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

Roger's weekly sports column "The Rog's Rant" is now available here every Monday.

The Rog's Rant

NHL Draft quite a show, especially in Canada

COLUMBUS – The National Hockey League Draft is really quite the spectacle when you think about it.

I mean really - a packed crowd in the stands watching a bunch of guys in suits sit around tables and take three hours to select 30 players and draft them into the NHL. It’s hardly riveting stuff! But it makes for big TV ratings and trust me, there weren’t very many empty seats Nationwide Arena Friday night.

It was a good move by the NHL to move the draft to a night. The Canadian TV ratings will be enormous, even bigger than they have been in the past, and the U.S. ratings will be as abysmal as they always are, so let’s cater to Canadians for once.

I like the draft, but only to a point. I hate the site of 18-year-old kids sitting in suits sweating bullets for hours, only not to hear they name called. That is tough, but it’s hard to tell a kid not to go if he’s ranked 15th to 30th because if he does get drafted, he wants to be there in person.

If he doesn’t get drafted he feels awful and in many cases eliminated, but if he does…how would it look for the fourth overall pick not to show up?

The Ontario Hockey League did away with the draft process a few years ago and good for them – it eliminated the even more pathetic site of 15-year-old kids in suits waiting up to eight hours to hear their names called, only to leave in disappointment.

I find the entire process fascinating because let’s face it – the NHL Draft is probably illegal. Think about it, it’s restrictive trade, it’s dictating where a player can earn his living.

However it (and the NHL, NBA and MLB drafts) will never be challenged because that’s just the way it works in the NBA, the NHL and in MLB. They are private clubs when it comes to the way they do business, and so be it.

Columbus is a clean, safe city with a terrific arena. I like the idea of moving the NHL Draft around every year because it showcases the league and the kids and all in all, it’s good P.R. for the NHL.

And the NHL really needs some good P.R. As much as I like to travel to U.S. cities, every time I go there I leave with the same feeling – hockey is only an after thought in the United States.

There is little coverage on ESPN, most major news organizations do not staff either the NHL Draft or the Stanley Cup Finals for that matter, and while Canadians have never been more passionate about the NHL, Americans has never been more disinterested.

Columbus did a good job with the Draft. The two blocks around the arena were terrific…and the rest of the city could care less. It was like a rock concert in town – as soon as it’s over nobody even knew it was there.

Next year the draft is in Ottawa…a city hat really cares about hockey. The whole city will be talking about the draft and it will be everywhere, not just two blocks around the rink.

That’s not a criticism of Columbus, it’s just the way it is. Canada is committed to hockey, it’s just a passing interest in the U.S.

This week’s NHL Draft just demonstrated that one more time.

Comments on The Rant of June 14 on Cleveland’s revitalization:

“I’ve been to The Jake The Rog, it’s a great ballpark and the city is cool now.” – Sam in Toronto

“American cities are full of rot and all they do is cover up the rot by spending taxpayers money on new ballparks when they should be building hospitals. Sports teams are for the rich and so are the two blocks around the park. Take a look at the rest of the city and you’ll see.” – Steve in Peterborough

Email your comments to therog@rogerlajoie.com

Other Rog's Rants & Reader Comments

To read Roger's previous Rants, please visit the Rant Archives section of the website.