NHL Refuses to Televise Draft Lottery Bingo Game

A handful of prickly media types are huffing and puffing over the NHL's plans for its upcoming Draft Lottery, aka the Sidney Crosby sweepstakes.

The decision to hold the lottery behind closed doors - probably on Friday - is taken as a sign that the league cannot shake its PR-stunted, media-unfriendly ways. Do these guys want to win the fans back or not?

Granted, Crosby is the most (over?) hyped prospect since Eric Lindros, and everyone wants to know where his NHL career begins. Granted, there's a certain squeamish glee in the image of Gary Bettman playing TV bingo caller, cranking the big drum and digging deep for the winning ball, accompanied by his lovely assistant Bill.

But must-see TV? Sounds more like no-life TV.

The NBA has been known to televise its draft lottery, complete with hilariously solemn "analysis" from the usual army of experts. ("The Lakers' ball is looking great... The Bobcats' ball struggling with that pulled hamstring...") But in a sane world, pro sports leagues would not even televise their tedious drafts, let alone the lotteries that set the selection order.

There's no point blaming televison. A network's job is to capture eyeballs, and if enough folks want to see grumpy sports execs and gangly teenagers kissing up to each other, somebody will have a camera there. But let's at least give the NHL credit for challenging one of the assumptions of the sports media complex: Is there any good reason why everything must be televised, just because there are too many sports networks with too many hours to fill?

Update: After all that, it appears the league has changed its mind and bowed to the gods of sports television. TSN will broadcast the draft lottery announcement in Canada.