Dear Commissioner Bettman,

My name is Chris Speziale, and I write a blog on ChrisSpez.com.  The blog is centered around fans and the fan experience.  Once a month, I explore an aspect of the sports world that has been bothering fans, write a letter to a person in a position of influence, and then send that letter along with all of the readers’ comments to that person.  This month I’m taking a look at NHL television coverage, and I think you can help, which is why you’re receiving this letter.  I’ve been a hockey fan since I was a little kid; I grew up in Boston, so the Bruins are my team.  They had an incredible run last year, no?  I personally don’t think the Canes should have beaten us, but they had the momentum coming into the series and they took it from us.  I’m getting off topic.  In the Conference Quarters and Semis last year there were 4 games that I missed parts of because I’m no longer a Boston local.  My readers and I were curious why hockey is the only of the 4 major U.S. sports not have its playoff games nationally televised?

Hockey coverage in the United States has essentially disappeared since the new C.B.A. in 2005.  It’s under-exposed; it’s gotten to the point where, when I typed “NHL Commissioners Office” into Google to get your address, it told me I was mistaken.  Surely, I meant the “NFL Commissioners Office”.  And yes, I know that NBC just bought Versus, and we should see a higher quality product with greater availability.  And yes, the Olympics are coming back, which should spark some interest.  But how can we expect to grow the sport if we can’t watch it on national TV?  I follow the B’s closely on the internet, and watch whenever they play the Rangers, Devils or Islanders because I’m now a New York resident, but I want to see highlights.  I want to be able to turn on Sportscenter and see the Bruins score.  The only hockey we get on national television is the occasional Ovechkin highlight in the days top ten.  It isn’t enough.  Hockey fans are loyal, blue collared Americans, trying to sell their sport in a country that is struggling, and we feel like we have no voice.  Even the players have been feeling jipped, Paul Kelly tried to speak up on their behalf (they want to be seen to you know), and he was let go.  Now, not only do the players not have a rep, but the fans have been left out in dark as well.

It’s not like people don’t want to watch; last season the Stanley Cup playoffs were the highest rated in seven years, and attendance has been steadily on the rise since we came out of the lockout.  The problem is that when they want to watch, they can’t.  Versus isn’t available in all areas, and the NHL Center Ice package is far too expensive for the average person in our economic state.  Now, I’m not proposing anything crazy here, and honestly you might not even be the guy who can help us.  But, you’re the commish, and you get things done.  I appreciate the rule changes that have come down over the last couple of years.  I like that player safety has taken on greater importance. I like that the game has gained speed. And I like that scoring is up, but the only people who are watching are the ones who would have watched anyway.  I knew coming out of the lockout in 2005 that we were going to be in for some tough times.  Americans need to be beaten over the head with things, and the fact that hockey was gone for an entire year hurt.  That said, nobody expected that they’d be here 4 years after the lockout, wishing they could stay home and watch game 7 of the Bruins/Hurricanes series rather than having to drop fifty bucks at a bar with NESN.  But here we are, so let’s start small.  One half hour a week on a major network.  That’s it; I think it’s all we need to start getting things back on track.

If we can get a highlights and analysis show on a channel like NBC or ESPN the sport will get noticed.  Hockey has the TV personalities to pull it off, and if you put a likeable guy in front of the camera, people will warm to it.  It’s also a matter of understanding; hockey is a complex sport, with a lot of rules, and I think the average person needs a little help grasping its concepts.  A good analyst could help explain plays, coaching strategies, and playoff scenarios.  We can call it, “Hockey Night in America,” or “The NHL Tonight”.  It’s not a ridiculous concept, and with the NBC/Versus merger, you now have access to one of the largest and most advanced television studios in the world.

I believe that sports and genealogy have a lot in common; loyalties and fandom are passed from generation to generation. I think if we can get a little more press, attendance will rise, and parents will start passing hockey traditions on to their kids. Then, when the ripple affect takes hold, you’ll have a whole new generation of fans.  I hope to be a hockey fan for the rest of my life, and I plan to teach my children the game if it survives.  That’s why we need help.  The NHL is stuck in the back of the American mind right now.  Will you help us move it to the forefront?

Thank you for your time,

A Concerned Citizen of Hockey Nation