National Hockey League on Social Media
By Conlan O’Donoghue
The National Hockey League also known as the “NHL,” is one of the four major sports leagues in the United States. However, they have been deeply criticized for their exposure and marketing and as a result, has lowered there ratings nationally.
The strengths of the NHL include its loyal fans. Those unaware do not realize that every single hockey player in the United States is also a big NHL fan. There might not be the same number of kids who play football than hockey, but the support for the NHL is far more impressive than the NHL.
The rich hockey history is a big factor when discussing all of this. Teams like the Bruins, Maple Leafs, Canadiens, and Chicago Blackhawks are all teams that helped implement themselves and the their cities as “hockey towns.” Players like Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretsky, Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, and Connor McDavid is all the reasons why hockey history is extremely helpful when it comes to the NHL’s strengths.
Some weaknesses, however, include the marketing for the NHL. It is nothing short of absolutely atrocious. They have the talent, celebrities involved, and superstar athletes to produce one of the best leagues out of the Power 4, but instead have not marketed or boosted their league at all, and are close to getting knocked off the pedestal to the MLS. They also need to add something to games. This isn’t football or baseball where there’s action every play. It is one long continuous game of who can hold the puck the longest and try to shoot and score. They need to add a good factor thats not fighting to get others involved. Another part of the NHL marketing that hurts is that they compete with the NBA. While the NBA might not seem as exciting to some, their marketing is through the roof when promoting games, players, and studio coverage. Hence the reason they are #2 in line, behind the NFL.
Threats include the MLS who is gaining popularity fast with the addition of Lionel Messi. The NHL needs to be careful to not stand back and watch or they will easily get passed up on in terms of viewers and ratings. They need to find a way to get exposure in other cities that aren’t big “hockey towns,” per say. They only play once a week on good networks which is no where near enough exposure if they want to be successful. There is also not a lot of good debate topics to keep fans interested on a weekly basis.
Lastly, the opportunities that the NHL has is very big. The biggest one being the Olympics in 2026. The winter olympics are huge for the hockey world because a lot of different NHL players get to play for their own country. It also brings the USA together to root for homeborn players, which then may lead to them following the NHL more after the fact. They have young superstars and older veterans playing which should be a viable opportunity to promote the league. Get the younger fans involved, get better marketing, and hammer the importance of the 2026 Winter Olympics because that is the only thing keeping the NHL afloat and avoiding them from not being swallowed by the MLS.
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