John Shannon joins Tim and Sid to talk about why, despite the Stanley Cup Playoffs being thrilling, the game of hockey is not getting more popular in the USA.
JonT minor hockey needs to improve, need to show more hockey rather than local teams; and marketing. Marketing is a big deal, that’s what I think Arizona’s big problem is. I went down there last year for Christmas vacation and man I couldn’t find anything coyotes related whether it was merchandise or just advertisements unless you were inside their arena. It was sad
stadium in phoenix is in a lousy location. should have built in the east side of the city. but , who knows how long the coyotes will last in Arizona and gets moved back to Canada.
Wrong, wrong, wrong a thousand times wrong. Hockey isn't popular in America for one simple reason...accessibility. The cost, lack of rinks and weather make hockey inaccessible for a vast majority of Americans. Stop fooling yourselves by saying that Americans don't understand the game. It's not complicated.
@@eriklakeland3857 It's about donating your old equipment, too many people throw that away. That's makes it better, but ya, it's still expensive and time consuming.
Jake Trae that's a good point. A hockey stick is more expensive than baseball equipment and basketball equipment combined and hockey sticks break far more often than baseball and basketball equipment.
Jake A lot of players back in the O6 days grew up poor, a ton of hockey players grew up on farms too. But like Wayne Gretzky said it's gotten too expensive for those kids. If he was growing up today he probably wouldn't even be in the NHL.
It's insanely expensive, plus for most of the country it's not part of the cultural climate. In Canada, when it starts to get cold and the leaves start to turn, people say 'hockey's in the air'. The farther south you go, the less of that you see. In America, when it starts to get warm, football's in the air. It's cool to acknowledge what's happened in terms of development in Phoenix and Nashville and California but it takes a very long time.
Been in ontario canada my whole life and have never heard someone say when tge leaves turn "hockey is in the air". What a fool you are. Dumbest thing i heard in a while.
Actually he is wrong about San Jose. San Jose has the biggest beer league hockey league in the United States close to 500 teams. But I think the reason it hasn't taken off in the us is because there isn't a lot of ice available, and also it's a big commitment of funds to get kids into the sport. Probably close $500 worth of gear to get started to play and the kid may not even like it. It's very expensive for league fees for adults and kids. Around $34 per game for beer league here in Northern California. Usa hockey needs to provide more free/loaner gear to kids who want try before they buy.
exactly, if ESPN covered hockey more it would be on more people's radar. But ESPN pretends like the NHL doesn't exist, therefore the average American sports fan tuning into ESPN won't be exposed to it.
@@tedrickjohnson3565 Didn’t age well. How about the state of the NBA and NFL today??? They don’t want Hockey because they can’t manipulate the demographic, unlike nba fanatics
The NHL should not need to shut down their season. The Olympics can move hockey to the summer. The Olympics don't force the NBA to shut down their season.
Joe Washinski Olympics don't allow NBA to shut down because the NBA postseason usually ends weeks before the Olympics. If NHL players want to compete in the Olympics, let them. Just call up some guys from the AHL for that period.
I think most kids that play hockey had parents and siblings that played it. It's hard for a kid to get a first experience with the sport if they have no gear. Parents probably need to have an own interest in the sport if they'll take their child's interest seriously and buy the gear they need. And if you haven't played the sport as a child, you won't understand it enough to grow an interest to watch it. Here, in Europe, the most common sport is soccer. What do you need to get a first experience with soccer? A ball and some friends. Piece of cake.
right even as Canadian it's so expensive i can't play none of my parents family members have ever really played sports outside of school nonetheless hockey, i personally play volleyball because i find it more interesting that baseball, basketball, soccer etc but it's the same concept the only equipment you need is a ball, and you can practice for days
hockey is pretty expensive in canada, im glad my parents were able to get me in the game, although i never always had the best hockey equipment as some other kids i was still able to play
It's popular in the cities where it's played, but even so, there are a couple of exceptions. The markets it excels best in are Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Chicago, St Louis, Detroit, New York, Buffalo, etc. The NHL doesn't understand how to get joe blow from Arkansas to want to tune in to watch a hockey game as opposed to him watching LeBron vs Curry again.
Brett Nesbitt All those cities except St. Louis are considered the North and they do get decent winters every year. This means that people there are used to ice and that means more opportunities to hockey.
Evan Atwell we have had the pens since 1967 and were run by terrible owners in the early days. Then the pens did get better and had a good owner when DeBartolo came in. Then the rough times came again in 1983 but then Mario came in and did save the team and people started to came and see good hockey and then the pens won the cup in 1991 and 1992. Then Howard Baldwin came in and didn’t invest any money at all and almost bankrupted the team by the late 90s. Then Mario came and the pens are were they are now. Pittsburghers still follow their teams very good and go when they feel like it’s worthy paying money to see them and putting out to good product. Mario helped grow the game a ton in Pittsburgh and that is what made Pittsburgh a hockey market now. Sidney has helped now with the current young generation. Every team has ups and downs but Mario saved the team and realized that Pittsburgh was a hockey town if they had the right people running it it would be great and now look at them now. The Pirates ownership and management is 10 times worse than what the Penguins had with no money in the late 90s. However the pirates have a ton of money and are not investing in the team.
The next time someone wants to talk about how they aren't happy the Final is in Nashville and how hockey is loved more in Canada, I just wish they would open their eyes first. You have a sold out stadium all year long in Nashville. You have sold out crazy games with them getting noticed nationally during the playoffs. You have thousands of people at watch parties outside the stadium and in parks in Nashville cheering the Preds on. To say that Nashville isn't now a good hockey market is total bullshit and this guy needs to be called out on it.
Robert Kippes I agree. Years ago, the question was when will the Preds move to Canada. Now the question for Preds games are: is it a all-seater sell out or a standing room only sell out?
Sorry, but Nashville has an NFL team and Nashville still cares about hockey. Was just awarded a MLS team and Nashville will still love hockey. When Nashville was first awarded an NHL franchise in 1998; there was no hockey being played in Nashville except on the lone rink that existed in the city at that time. You not only see many youth leagues and some high school teams but it is also being played in some of the colleges and universities. It is a younger generation but they have grown up with hockey and it is now very much an accepted and beloved part of Nashville's very rich and diverse fabric. Hockey is in Nashville to stay whether the Predators remain in Nashville or not. The sport has taken root and grown by leaps and bounds since 1998.
You know ever since my Canucks played the Preds in 2011, I was very impressed with their fanbase. During that cup run, Canucks fans almost outnumbered other fans in the other team's buildning, but not in Nashville. They were able to sell out without the help of the other team. They have been such an amazing town for this NHL franchise.
Marketing. Investment. Marketing. Investment. MARKETING. Take away the NHL from NBC and find a network who is willing to push it and market it as hard as TSN does. NBCSN NEGLECTS hockey so hard even though they have national distribution rights.
He's right about the state of Texas. The Stars have done a really great job of investing into the community & growing the game. Just this year, a high school team & a 16-under team (both from Dallas) won national championships.
Because ESPN is owned by Disney... Disney owns ABC. Not much hockey on ABC. It has sponsorships with the MLB. and partnerships with TNT and Turner Broadcast Co. Disney and Ted Turner showcase their products (MLB & NBA), and do their best to block out its competition. It's business.
hffutyreeehjg in terms of youth hockey, only behind Minnesota high school hockey, chicago is the center of the country. I play in chicago and the number of players that go on to d1 and pro hockey is incredicble. One team i play against at the u16 level has three players going to the ntdp and like 10 commited to d1 schools.
