NHL Stadium Series Becomes An Old Boys Club
NHL Stadium Series Becomes An Old Boys Club
The NHL is in a period of transition and the NHL Stadium Series is not reflecting that. The NHL is treating the Stadium Series games as a way to keep patting the backs of the traditional powers of the league while ignoring where the league has true potential to grow.
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Let’s take a quick look at two of the markets that have been derided for years by those who thought the Sun-Belt expansion experiment of the 90’s had failed. One of the Calder Candidates this year is Shayne Gostisbehere who was born and played his youth hockey in South Florida.
The consensus number one pick in the upcoming NHL draft, Auston Matthews, is from Arizona. These players cut their teeth playing in youth and development leagues that were setup and influenced by the NHL expanding into non-traditional markets. It is time that the NHL Stadium Series reflects that.
On Wednesday night Gary Bettman announced the next round of NHL Stadium Series games that will join the Heritage Classic next year for a total of four outdoor games. The other games include the Toronto Maples Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings in the newly minted Centennial Classic, the St. Louis Blues hosting the (sigh) Chicago Blackhawks and the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
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With the exception of the Heritage Classic featuring the Winnipeg Jets and Edmonton Oilers and the Winter Classic with St. Louis none of these games are exciting, and the Heritage Classic maybe only because we get to see Gretzky on the ice again.
The chief criticism of the NHL Stadium Series is that it risks overexposure and that it may become stale and boring. This rings even more true when:
Eight teams will take part in outdoor #NHL games next season.
— icethetics (@icethetics) March 10, 2016
Four of them have already played more than one.
Only 2 will be first timers.
There were other options available to the league. Toronto could host a Canadian neighbor such as the Montreal Canadiens or *gasp* the Ottawa Senators. Instead of having the Chicago Blackhawks in their fifth game, the Blues could have hosted another division rival such as Nashville or Dallas.
The Pennsylvania game may be the biggest “Old Boys Network” moment of this upcoming stadium series as neither team is even near the top of their division and are getting this game as an “atta boy” for the teams turning 50. The league could have used this time to strike while the iron is hot to give more attention to teams like the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers as they have both risen to the top of the Eastern Conference.
Next: NHL Heritage Classic: How The NHL is Getting it Right
The NHL Stadium Series has been a place for hockey’s traditional powers since its inception. It is time for the league to use it to grow the game with fans in cities where it will not be greeted with a yawn as teams reflect on how fun it was the last time they did this.