NHL missing golden opportunity by missing out on Fortnite

The NHL is failing to reach out to younger demographics. This makes their refusal to adopt Fortnite as a potential recruiting chip quite baffling. 

Fortnite is a cultural phenomenon. Even people who have no clue what a multiplayer online game is have heard about it in some fashion. The NHL has been struggling to reach out to younger demographics.

Recently, the NFL beat hockey to the punch. They’ve decided to work with the popular game to create some NFL skins.

The NFL is not without its flaws. However, there’s a good reason it’s extremely profitable. When there’s a golden chance to reach out to new demographics, the NFL is all over it. However, hockey has never been that way. And it’s likely a huge reason why the league is struggling to attract the new generation of millennials and young people.

Why does the NHL hate Fortnite?

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This is an easy question to answer. A huge reason why hockey hasn’t been all over that potential gold mine is because NHL teams are worried it would be a major distraction for players. In particular, the OHL has been especially aggressive about telling players to drop it completely.

Now, that’s not an awful reason to be worried about Fortnite. After all, video games can be extremely addictive. But so can a lot of things. The same people who are critical of athletes playing video games aren’t critical of other activities which could be equally addicting, if not more so.

Take, for example, alcohol. In moderation, it’s fine. Some people enjoy bonding over a beer or two. The league isn’t ashamed to have Coors Lite and Jagermeister amongst its sponsors. You know what else can be extremely addicting? Gambling. Yet the New Jersey Devils just announced a partnership with FanDuel.

It’s baffling why the league is so reluctant to embrace Fortnite as a way to reach out to new demographics when they’re not afraid to use alcohol and gambling to do the same thing. Anything involving the popular video game goes viral within 24 hours.

In case you’re still worried about video games potentially being a distraction, the Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights both bonded over playing Mario Kart during road trips. Both teams made the Stanley Cup Final.

Anything can be a distraction. But in moderation, just about anything can be a good thing. Hockey players are grown adults. Why not trust them to make adult decisions? They know when to stop. Just ask the Boston Red Sox, who often bonded over video games during their recent World Series run.

How to embrace it

Currently, the Toronto Maple Leafs are the only team who have come out fully embracing Fortnite. How they’ve done it is a good blueprint for the rest of the league. If players play the game, let them express it. Let them challenge fans online. Encourage them to do celebrations.

Heck, if I were commissioner, I’d send an email to all 31 teams telling them to tell all their players to feel free to celebrate goals using Fortnite celebrations. Make your opponent “take the L”. Floss like you’ve never flossed before. That’s precisely what hockey needs to adopt in order to reach out to new demographics.

Which of these two videos do you think would generate more buzz and garner more attention?

• “Mitch Marner and Sebastian Aho one-up each other with impressive goals”
• “Hockey players engage in Fortnite celebration battle”

It’s going to be the latter by a wide margin. Considering the NHL has been bold in adopting gambling as a way to grow the sport, it’s baffling why they’re refusing to adopt Fortnite as what it is – an awesome game with the potential to help them reach a demographic they’ve historically had trouble attracting.