The Miguelodon Honestly the most annoying thing I hear from casual fans say about hockey is "I only watch it for the fights". The game is just so much deeper than just the fights.
Shawn White It's one of the things where you usually have to grow up with it to "fully" enjoy it. But I started watching 2 years ago and it's honestly the best sport ever.
The Miguelodon Honestly I only watch hockey, and sometimes baseball. Can't really see myself enjoying basketball or football but honestly haven't really cared to watch those sports.
The Miguelodon we love the fights and the hits. We go nuts for that. 10 year olds live for seeing that guy on the ground with blood dripping down his face after they made a hit
As a hockey fan in Houston, it is hard to watch it consistently with no team, but I watch nearly every national broadcast game, and a majority of the playoffs
They missed the main reason. It helps massively to have played the game at an early age. That's when I and many who played all the major sports realize hockey is the best of them.
1. It takes so much time and money to learn how to play - you don't grow up playing it→you are less into it. 2. Hockey is naturally confined to colder places(all of Canada and the northern US states), so in most of America, kids don't grow up playing it. 3. Ticket prices are high. While it's true that, in general, the really high prices are in the avid fanbases and the less popular teams do charge less, they still charge more than baseball or basketball. 4. The other sports in USA mean it's harder for one sport to stick out as most popular, unlike in Canada.
Hockey is the most beautiful sport. So much things that are cool about it. Amazing saves, Cool goals (accurate shots or dangles, passes), Huge hits and so much more little details that you could pay attention to.
Knew the Pens would win? 2OT in game 7 isn't exactly decisive. I live here. Fact is Ottawa is a young team, the passionate fans here are young. We can't afford to go to more than one game when nosebleed seats are $160 (not to mention a trip to and from Kanata).
Most Americans have never played the sport which is probably the biggest reason they don't understand it hence don't care much for it. Hopefully the movement to introduce kids to it helps to increase its popularity but like many have said here, its expensive - equipment, ice time, coaching and lessons, learning how to skate, etc.
It's no more expensive than football. You can get fully suited for around $300 if you shop past year equipment and are honest about what you need. Very few people play enough to need a $600+ pair of skates and a $300 stick is not going to perform any better than a $25 stick for most people.
@@glenndsouza5447 Unless you live in an area where lakes and ponds freeze you will need some equipment to practice. All the rinks I know won't let you into stick & puck without some equipment and roller doesn't feel the same. I am aware of the free equipment programs when you take learn to play hockey class as a kid. If you aren't a kid, skates and helmet are going to be the bigger ticket items, but still not that expensive. League fees can be a different story.
Luke Lampie Pittsburgh only recently became a hockey city. How much you wanna bet when crosby retires the team will go back to Stanley droughts and the fan base will shrink
I may be a bit late but I think I can speak for many Americans when I say this, The Reason that Hockey is not as popular as Basketball, Football, or Baseball is because there is no High School or Middle School Hockey...And Unlike the NBA and NHL, You cant expect to flip your gym from basketball to hockey at your local High School so easily, Bottom Line the reason Americans have no interest in hockey is because its hard for them to get interested, and if its going down to Basketball or Hockey in a High School, its gonna be Basketball because that's what the kid were raised to know...Either get High School Hockey in America or it will never be as popular as basketball, football, or baseball. EDIT: Ok now maybe schools don't have to build a Hockey Rink if a local Rink will let them play games there, The only problem is that even then there isnt even enough local rinks either like your trying to tell me if Cletus decides he wants to get off the farm and play hockey in the small town of 400 kids he is gonna find a local hockey rink? Hell No.
Enough with trying to make hockey "popular". Popular is a euphemism for making the owners more money and has no relation to making the game better. I am sure you could add a few more zeros to a financial spreadsheet if Lady Ga-Ga bungee jumped out of the rafters of Joe Louis Arena, but I'd rather let that sort of audience watch something else while we hockey fans get to keep our game unadulterated. And if that means the owners only get to be muti-millionaires instead of billionaires so be it.
While football is my favorite sport, hockey is a close 2nd. I especially love watching the playoffs. I think marketing is the biggest factor. If you saw guys like Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby being marketed the way Lebron James, Peyton Manning and others are, that would certainly help.
TopThrillAnthony That too. I could've told you Cavs and Warriors were gonna be in the Finals AGAIN before the season started. Probably gonna be next season too.
As a American yes the NFL is my favorite sport but the NHL is my number two well over Basketball and Baseball. I think the biggest reason is Basketball they just see Basketball as a fast free flowing game with more consistent scoring. It does not help that Hockey is not played as much as other sports but most kids in the US only play one or two sports anymore but watch more then that. Not enough people see the game like I do in that there is no other game on earth like it because it is played on ice at full speed. Americans do understand the game but unfortunately for those of us who love Hockey they prefer Basketball but at the same time who cares the NHL is still one of the top five grossing sports leagues on earth.
As a first generation American born and raised in South Florida of latino parents, baseball was my first love, then basketball. Never caught the football fever, though I do understand why Americans love it so much. I only became a hockey fan this year, but I already love the sport so much, and sounds of the skates and the puck being passed around for a great offensive play, the potential heroic save or the surprising breakaway, and yes the fights. It’s a damn shame that this sport (outside of Canada and the northern US) doesn’t get much media love.
In my living room watching with my dad in Arizona... family is from Pennsylvania... I had to explain what a penalty kill is... people don't understand the rules and things... personally taught myself how to watch hockey by listening to podcast playing NHL watching hockey...
texan here. texans love hockey. dallas got it right. admittedly it took me a while but now im hooked. amazing sport that borrows aspects of other sports, the action of football, speed of basketball, and the precision of baseball.
Hockey ratings go way up when big market teams are winning. See Rangers in 94, and like mentioned in the video, the Blackhawks. The league somewhat needs the original 6 teams to be good, with exceptions of course. Anyone know why Wisconsin doesn't have a team? They love hockey, but only have the college team to support.
Regular season hockey is unwatcahable. Hockey is good when it's intense and the teams are going all out. The 82 game season is far too long for the players to go all-out and maintain their health. Therefore, players take the vast majority of the season off, going through the motions. The playoffs are a different story: the players go full-force, and it's a pleasure to watch.
If you come to Canada, you will see rinks everywhere, people playing street hockey and ice hockey during the winter. I went to Florida for the draft. I was shocked at the amount of baseball fields that I saw. Like every park in Florida had like 3 baseball fields.
There are Americans that love hockey. That is the only sport for me, I understand the game very well and look forward to it. I am a lightning fan who's team has missed the playoff this year and can't stand not having hockey for as long as we have not had it.
I grew up playing hockey in the 80's, which was expensive then, it's even more expensive now. Just playing the game is a prohibitive factor. If kids are not playing the game as much, they ain't watching it as much either. That doesn't just apply to the US but Canada as well
Ok, it's annoying honestly when people say America doesnt care. Its apart of our big 4. it's considered a major sport. Its just that the other leagues get 10x more attention. The right question is, WHY ISNT HOCKEY *MORE* POPULAR IN AMERICA
Like others have said, it’s not because we don’t understand it but the other major sports are marketed wayyyy more. Also, hockey isn’t nearly as accessible in the states. It’s a shame because hockey is such an awesome sport.
