The bigger problem is that CBC has been offering a graduate level course in how to broadcast hockey and few stations outside of Minneapolis and Detroit seem to have taken it. When I lived in Detroit, I never missed Hockey Night in Canada. Co-workers would often come into the office bleary eyed because the Wings played in Vancouver the night before.

Which brings me to the bigger problem. The NHL shot itself in the foot when the game was poised to take off in the mid-90s. My college roommate from Hawaii had two favorite games to play on Sega, college football and NHL hockey. Then the league wanted to clean up its image and took out the fighting and the game became irrelevant. From a marketing perspective, you can’t deviate from your brand that much and expect to succeed. Can hockey turn it around? I dunno. I do hope so.

Go Whalers.