game tonight on it. It's amazing to me that I'm limited to listening on satellite radio when so many less interesting "sporting events" are being shown on ESPN. Exhibit A: Billiards. Please. Is that really a "sport"? How low has the NHL sunk to think that billiards is a more viable broadcast alternative on ESPN?!

[DD]

From Jason Strudwick's (NY Rangers defensemen) blog on www.nyrangers.com: http://www.nyrangers.com/team/playoffs07/blog/

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Hi, Ranger Fans.

It was a pretty good night in Atlanta last evening. We got a win, which is a nice way to start, but I was more impressed and surprised by something else.

The fans where really pumping and excited about the first playoff game for their home team Thrashers. Before the game started they were making noise and right into it. I didn't expect that type of environment but I was really glad to see it. Hockey is a great game and the more people that see it live I really believe the more people will become fans.

Anyone who was at last night's game would want to see another.

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That's coming from a guy who gets paid by the NHL and has a completely different viewpoint than any of us fans or non-fans could have.

Obviously the NHL would be missed by those people who are employed by the league or benefit from the eco-system surrounding the league. Not to mention the nation of Canada and fans around the world. To compare Chili's to the NHL is crazy. Chili's is a commodity, the NHL is a culture. You'll never see 18,200 screaming people celebrating Chili's or crying over a bad batch of baby back ribs.

I think the biggest problem with the NHL is that as Jason Strudwich says, you need to watch it live. We are a TV culture, and measure success by how much people watch something on TV (e.g., American Idol). Do yourself a favor and buy tickets to an NHL game next season, it'll change your opinion of the sport forever.

[Stephane]

Bonjour,

As a Montrealer and a huge hockey fan, I'm not sure if we are adressing the proper question. Would we miss the NHL. Probably not.
But the NHL is not about it's own brand, it is about some of the strongest brands in sports world : The Stanley Cup, The habs, Bruins, Rangers, Red Wings, The dam' Leafs, etc.
In addition, teams that disapear (Nordiques, Jets, Whalers, St.Pats), other trophies, the "99", and even some active players, etc.
I agree that the NHL communications were poor in the last few years. The lock-out could have kill the last good feelings for this "business of hockey". But, nevertheless, Fans are back and the NHL still owns some of the best brands in sport.

I could argue that from a Montrealers perspective, "The Habs" is one of the most emotional brand, involve in the cultural identity of the town, roots in our heritage... I'm pretty sure it is the same for Calgary, Edmonton, TO, etc.

Enjoy playoffs.

[Jay]

Hi.

I'm with Stephane on this one. The NHL is not as strong a brand as the Habs, the Leafs, the Senators, The Stanley Cup, Hockey Night In Canada, Crosby, Lemieux, Gretzky, Don Cherry, etc.

I actually didn't miss pro hockey all that much during the lockout, and it was quite special for me to see my boys play some house league exhibition games at the Corel Centre (home of the Ottawa Senators) that year.

I personally prefer to watch hockey on TV than going to watch it live, mainly because of the cost, the queues, and the outrageously priced food & drinks.

In Kanata (suburb of Ottawa), many folks eat breathe and sleep hockey. We have 8 ice surfaces in Kanata (population 50000) not including the home of the Ottawa Senators, and even then many of our players go elsewhere to play. Hockey would be fine with or without the NHL. BTW, we still have the Ottawa 67s hockey team in the OHL.

[Dwain]

Absolutely not! This sport sucks and there is nothing they could do to make it work for me except...
When I have been to an actual game, the experience was outstanding! Everything about it was invigorating, even as a non-fan.
As a marketer, this suggests that trial is needed. Find more ways to get butts in seats.

[Chris Furman]

Keep up the great news that the world continues to look forward to reading!