The Stanley Cup Finals might get more TV viewers in the U.S. if NBC were to put the entire Stanley Cup Finals on it's broadcast network. Having the entire Finals on one network would increase viewership since people would no longer ask "What channel is the game on?".
I live in Detroit and hockey is insanely popular. The problem is simple. There’s very few games on tv. How can you grow a sport when you can’t easily watch it? NHL’s website is terrible as well. But here’s the thing, these guys trying to break down why hockey isn’t popular in America are ignoring the obvious. There’s 4 times as many teams in America as there is in Canada. Canadian teams have attendance issues too. Winnipeg built the smallest arena (seats 15,000) in the league for a reason. Ottawa is your capital and attendance is so bad they tarred over seats during the Stanley cup conference final. Your capital city couldn’t fill an arena during a Cup conference final but a team in Tennessee was sold out at the same time. Maybe look in the mirror Canada.
I'm from the States. I've been a hockey fan for fifty years. It's a great, fast and periodically brutal game. It takes patience and close attention to appreciate. The NHL rulemakers have done well with rule and rink changes to eliminate some of the more blatant hits. However, garbage like eliminating offsides from behind a team's defending blueline, just to facilitate offense, is indicative of desperation, incompetence and pandering governance.
Florida checking in. We have some hockey here. However, its difficult to find gear for my 7 year old son. We're lucky to have two rinks within an hour of us. Butttttttt one is lucky to have gear in stock. The other is very proud of their prices. Play it again sports is the only other alternative and that's if you can find the right size. Online is always an option, but sizing the gear is best done in person, at least for the first fitting. Believe it or not I consider us lucky. Most of the country there just are no chances for kids to enter the sport. So I would say is assessment of Hockey in the U.S. Is fair.
I know exactly the two rinks your talking about without mentioning here, a year later nothings changed with that, have to rely online just hate wasting time exchanging because of sizing
I completely agree with the lack of youth hockey in the US as a reason for lack of fans. Secondly, hockey is a complete team sport and American kids are raised to embrace individual accomplishments instead of the team concept that Canadian kids seem to embrace, . I personally love the game and have been watching the Oilers, and playing (ball, roller, and ice) since 1981 and I hail from the states. Love your show, although i have to watch on youtube, but always worth the wait. Thank you gentlemen
Naturally, it's not a sport you can easily emulate. It's played on ice, which much of America can *get but not much of America can *use. We're a snowboarding country; we play with snow, not ice. Marketing is a problem, yes. ESPN not having a hand in the sport, considering the hype it created for NFL/NBA/College, is also an issue - but NBC does well centering hockey coverage. The players hardly speak up nowadays, far less than they did when I was a kid (personality matters). Diversity, and the costs of drawing a diverse interest in hockey and the ability for those groups to afford the sport, matters too. But when it comes down to it, outside of specific Eastern and Midwestern markets, it's far too easy to emulate an NFL, MLB, NBA or even soccer player and play that sport readily.
Ive been getting into hockey these past 6 months of my life and speaking objectivley, I’ve noticed a particular culture of territoriality, there is also a very dry sense of humor in hockey until you are officially let in, part of the club so to speak, this may play into it also. It may not be like that everywhere but is like that in the US.
What's big deal. Nobody complain about New Zealand, Australia, Japan or India not watching hockey. Do ever heard New Zealanders or South African complain that Rugby not popular not in Canada or U.S. No.
To illustrate the knowledge of the featured guest, John Shannon, I give you the following quote from him which was published on TH-cam on May 26, 2017. "I'll tell you what, Tim. It's worked in Nashville for the hardcore hockey fan but I'll bet you that club has never made money." So, this was spoken by Shannon in 2017 during the Preds playoff run, presumably. Now you can Google this article published by the Nashville Business Journal which is citing statistics gathered by Forbes. The article is titled; "Forbes: Predators Now A Profitable NHL Team" published Dec.1, 2014 with revenue statistics taken from the 2013 season.
I grew up in Minnesota and hockey is super popular. It is easy to find a place to play the sport. Plus you can find used skates just to play pond hockey. Hockey is very part of the culture in Minnesota. I went to college in Iowa and lot of Iowans and Illinois thought I was weird for liking Iowa. The Blackhawks started winning several people jumped on the bandwagon. Now I live in Southern California where everyone things I am biggest Minnesota stereotype for liking hockey. It is hard to find hockey finds out here. One of the biggest fans I met moved here from Michigan so he really doesn't count. I met two people one is from the Bay who got into hockey by watching the sharks. The other likes AHL Gulls in San Diego. I met some people in some bars watching hockey games and they loved that I am from Minnesota and always ask me questions about what was it like to play hockey up there. I live in San Diego and I know of a couple of handful of rinks in the San Diego metro. NHL should be using money to build rinks and youth teams up in nontraditional hockey markets
Its definitely because it’s expensive to play with ice time, equipment and everything. Along with it being a cold weather sport, it’s hard to sell in urban warm weather cities. Not being on ESPN is a big hit as well.
Not all people in the United States plays ice hockey, ice hockey is less popular in the United States because the United States was a roller hockey nation.
I have been a casual hockey fan for years. Every year the Stanley cup playoffs are far better than the NBA of NFL. I have become a big hockey fan. It took me awhile to understand and get it. But here in America there are hurdles. Understanding it is huge. But today the political climate is going to go against it. Because the hip cool political and social trend is anti-white racism. The culture sees hockey as not being diverse, "white man's sport". Racist. Boring. Lame because it's not promoted with hip hop music. Ps. Go Ducks
It's one of the Big 4 sports in America (for now). MMA will replace either baseball or hockey soon. Don't get me wrong, hockey is great. It's just that a lot of Americans would rather watch MMA, NFL, WWE, MLB and the NBA. I really love and respect the passion Canadians have for hockey.
To expensive, me and my brother both wanted to play but my mother wouldn't float the bill for all the equipment needed. I had to settle for deck hockey. It's pretty big in pittsburgh, there's a few players in the NHL from Pittsburgh.
That makes total sense. Like you can see the puck, but the actual excitement is watching to see what the puck carrier can do. Same thing with like basketball...you don't watch the basketball, you watch the player who's dribbling it.
Ice Hockey did not take a long time to become wicked popular in Massachusetts, Minnesota and New York; the game was taken there by Canadian immigrants 120 years ago.
Hockey favors the people who can afford buying ice skates. Football (soccer), basketball, and baseball are relatively cheap and don't take a toll on our wallets.
Mr. Shannon is absolutely correct at 3:02 of this video. USA Hockey has done a terrible job of promoting the game in the States. I have been a "non-traditional" hockey fan my entire life and USA Hockey has been a complete non factor in that journey. I understand that player development is their primary task. However, wouldn't that task be easier if they also worked to create a bigger pool of people who had interest in and access to hockey in the first place? It seems that their only focus is on the parts of the US that already have lots of hockey players/fans already. How does that grow the game?.....It doesn't! It appears that USA Hockey is content to let the NHL and American minor league hockey do all the promotion and fan development.
Two big reasons: the speed of the game makes it hard to learn the rules. A person who's watched and played since childhood will notice the offsides or slash that happens and understand why play stopped. Someone just starting to watch as a teen or 20 something is going to get frustrated not understanding why play has stopped. Second is the lockout that made espn drop hockey was hugely detrimental to its popularity here in the states.
