The Business of Hockey
Articles Index
Outdoor Game Represents Blown Opportunity By The NHL
It will be the most talked-about NHL game of the season, playoffs included. Even Wayne Gretzky will be in uniform. But when the Oilers and Canadiens play the first outdoor game in NHL history, fans in the U.S. will be shut out.
NHL Gets A Lesson In The Power Of Spectacle
So powerfully did the [i]mise en scene[/i] resonate with the hockey faithful, that people came away thinking the NHL outdoor games were much better than they actually were. The NHL's Heritage Classic was a classic event featuring ordinary hockey.
League and Players Spar Over the NHL Financial Mess
The president of the NHL Players' Association shrugged off prophecies of hellfire and damnation echoing from the league office. Everyone else might be cowed by Arthur Levitt’s report on the financial state of the NHL. But Bob Goodenow remains unbowed.
Marian Gaborik and The NHL's Foolish Spenders
In many ways, Marian Gaborik's contract dispute with the Minnesota Wild illustrates why NHL teams hate the current collective bargaining agreement.
The NHL Contraction Myth
As the NHL ponders how to increase scoring and achieve a more wide-open game, many hockey fans long for the radical solution: contraction. But how would contraction – or the purging of teams by any means – change the NHL?
Hockey Violence and the NHL's "Image Problem"
Fairly or not, the issue of hockey violence continues to define the NHL's public image. To many North Americans, hockey is seen as little more than roller derby on skates. That's a problem for the NHL. But should hockey fans care? How much does hockey violence matter?
The NHL In New York: Down For The Count?
As the National Hockey League flounders in the New York area, there is much talk that the prolonged dysfunction of the New York franchises is a tragedy. A healthy big-time sports outfit, it is said, must succeed in media capitals like Manhattan. But why should the rest of us buy that line?
NHL Ticket Prices And The Average Fan
There has been a good deal written and said about the state of the current NHL “product.” But just about all of it comes from sports writers, not fans. Hockey fans would rather see something done about NHL ticket prices.
What's Up With The NHL Dress Code?
For over three decades, the NHL stuck to the same colors: the home team always wore white jerseys, the visitors always wore dark jerseys. Why change now? A brief history of the NHL color code.
A Wakeup Call For The NHL.
Who says the NHL needs more fans? Unsold tickets, bankrupt teams and flat TV ratings provide the NHL with a long overdue reality check: The league will be much better off when it abandons dreams of world domination.