Why Viewers Dwindle for the Stanley Cup

Hockey ices the fastest game in the world of sports.  Players skate swifter than Olympic sprinters; shoot vulcanized pucks at goaltenders with the velocity of a howitzer; collide with each other with brute force; and finesse around defenders with balletic grace.

The USA Olympic hockey team that defeated the Russians proved how compelling a high tempo, high stakes game can be.  Yet, the game on ice lags behind other major sports in terms of viewership.  Why?

Part of the reason can be found in the sport’s failure to find a niche best situated to vie for viewers; the other relates to running the Stanley Cup playoffs too long, which erodes public interest.   It would also help if the league and its television partners improved their broadcast team.

Lord Stanley: A Cup Runneth Over Too Long

“I love New York in June, how about you?”  I loathe Hockey in June, how about you? 

Baseball and snow don’t mix, nor do summer heat and ice hockey.  Yet, the NHL wheels out Lord Stanley’s Cup onto soft ice and slushy ratings in June when most Americans play outdoors.    

For every other sport, there is a season.  College Football reigns during the winter holidays.  Fans view Pro Football playoffs during four cabin-fever winter weekends.  The World Series—the Fall Classic—runs in Autumn.  Yet, ice hockey crowns its’ champion in summer after a two month war of attrition erodes the viewing public’s interest—save hockey diehards and the fans of the two cities whose teams reach the Finals.

The hockey season lasts too long.  League officials remain frozen in a time when gate receipts provided the lion’s share of revenues.   But today’s mother lode comes from revenues generated by television ratings, which should peak at title time. But it does not for hockey.  The NHL needlessly competes head-to-head with the NBA playoffs as well as baseball whose fans by now have settled into their summer viewing routine.  Many others head to the lake.

April to mid-May offers the best time to maximize television ratings before warm weather takes its viewing toll.  Start the regular season earlier.   Shorten the playoffs to a best of five—a team that loses a series in five games has no legitimate complaint.  A broad base of fans will not follow eight weeks of playoffs.  Note NCAA basketball’s formula for success.  March Madness plays over three weekends, its’ Final Four a resounding crescendo for fans and cash registers alike. The NCAA’s TV contract dwarfs that of the NHL.  Less is more.

Let the Stanley Cup Finals reach a well-timed climax, before the Memorial Day weekend, rather than concluding like an overheated war of attrition for players and fans alike. 

Until that time, the NHL will hear the sound of screen doors slamming as fans turn off the tube and run outside to join the sounds of summer.     

Bland Television Broadcasters

To increase TV viewership, the NHL must re-evaluate its current presentation of the game’s fast paced action, which proves the most challenging sport to broadcast. Michael “Doc” Emrick’s retirement as the voice of the NHL left a void in the booth.  The current crew should listen to his game calls for a how-to lesson for successful hockey broadcasts.

Good vocal pipes remain mandatory.  Just as important, Emrick maintained a Zen-like focus on the game, consistently calling the play-by-play, the cardinal rule of broadcasting.  Who has the puck, where is it going, called with alacrity and vocal variety that timely alerts of us of developing scoring opportunities and big saves. Unfortunately, the two main broadcasters who called the conference finals—Kenny Albert and Sean McDonough—fall far short of the above.

McDonough constantly digresses from the action when he feeds listeners with useless statistics and irrelevant tidbits of information.  While baseball and football require vocal ‘fill’ during dead time, hockey’s 60 minutes of action require diligent reporting of puck movement.   Albert remains prone to digression, albeit to a lesser degree.  But his monotone delivery lacks  vocal variety and enthusiasm, and thus fails to engage the listener.  

McDonough and Albert orchestrate in disharmony with the game’s song.   Indeed, a televised production of a hockey game bears similarities to a musical production.  The acting might be superb, but the viewing experience suffers if the backing orchestra lags behind. A great announcer understands that his voice serves as a conduit that flows with the game’s rhythm and pace.   

A better telecast draws and retains viewer interest and enthusiasm for the game, which ultimately translates into better ratings and TV contracts.  It behooves the league to re-evaluate the product as presently presented.