OneTimer I would agree but I grew up watching hockey and found baseball incredibly boring, just never played too expensive. Honestly when I try and teach others they love it but it's also too complicated as you learn the rules as you go, at least that's how I did it but I was also a kid
I grew up in Boston AKA the best sports city without a doubt and I love all my teams I think that the Red Sox are more Beloved but the Bruins are an original six team are so incredible fun
Hockey is so underrated, I don't understand how people hate it, it must be the ice part or something. Hard to believe people rather watch basketball, but I suppose the best things should be underrated. Thats what makes them so special.
Because hockey also cost way to much for most kids to play or even try. The equipment and rink time is way to expensive for most. Then you add on that other sports like basketball, football or even soccer. 2 kids if not even just 1 can grab just a ball and go out in the yard and play or toss the ball around. Just to skate around or play hockey you also need an expensive surface of some sort. All that added together. Most people just dont have experience or have been around hockey in their lives. So they just dont follow it as they get older. Not even mentioning the in game, on ice confusion. Of people simply not being able to follow the puck or able to know what's going on in a game, as well as the rules. If more people had access and experience to hockey. I beleive it would be the most popular sport in the world. It has absolutely everything a fan could desire..... Amazing individual skill and game changing.... Toughness..... Hitting.... Team play.... 1 player can win it for you, 1 player can lose it for you.... The grace of basketball.... Strategy... Amazing group of people and hard working culture... 1 shot can win it all, like a walk off homerun in baseball.... It's an amazing sport.
Well, I’m from MN. Hockey is everything here. The main reason hockey isn’t as popular as Canada is because we got the warmer states such as Arizona. It’s much more expensive to build a rink there than what it would be in Minnesota.
You gotta get the kids playing which means building tons of arenas in every city and having cheap hockey registration for every age level. Also marketing and better tv deals. That’s why hockey is so popular in Canada.
What he said about minor hockey in Texas is very true. The Dallas Stars have done a great job at building and running rinks around the DFW metroplex. For instance, the DSMHL (Dallas Stars Metro Hockey league), this league is comprised of all ages, this is basically house league hockey, and the Dallas Stars have done so much to the hockey community here in Dallas. Whenever, i tell someone that I play hockey their first question is always: "There's hockey in Texas?" *facepalm in face* I always ask people like that: "Have you heard of the Dallas Stars?" They usually say no or yes but i dont like hockey. This is a great example of how bad the USA hockey effort is in the US. But overall, Most of the effort is done by the Stars. Like when Mike Modano retired, he was interviewed about his career and future plans. He said that he wanted to help out the hockey community here by making programs. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HE DID! So, minor hockey in Texas is booming. (Well, mostly North Texas like the DFW area)
Terrible TV deals, blackouts, and the NHL being absolutely atrocious at marketing.
JonT minor hockey needs to improve, need to show more hockey rather than local teams; and marketing. Marketing is a big deal, that’s what I think Arizona’s big problem is. I went down there last year for Christmas vacation and man I couldn’t find anything coyotes related whether it was merchandise or just advertisements unless you were inside their arena. It was sad
JonT I’d go to a sports store and I’d find an oilers or Chicago merch and coyotes sometimes wouldn’t even be there
+HP 22 nobody likes hockey
cause y'all suck
stadium in phoenix is in a lousy location. should have built in the east side of the city. but , who knows how long the coyotes will last in Arizona and gets moved back to Canada.
Wrong, wrong, wrong a thousand times wrong. Hockey isn't popular in America for one simple reason...accessibility. The cost, lack of rinks and weather make hockey inaccessible for a vast majority of Americans.
Stop fooling yourselves by saying that Americans don't understand the game. It's not complicated.
He did say that in the course of the interview. Hockey was succeeding where the team had put in the effort to get kids involved.
But hockey is popular. It's part of the big 4...its just not AS popular as the others
Almost half of all Americans cannot afford an unexpected $500 bill. Hockey equipment is ridiculously expensive.
@@eriklakeland3857 It's about donating your old equipment, too many people throw that away. That's makes it better, but ya, it's still expensive and time consuming.
Yeah that's why PLAYING hockey isn't popular. But why would that have anything to do with WATCHING hockey?
As an american, hockey is and always will be my favorite sport.
TJTheJetUS2 greatest sport in the world
TJTheJetUS2 I'm so sorry to hear that lmaooo.
I’ve been to more hockey games than any other sport combined cause it’s more exciting
You ain’t American then
White boy sport
because it's insanely expensive. kids like to watch the sports they play and basketball, baseball, and football are wayyyyy cheaper.
this is why soccer is the most played and watched sport in the world, you just need a ball and you are ready to go :)
Pocket Rockets yeah pretty much, soccer is also fun to play but I just love hockey , got respect for soccer
Yeah none of the poor kids can play-and there's a lot of them here
Jake Trae that's a good point. A hockey stick is more expensive than baseball equipment and basketball equipment combined and hockey sticks break far more often than baseball and basketball equipment.
Jake A lot of players back in the O6 days grew up poor, a ton of hockey players grew up on farms too. But like Wayne Gretzky said it's gotten too expensive for those kids. If he was growing up today he probably wouldn't even be in the NHL.
I love hockey! - American
Riley Wilson he didn't say every American
AxisSilent // Silent hill
Hi from canadian... welcome to hockey...
Riley Wilson agree
It's insanely expensive, plus for most of the country it's not part of the cultural climate. In Canada, when it starts to get cold and the leaves start to turn, people say 'hockey's in the air'. The farther south you go, the less of that you see. In America, when it starts to get warm, football's in the air. It's cool to acknowledge what's happened in terms of development in Phoenix and Nashville and California but it takes a very long time.
Been in ontario canada my whole life and have never heard someone say when tge leaves turn "hockey is in the air". What a fool you are. Dumbest thing i heard in a while.
Americans think +15 degrees Celsius cold lol
Correct on the expensive part. I wanted to play growing up, but myself and classmates I know couldn't afford the equipment and playing on the ice...
@@RuffsReelswe enjoy living in good weather that’s why Canadians are always coming down
climate is a huge part of it. hockey is actually incredibly popular in the northern parts of the US where its cold and near canada
Silly Llama 69 kinda depends on the team lately, I mean your deff right just not entirely, sorry to knitpick
goodvibes no he’s right, Minnesota, Wisconsin, New England and Michigan have huge hockey culture and Missouri is growing in hockey too
Nah it definitely growing in the hotter states
And the best teams are from Florida
Except Tampa is on its path to becoming the best Hickey club in history
Actually he is wrong about San Jose. San Jose has the biggest beer league hockey league in the United States close to 500 teams. But I think the reason it hasn't taken off in the us is because there isn't a lot of ice available, and also it's a big commitment of funds to get kids into the sport. Probably close $500 worth of gear to get started to play and the kid may not even like it. It's very expensive for league fees for adults and kids. Around $34 per game for beer league here in Northern California. Usa hockey needs to provide more free/loaner gear to kids who want try before they buy.
waaaaay more than just $500 new skates alone are a little less than $100 but can reach up to $1000 if you want a good pair
I don't know what kind of skates you consider "a good pair" when for example Sid's skates are around 800$...
B0GGIEMAN101 don't get me started on goalie gear😂
Being from San Jose this is very true. So many people play at solar4americaice. Four freaking rinks brooo
cause espn never covers hockey. its all basketball
exactly, if ESPN covered hockey more it would be on more people's radar. But ESPN pretends like the NHL doesn't exist, therefore the average American sports fan tuning into ESPN won't be exposed to it.
