Roger Lajoie operates Triumph Sports Communications, a leader in providing editorial, broadcast and public relations services.

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The Rog's Rant

NHL should celebrate its Canadian NHL teams

OTTAWA - I’ve had the opportunity to be in Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa for the last three Stanley Cup Finals and the atmosphere is beyond description with the Stanley Cup Finals in town in those three cities.

That may sound like an over-statement, but it isn’t. The Red Mile in Calgary was incredible, with their fans all in the streets going crazy; the Edmonton downtown core was hoping like I’ve never seen anywhere before when the Oilers were in it, and there were 20,000 Ottawa Senators fans watching the finals in the PARKING LOT of the arena, out in the middle of nowhere, in addition to the 20,000 inside the building last Monday night!

It never ceases to amaze me how much Canadians love their hockey and love their NHL franchises. It’s too bad the NHL doesn’t love those franchises back nearly as much.

The NHL is pre-occupied in growing hockey south of the border and I guess I can understand that. After all, few people in the United States care about hockey.

The league expanded to markets like Miami, Atlanta, Phoenix and Nashville in order to expand the horizons of the sport in the U.S., make it a national game and increase TV exposure and ratings. Nice concept – except it failed. Miserably!

The ratings of the first two games of this year’s Cup Finals, broadcast on VERSUS in the U.S., were the lowest of any “major” North American sport’s championship ever. Notice I put “major” in quotes because they were so low, the word major doesn’t really apply to NHL hockey in the U.S.

It’s too bad, it’s the loss of American sports fans because the NHL is great, and it’s been this way for years. So instead of just tolerating its Canadian markets as the NHL does, it should celebrate them. The league should even add another one or two teams in the next few years in this country.

Look, the NHL is what it is…and what it is, is a gate driven league which enjoys regional popularity in the U.S. and phenomenal popularity in Canada. So instead of looking at expansion to places like Las Vegas (are you kidding me with that one?!), the league should solidify its U.S. base, cut losses in some southern markets where it doesn’t work, and build up and glorify its Canadian teams.

A gate driven league should look after its best gates. And six of the best gates in the NHL are in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa. And throw in Winnipeg, Quebec City and yes, even Southern Ontario, if you need new centres to move teams into.

The NHL has concentrated on U.S, growth for many years. Time to concentrate on embracing the port where it is embraced by the greatest hockey fans in the world, and that is Canada. No, that won’t help the U.S. TV deal but that isn’t coming anyway. The NHL should cater to people who love it, and we love the NHL in Canada.

Just ask the 20,000 people sitting in a parking lot OUTSIDE the Stanley Cup Final in Ottawa if you want proof of that.

Comments on May 21 column on Memorial Cup:

“How can any event – the Memorial Cup included – claim to be a legitimate national event when it needs a host team to be successful? It’s proof that junior hockey is a marginal sport in this county.” – Phil in Toronto

“The Mem Cup is great and we go almost every year. Can’t wait to see it in Kitchener next year, and you’re right, we were lucky to get it because it’s headed to NHL-sized arenas soon.” – Chris in Hamilton.

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