Does the NHL view HOCKEY as a regional sport?

I like to think of myself as a man’s man. I’m not down with chick-flicks, I am a drama-free zone when I’m at work, and shopping is NOT my favorite pastime. But when I flew to New York last week, I knew I’d be hitting up the NHL Store in midtown Manhattan. It’s not easy to find a Calgary Flames sweatshirt in Southern California, so what better place to find one than on the east coast? (Yes, in retrospect, I know that doesn’t make any sense whatsoever).

When I walked into the store, it didn’t surprise me to see New York Rangers and Pittsburgh Penguins stuff all over the place. The NHL looks like they’re ready to flood the market with as much “Winter Classic” apparel as possible even though it’s still 5 months away. Neither of those really shocked me—anytime I see anything from the league, they seem to be pushing the Pens, the Rangers, or the Winter Classic.

I think the most stunning facet of my visit was the stuff that I did NOT see. If the team wasn’t from the Northeast, their gear was noticeably absent from the “NHL Store.” Maybe it should be renamed the “NHL’s Atlantic Division” store. If that were the case, I’d have no problem with the selective gear they chose to push.

I’m not going to write about how they didn’t have a Calgary Flames hoodie for me to snatch. It seemed like this store (which is actually run by the NHL and Rbk) showed some of the fundamental flaws for the league as a whole. Not only did it show the imperfections, but it shows that the NHL knows that they have a problem. Let me explain…

The NHL (more specifically, Gary Bettman) has been trying to expand into non-traditional hockey markets ever since Gretzky was traded to L.A. Out were cities like Winnipeg, Quebec City, and Hartford only to be replaced with the Phoenixes, Raleighs, and Atlantas of the world. Here’s the problem: people in the Sunbelt don’t care about hockey. It pains me to say that, and I wish it wasn’t true, but let’s be real. People in Toronto care more about hockey than people in Tampa.

Clearly the NHL knows it too. In a retail environment where the almighty dollar is king, there was nothing resembling a Coyote or a Blue Jacket in the entire place. At first I figured that it was just the northeast-centric nature of New York City. But then I looked around a little more and it became clear that there were only a few teams adequately represented. Predictably, there were Maple Leaf sweatshirts, Sabre shirts and Montreal polos. Gretzky, Crosby and Ovechkin were very well represented. Of course, there were hats, shirts, banners and any other article of memorabilia you can imagine with Detroit’s logo and a Stanley Cup. All of that was anticipated.

But where was the Anaheim Ducks gear? Didn’t they win the Cup just a season ago? How about the Sharks who were the 2nd best team in the Western Conference? At first I thought it was a west coast thing. Then I looked for anything related to the Hurricanes or Lightning and again I was turned away. Last time I checked, they were the last 2 Eastern Conference teams to win it all. That’s when my mind turned toward something much bigger than a New York absorbed hockey league.

The only team from the West that was represented was the Red Wings. In a store that is supposed to represent the entire league, there wasn’t anything from below the Mason-Dixon Line. The league has to know that these franchises are struggling. Hell, they won’t even stock their own store with their stuff because they know it won’t sell. The entire point of the store is to make money, and they are only stocking gear from the northeast teams. That has to say something!

What about cities like Atlanta? The Atlanta market has already lost a team once and by all indicators they should lose the Thrashers as well. A team like the Florida Panthers can play to an arena 20% empty and that would mark a good season in regards to attendance. With the constant ownership questions surrounding the Predators, their future is “as stable as a drunk on shaky ground” (thank you Widespread Panic). If it was not for the league’s intervention, the Preds would already be playing their home games in Hamilton, ON.

It seems like the only things that will sell represent teams where hockey is part of the culture. Hockey isn’t going anywhere in Canada. In the states, Minnesota, New England and upstate New York look to have a grassroots hockey system that are as strong as ever.

As much as Gary Bettman may want to try, I don’t see how hockey is ever going become a way of life in the western and southern United States. I love this game more than what’s socially acceptable, but I’m in the minority. I completely understand the league offices making every attempt to expand and grow the game across the country. It’s good business to maximize the earning potential of the product. However, its also good business to cut your loses when expenditures are no longer an investment. The NHL’s broken business model led to the work stoppage a few years ago, only to be replaced with another flawed business model. Only 3 short seasons after the league lost a season due to a lockout (enforced by the owners), there are already franchises claiming they are losing money because of the rapidly rising salary cap. Wasn’t the entire point of giving up a season financial stability? Maybe it’s the notion of playing hockey in South Beach that’s causing the underlying economic difficulties.

There seems to be a disconnect between what the league says in public and what they produce when it comes time to make money. They SAY that the league is thriving all over the continent, yet the same 5 or 6 teams are constantly shown on NBC. They say the league is bringing in fans from non-traditional markets, but when they sell the merchandise those same franchises are nowhere to be found. It’s just not adding up. They’re not even using their store to promote there up-and-coming teams. It would be nice to see them be proactive in SOME area of their marketing scheme, wouldn’t it?

And to think, all I wanted was a Calgary sweatshirt.