+Snow White they show hockey highlights all the time you ever thought maybe most people don't care for hockey
ESPN has covered hockey
@@tedrickjohnson3565 Didn’t age well. How about the state of the NBA and NFL today??? They don’t want Hockey because they can’t manipulate the demographic, unlike nba fanatics
The nhl fuckdd themselves outta being on ESPN
NHL possibly not letting players go to the Olympics next time won't help either.
The NHL should not need to shut down their season. The Olympics can move hockey to the summer. The Olympics don't force the NBA to shut down their season.
Again, good luck getting hockey popular. Also if you followed that mess it seems to be about branding and money, not whether to "shut down".
Joe Washinski Olympics don't allow NBA to shut down because the NBA postseason usually ends weeks before the Olympics.
If NHL players want to compete in the Olympics, let them. Just call up some guys from the AHL for that period.
This only helps if the US wins
because there are no ice rinks to play on, there needs to be more.
22244crash Our closet rink in this party of fl is 45 mins away. Nobody wanna drive that far for a youth hockey practice after work
Tim and Sid never fail to disappoint. Nashville has made profit over $100m since 2013,and the Sharks since 2008.
I think most kids that play hockey had parents and siblings that played it. It's hard for a kid to get a first experience with the sport if they have no gear. Parents probably need to have an own interest in the sport if they'll take their child's interest seriously and buy the gear they need. And if you haven't played the sport as a child, you won't understand it enough to grow an interest to watch it. Here, in Europe, the most common sport is soccer. What do you need to get a first experience with soccer? A ball and some friends. Piece of cake.
Wuhr I'm an American and I can 100% confirm this
right even as Canadian it's so expensive i can't play none of my parents family members have ever really played sports outside of school nonetheless hockey, i personally play volleyball because i find it more interesting that baseball, basketball, soccer etc but it's the same concept the only equipment you need is a ball, and you can practice for days
hockey is pretty expensive in canada, im glad my parents were able to get me in the game, although i never always had the best hockey equipment as some other kids i was still able to play
That's great. I never played. Parents couldn't afford.
Or there parents were rich af
It's popular in the cities where it's played, but even so, there are a couple of exceptions. The markets it excels best in are Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Minnesota, Chicago, St Louis, Detroit, New York, Buffalo, etc. The NHL doesn't understand how to get joe blow from Arkansas to want to tune in to watch a hockey game as opposed to him watching LeBron vs Curry again.
Brett Nesbitt All those cities except St. Louis are considered the North and they do get decent winters every year. This means that people there are used to ice and that means more opportunities to hockey.
Pitt wouldn’t have a team if they never got sid or mario. I don’t think Pitt should be in the group you listed.
Evan Atwell we have had the pens since 1967 and were run by terrible owners in the early days. Then the pens did get better and had a good owner when DeBartolo came in. Then the rough times came again in 1983 but then Mario came in and did save the team and people started to came and see good hockey and then the pens won the cup in 1991 and 1992. Then Howard Baldwin came in and didn’t invest any money at all and almost bankrupted the team by the late 90s. Then Mario came and the pens are were they are now. Pittsburghers still follow their teams very good and go when they feel like it’s worthy paying money to see them and putting out to good product. Mario helped grow the game a ton in Pittsburgh and that is what made Pittsburgh a hockey market now. Sidney has helped now with the current young generation. Every team has ups and downs but Mario saved the team and realized that Pittsburgh was a hockey town if they had the right people running it it would be great and now look at them now. The Pirates ownership and management is 10 times worse than what the Penguins had with no money in the late 90s. However the pirates have a ton of money and are not investing in the team.
The next time someone wants to talk about how they aren't happy the Final is in Nashville and how hockey is loved more in Canada, I just wish they would open their eyes first. You have a sold out stadium all year long in Nashville. You have sold out crazy games with them getting noticed nationally during the playoffs. You have thousands of people at watch parties outside the stadium and in parks in Nashville cheering the Preds on. To say that Nashville isn't now a good hockey market is total bullshit and this guy needs to be called out on it.
Robert Kippes I agree. Years ago, the question was when will the Preds move to Canada.
Now the question for Preds games are: is it a all-seater sell out or a standing room only sell out?
Robert Kippes as a Canadian who is genuinely embarrassed that the south has teams, I loved watching the predators run.
that cause that all they got a nba or mlb come to Nashville they wouldn't care about hockey
Sorry, but Nashville has an NFL team and Nashville still cares about hockey. Was just awarded a MLS team and Nashville will still love hockey. When Nashville was first awarded an NHL franchise in 1998; there was no hockey being played in Nashville except on the lone rink that existed in the city at that time. You not only see many youth leagues and some high school teams but it is also being played in some of the colleges and universities. It is a younger generation but they have grown up with hockey and it is now very much an accepted and beloved part of Nashville's very rich and diverse fabric. Hockey is in Nashville to stay whether the Predators remain in Nashville or not. The sport has taken root and grown by leaps and bounds since 1998.
You know ever since my Canucks played the Preds in 2011, I was very impressed with their fanbase. During that cup run, Canucks fans almost outnumbered other fans in the other team's buildning, but not in Nashville. They were able to sell out without the help of the other team. They have been such an amazing town for this NHL franchise.
Marketing. Investment. Marketing. Investment. MARKETING. Take away the NHL from NBC and find a network who is willing to push it and market it as hard as TSN does. NBCSN NEGLECTS hockey so hard even though they have national distribution rights.
I'm from Minnesota which means I pretty much am Canadian and I love hockey.
_ Red and you have a Kane pfp? Disgusting.
_ Red Nope, you're American.
Stelios Kontos You're*
thehockeynerd13 damn right. Best god damn American of all time
_ Red So the best America has to offer is a guy that abuses cab drivers and rapes women?
He's right about the state of Texas. The Stars have done a really great job of investing into the community & growing the game. Just this year, a high school team & a 16-under team (both from Dallas) won national championships.
Because ESPN is owned by Disney...
Disney owns ABC. Not much hockey on ABC.
It has sponsorships with the MLB.
and partnerships with TNT and Turner Broadcast Co.
Disney and Ted Turner showcase their products (MLB & NBA), and do their best to block out its competition.
It's business.
no most people don't care about hockey
John Stepp Before the lockout it was on ABC. Then they signed a deal with NBC
In New England its very popular
Not in the part where I live in Massachusetts. I can feel it its just not as intense where I am.
iAJAXBEATZ it's crazy here in Montreal
yeah montreal, like everyone knows the players.
It should be they have boston
That should be no surprise. Given the NHL team we have and the college hockey teams, it's supposed to be popular.
I'm sorry but Chicago is not the main hockey market in the US. Minnesota is the state of hockey
hffutyreeehjg in terms of youth hockey, only behind Minnesota high school hockey, chicago is the center of the country. I play in chicago and the number of players that go on to d1 and pro hockey is incredicble. One team i play against at the u16 level has three players going to the ntdp and like 10 commited to d1 schools.
hffutyreeehjg Minnesota isn't the state of hockey!
New York Rangers make more money than any other US franchise.
Mikey Martinelli they also have a huge population
yeah it is
hockey fastest game on the planet, most exciting
TheGrandmasterfro LOL you must be white. Hockeys the least entertaining sport
Vancovermycity you must be white?
@@Vancovermycity lol basketball is a snooze fest compared to hockey
@@Vancovermycity lol you must be white wtf kind of roast is that like yeah you must be part of the 73 % population
@@Vancovermycity How racist to assume some is white for liking a sport
Because it's not "MURICA".
Honestly I thought more of us Americans would like hockey because of the nitty gritty hitting and fights
The Miguelodon Honestly the most annoying thing I hear from casual fans say about hockey is "I only watch it for the fights". The game is just so much deeper than just the fights.
Shawn White It's one of the things where you usually have to grow up with it to "fully" enjoy it. But I started watching 2 years ago and it's honestly the best sport ever.
The Miguelodon Honestly I only watch hockey, and sometimes baseball. Can't really see myself enjoying basketball or football but honestly haven't really cared to watch those sports.
The Miguelodon we love the fights and the hits. We go nuts for that. 10 year olds live for seeing that guy on the ground with blood dripping down his face after they made a hit
+Shawn White you just hate seeing black guys winning
As a hockey fan in Houston, it is hard to watch it consistently with no team, but I watch nearly every national broadcast game, and a majority of the playoffs
It's pretty popular here tbh. I live in Dallas texas and there is tons of hockey even down here
Bruh you think it's big in Dallas
In Boston it's all hockey
They missed the main reason. It helps massively to have played the game at an early age.
That's when I and many who played all the major sports realize hockey is the best of them.
1. It takes so much time and money to learn how to play - you don't grow up playing it→you are less into it.
2. Hockey is naturally confined to colder places(all of Canada and the northern US states), so in most of America, kids don't grow up playing it.
3. Ticket prices are high. While it's true that, in general, the really high prices are in the avid fanbases and the less popular teams do charge less, they still charge more than baseball or basketball.
4. The other sports in USA mean it's harder for one sport to stick out as most popular, unlike in Canada.
Hockey isn’t a poormans sport, your parents have to invest in rink time equipment etc. thousands of dollars just on pads, sticks and skates
Hockey is the most beautiful sport. So much things that are cool about it. Amazing saves, Cool goals (accurate shots or dangles, passes), Huge hits and so much more little details that you could pay attention to.
Its funny because Ottawa is the capital of Canada and they couldn't sell out game 6 of the ECF.
Ottawa had the best Attendance of the Final Four lol.
Thats cuz they jack up the prices so much real fans cant go to the games.
They ended up not selling out? That surprises me and it doesn't at the same time, knowing their ticket prices.
If Melynk could put a good product on the ice, they would sell out their games
Knew the Pens would win? 2OT in game 7 isn't exactly decisive. I live here. Fact is Ottawa is a young team, the passionate fans here are young. We can't afford to go to more than one game when nosebleed seats are $160 (not to mention a trip to and from Kanata).
Most Americans have never played the sport which is probably the biggest reason they don't understand it hence don't care much for it. Hopefully the movement to introduce kids to it helps to increase its popularity but like many have said here, its expensive - equipment, ice time, coaching and lessons, learning how to skate, etc.
It's expensive to play I would love to play it but my parents can't afford all the equipment
It's no more expensive than football. You can get fully suited for around $300 if you shop past year equipment and are honest about what you need. Very few people play enough to need a $600+ pair of skates and a $300 stick is not going to perform any better than a $25 stick for most people.
@@rich7447 If you live in America you'll get equipments for free. Plus you don't need equipments to practice and develop your skills
@@glenndsouza5447 Unless you live in an area where lakes and ponds freeze you will need some equipment to practice. All the rinks I know won't let you into stick & puck without some equipment and roller doesn't feel the same.
I am aware of the free equipment programs when you take learn to play hockey class as a kid.
If you aren't a kid, skates and helmet are going to be the bigger ticket items, but still not that expensive. League fees can be a different story.
@@rich7447 I was talking about football
Pittsburgh is a great hockey town everybody watches it and plays it. High school and college is so popular around here.
Luke Lampie Pittsburgh only recently became a hockey city. How much you wanna bet when crosby retires the team will go back to Stanley droughts and the fan base will shrink
I may be a bit late but I think I can speak for many Americans when I say this, The Reason that Hockey is not as popular as Basketball, Football, or Baseball is because there is no High School or Middle School Hockey...And Unlike the NBA and NHL, You cant expect to flip your gym from basketball to hockey at your local High School so easily, Bottom Line the reason Americans have no interest in hockey is because its hard for them to get interested, and if its going down to Basketball or Hockey in a High School, its gonna be Basketball because that's what the kid were raised to know...Either get High School Hockey in America or it will never be as popular as basketball, football, or baseball.
EDIT: Ok now maybe schools don't have to build a Hockey Rink if a local Rink will let them play games there, The only problem is that even then there isnt even enough local rinks either like your trying to tell me if Cletus decides he wants to get off the farm and play hockey in the small town of 400 kids he is gonna find a local hockey rink? Hell No.
Enough with trying to make hockey "popular". Popular is a euphemism for making the owners more money and has no relation to making the game better. I am sure you could add a few more zeros to a financial spreadsheet if Lady Ga-Ga bungee jumped out of the rafters of Joe Louis Arena, but I'd rather let that sort of audience watch something else while we hockey fans get to keep our game unadulterated. And if that means the owners only get to be muti-millionaires instead of billionaires so be it.
i would agree, but those extra zeros keep the nhl running
NpKin TV the nho brought in more than a billion dollars last year it should be fine
While football is my favorite sport, hockey is a close 2nd. I especially love watching the playoffs. I think marketing is the biggest factor. If you saw guys like Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby being marketed the way Lebron James, Peyton Manning and others are, that would certainly help.
Because most Americans prefer the boring and uneventful NBA!
sportsfan 95 dont forget predictable
TopThrillAnthony That too. I could've told you Cavs and Warriors were gonna be in the Finals AGAIN before the season started. Probably gonna be next season too.
sportsfan 95 shoulda put money on it with all ur friends
TopThrillAnthony I think it's a safe bet. Who's gonna stop them with their current rosters? Nobody.
sportsfan 95 yeah but who is going to bet against it lol
The Canadian elitism in this comment section is real.
Stay away from Ottawa. The most insufferable elitist people live there.
Canadians are elitist in general. They call themselves the nicest people in the world lol. Japanese deserve that title
@@glenndsouza5447 Even the homeless are nice in Japan.
This old dude doesn’t know what he is talking about. ACCESABILITY AND MONEY is the reason why it’s not popular.
As a American yes the NFL is my favorite sport but the NHL is my number two well over Basketball and Baseball. I think the biggest reason is Basketball they just see Basketball as a fast free flowing game with more consistent scoring. It does not help that Hockey is not played as much as other sports but most kids in the US only play one or two sports anymore but watch more then that. Not enough people see the game like I do in that there is no other game on earth like it because it is played on ice at full speed. Americans do understand the game but unfortunately for those of us who love Hockey they prefer Basketball but at the same time who cares the NHL is still one of the top five grossing sports leagues on earth.
Americans like PK because he has a personality and is likable. Its not that hard to understand.
PK is one kick ass awesome dude. I hope he stays in Nashville and wins a Cup too :-)
Tyler94 PK is the Cam Newton of the NHL
SJFlamesFan if they know who he is, baseball is going through something similar with its African American players
you forgot the most important part I think...he's black
Hes aslo from Canada
As a first generation American born and raised in South Florida of latino parents, baseball was my first love, then basketball. Never caught the football fever, though I do understand why Americans love it so much. I only became a hockey fan this year, but I already love the sport so much, and sounds of the skates and the puck being passed around for a great offensive play, the potential heroic save or the surprising breakaway, and yes the fights. It’s a damn shame that this sport (outside of Canada and the northern US) doesn’t get much media love.
Nice to hear. Hockey has great history as well.
Go Panthers!!
In my living room watching with my dad in Arizona... family is from Pennsylvania... I had to explain what a penalty kill is... people don't understand the rules and things... personally taught myself how to watch hockey by listening to podcast playing NHL watching hockey...
Here in DC we all love hockey, been especially fun watching Alex Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Braden Holtby, etc.
texan here. texans love hockey. dallas got it right. admittedly it took me a while but now im hooked. amazing sport that borrows aspects of other sports, the action of football, speed of basketball, and the precision of baseball.
Because Gary Bettman
Hockey ratings go way up when big market teams are winning. See Rangers in 94, and like mentioned in the video, the Blackhawks. The league somewhat needs the original 6 teams to be good, with exceptions of course. Anyone know why Wisconsin doesn't have a team? They love hockey, but only have the college team to support.
Its popular here in Michigan and other parts of the Midwest
Regular season hockey is unwatcahable.
Hockey is good when it's intense and the teams are going all out. The 82 game season is far too long for the players to go all-out and maintain their health.
Therefore, players take the vast majority of the season off, going through the motions.
The playoffs are a different story: the players go full-force, and it's a pleasure to watch.
Yeah but playoffs barely has any fights. So does RS hockey but you still see fights
@@glenndsouza5447 fights are part of the game but it isnt the reason to watch. If I was watching "for the fights" I'd just watch UFC
Yeah tell that to the NBA
If you come to Canada, you will see rinks everywhere, people playing street hockey and ice hockey during the winter. I went to Florida for the draft. I was shocked at the amount of baseball fields that I saw. Like every park in Florida had like 3 baseball fields.
There are ice rinks down here too
“Because they don’t understand it” that’s a pretty vague and terrible answer.
There are Americans that love hockey. That is the only sport for me, I understand the game very well and look forward to it. I am a lightning fan who's team has missed the playoff this year and can't stand not having hockey for as long as we have not had it.
i bet ur happy now
I grew up playing hockey in the 80's, which was expensive then, it's even more expensive now. Just playing the game is a prohibitive factor. If kids are not playing the game as much, they ain't watching it as much either. That doesn't just apply to the US but Canada as well
Ok, it's annoying honestly when people say America doesnt care. Its apart of our big 4. it's considered a major sport. Its just that the other leagues get 10x more attention. The right question is, WHY ISNT HOCKEY *MORE* POPULAR IN AMERICA
Like others have said, it’s not because we don’t understand it but the other major sports are marketed wayyyy more. Also, hockey isn’t nearly as accessible in the states. It’s a shame because hockey is such an awesome sport.
The Stanley Cup Finals might get more TV viewers in the U.S. if NBC were to put the entire Stanley Cup Finals on it's broadcast network.
Having the entire Finals on one network would increase viewership since people would no longer ask "What channel is the game on?".
I live in Detroit and hockey is insanely popular. The problem is simple. There’s very few games on tv. How can you grow a sport when you can’t easily watch it? NHL’s website is terrible as well.
But here’s the thing, these guys trying to break down why hockey isn’t popular in America are ignoring the obvious. There’s 4 times as many teams in America as there is in Canada.
Canadian teams have attendance issues too. Winnipeg built the smallest arena (seats 15,000) in the league for a reason. Ottawa is your capital and attendance is so bad they tarred over seats during the Stanley cup conference final.
Your capital city couldn’t fill an arena during a Cup conference final but a team in Tennessee was sold out at the same time. Maybe look in the mirror Canada.
Because everyone likes nba for whatever reason and freakout whenever lebron dunks
Hockey's a great sport....and I don't even play. Any game where they don't even pause to substitute has got my vote.
Fighting makes the average American think of hockey as roller derby on ice skates.
I'm from the States. I've been a hockey fan for fifty years. It's a great, fast and periodically brutal game. It takes patience and close attention to appreciate. The NHL rulemakers have done well with rule and rink changes to eliminate some of the more blatant hits. However, garbage like eliminating offsides from behind a team's defending blueline, just to facilitate offense, is indicative of desperation, incompetence and pandering governance.
Florida checking in. We have some hockey here. However, its difficult to find gear for my 7 year old son. We're lucky to have two rinks within an hour of us. Butttttttt one is lucky to have gear in stock. The other is very proud of their prices. Play it again sports is the only other alternative and that's if you can find the right size. Online is always an option, but sizing the gear is best done in person, at least for the first fitting. Believe it or not I consider us lucky. Most of the country there just are no chances for kids to enter the sport. So I would say is assessment of Hockey in the U.S. Is fair.
I know exactly the two rinks your talking about without mentioning here, a year later nothings changed with that, have to rely online just hate wasting time exchanging because of sizing
I completely agree with the lack of youth hockey in the US as a reason for lack of fans. Secondly, hockey is a complete team sport and American kids are raised to embrace individual accomplishments instead of the team concept that Canadian kids seem to embrace, . I personally love the game and have been watching the Oilers, and playing (ball, roller, and ice) since 1981 and I hail from the states. Love your show, although i have to watch on youtube, but always worth the wait. Thank you gentlemen
Naturally, it's not a sport you can easily emulate. It's played on ice, which much of America can *get but not much of America can *use. We're a snowboarding country; we play with snow, not ice.
Marketing is a problem, yes. ESPN not having a hand in the sport, considering the hype it created for NFL/NBA/College, is also an issue - but NBC does well centering hockey coverage. The players hardly speak up nowadays, far less than they did when I was a kid (personality matters). Diversity, and the costs of drawing a diverse interest in hockey and the ability for those groups to afford the sport, matters too.
But when it comes down to it, outside of specific Eastern and Midwestern markets, it's far too easy to emulate an NFL, MLB, NBA or even soccer player and play that sport readily.
Ive been getting into hockey these past 6 months of my life and speaking objectivley, I’ve noticed a particular culture of territoriality, there is also a very dry sense of humor in hockey until you are officially let in, part of the club so to speak, this may play into it also. It may not be like that everywhere but is like that in the US.
What's big deal. Nobody complain about New Zealand, Australia, Japan or India not watching hockey. Do ever heard New Zealanders or South African complain that Rugby not popular not in Canada or U.S. No.
Because 24 of 32 teams are in the USA
To illustrate the knowledge of the featured guest, John Shannon, I give you the following quote from him which was published on TH-cam on May 26, 2017. "I'll tell you what, Tim. It's worked in Nashville for the hardcore hockey fan but I'll bet you that club has never made money." So, this was spoken by Shannon in 2017 during the Preds playoff run, presumably. Now you can Google this article published by the Nashville Business Journal which is citing statistics gathered by Forbes. The article is titled; "Forbes: Predators Now A Profitable NHL Team" published Dec.1, 2014 with revenue statistics taken from the 2013 season.
That said, in Boston. Chicago and Detroit, also NYC the game is huge
Hockey is booming in St. Louis, and I'm sure a lot of other towns. It's growing, it just takes time.
I grew up in Minnesota and hockey is super popular. It is easy to find a place to play the sport. Plus you can find used skates just to play pond hockey. Hockey is very part of the culture in Minnesota. I went to college in Iowa and lot of Iowans and Illinois thought I was weird for liking Iowa. The Blackhawks started winning several people jumped on the bandwagon. Now I live in Southern California where everyone things I am biggest Minnesota stereotype for liking hockey. It is hard to find hockey finds out here. One of the biggest fans I met moved here from Michigan so he really doesn't count. I met two people one is from the Bay who got into hockey by watching the sharks. The other likes AHL Gulls in San Diego. I met some people in some bars watching hockey games and they loved that I am from Minnesota and always ask me questions about what was it like to play hockey up there. I live in San Diego and I know of a couple of handful of rinks in the San Diego metro. NHL should be using money to build rinks and youth teams up in nontraditional hockey markets
It would be more popular if it was cheaper/easier for kids to get into and play in youth leagues
Its definitely because it’s expensive to play with ice time, equipment and everything. Along with it being a cold weather sport, it’s hard to sell in urban warm weather cities. Not being on ESPN is a big hit as well.
I absolutely love hockey and all sports! - American
Not all people in the United States plays ice hockey, ice hockey is less popular in the United States because the United States was a roller hockey nation.
I have been a casual hockey fan for years. Every year the Stanley cup playoffs are far better than the NBA of NFL. I have become a big hockey fan. It took me awhile to understand and get it. But here in America there are hurdles. Understanding it is huge. But today the political climate is going to go against it. Because the hip cool political and social trend is anti-white racism. The culture sees hockey as not being diverse, "white man's sport". Racist. Boring. Lame because it's not promoted with hip hop music.
Ps. Go Ducks
bingo
No
Go ducks!
anti-anglo, bud.
Excuse me. Lightning fans has help the game too. Don't ignore Tampa Bay. Thank you very much
Brade Weathers yeah sure!!
minh vuong no dude, Tampa has a cult following. Because Tampa it has grown a little bit more in FL
It's one of the Big 4 sports in America (for now).
MMA will replace either baseball or hockey soon.
Don't get me wrong, hockey is great. It's just that a lot of Americans would rather watch MMA, NFL, WWE, MLB and the NBA.
I really love and respect the passion Canadians have for hockey.
In America you love Baseball, Football, Basketball. In Canada you breathe Hockey. Hockey is to fast for many people.
To expensive, me and my brother both wanted to play but my mother wouldn't float the bill for all the equipment needed. I had to settle for deck hockey. It's pretty big in pittsburgh, there's a few players in the NHL from Pittsburgh.
You don't have to "see the puck" you watch the puck carrier... what the hell...
That makes total sense. Like you can see the puck, but the actual excitement is watching to see what the puck carrier can do. Same thing with like basketball...you don't watch the basketball, you watch the player who's dribbling it.
You watch the play....and feel the flow of the game.....
Ice Hockey did not take a long time to become wicked popular in Massachusetts, Minnesota and New York; the game was taken there by Canadian immigrants 120 years ago.
joe sakic even has his own street in burnaby near by the soccer field & rec centers on the way to lougheed highway
If the NHL wanted to expand the game,first off,put teams like Hartford or Seattle in,not Arizona or Las Vegas
You nailed it!
Hockey favors the people who can afford buying ice skates. Football (soccer), basketball, and baseball are relatively cheap and don't take a toll on our wallets.
Mr. Shannon is absolutely correct at 3:02 of this video. USA Hockey has done a terrible job of promoting the game in the States. I have been a "non-traditional" hockey fan my entire life and USA Hockey has been a complete non factor in that journey. I understand that player development is their primary task. However, wouldn't that task be easier if they also worked to create a bigger pool of people who had interest in and access to hockey in the first place? It seems that their only focus is on the parts of the US that already have lots of hockey players/fans already. How does that grow the game?.....It doesn't! It appears that USA Hockey is content to let the NHL and American minor league hockey do all the promotion and fan development.
I've loved hockey since I saw miracle on ice as a kid ! Let's go pens 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Two big reasons: the speed of the game makes it hard to learn the rules. A person who's watched and played since childhood will notice the offsides or slash that happens and understand why play stopped. Someone just starting to watch as a teen or 20 something is going to get frustrated not understanding why play has stopped. Second is the lockout that made espn drop hockey was hugely detrimental to its popularity here in the states.
I would say baseball is harder to understand then hockey.
OneTimer I would agree but I grew up watching hockey and found baseball incredibly boring, just never played too expensive. Honestly when I try and teach others they love it but it's also too complicated as you learn the rules as you go, at least that's how I did it but I was also a kid
Everyone I know loved PK when he was in Montreal. For some odd reason, it was the team that rejected him not the fans.
I can see the puck don't worry😂
I’m from Tampa hard core lightning fan I love hockey
I grew up in Boston AKA the best sports city without a doubt and I love all my teams I think that the Red Sox are more
Beloved but the Bruins are an original six team are so incredible fun
Hockey is so underrated, I don't understand how people hate it, it must be the ice part or something. Hard to believe people rather watch basketball, but I suppose the best things should be underrated. Thats what makes them so special.
Because hockey also cost way to much for most kids to play or even try. The equipment and rink time is way to expensive for most. Then you add on that other sports like basketball, football or even soccer. 2 kids if not even just 1 can grab just a ball and go out in the yard and play or toss the ball around. Just to skate around or play hockey you also need an expensive surface of some sort.
All that added together. Most people just dont have experience or have been around hockey in their lives. So they just dont follow it as they get older.
Not even mentioning the in game, on ice confusion. Of people simply not being able to follow the puck or able to know what's going on in a game, as well as the rules.
If more people had access and experience to hockey. I beleive it would be the most popular sport in the world.
It has absolutely everything a fan could desire.....
Amazing individual skill and game changing....
Toughness.....
Hitting....
Team play....
1 player can win it for you, 1 player can lose it for you....
The grace of basketball....
Strategy...
Amazing group of people and hard working culture...
1 shot can win it all, like a walk off homerun in baseball....
It's an amazing sport.
Also it's due to weather climent. Even though they are hockey teams located there.
I am a American I understand hockey huge hockey fan
BigRedPlaz me too brother 🇺🇸👌
Well, I’m from MN. Hockey is everything here. The main reason hockey isn’t as popular as Canada is because we got the warmer states such as Arizona. It’s much more expensive to build a rink there than what it would be in Minnesota.
i was in st louis lasgt year and at there sporting goods stores they dont even sell any hockey equipment or jerseys
Well it's been a hockey town, not just baseball, for decades.
We need to invest more into youth hockey, get them involved in the game early
You gotta get the kids playing which means building tons of arenas in every city and having cheap hockey registration for every age level. Also marketing and better tv deals. That’s why hockey is so popular in Canada.
I'm an american and I don't think I've ever freaked out as much as a did last night after Kunitz beauty goal.
What he said about minor hockey in Texas is very true. The Dallas Stars have done a great job at building and running rinks around the DFW metroplex. For instance, the DSMHL (Dallas Stars Metro Hockey league), this league is comprised of all ages, this is basically house league hockey, and the Dallas Stars have done so much to the hockey community here in Dallas. Whenever, i tell someone that I play hockey their first question is always: "There's hockey in Texas?" *facepalm in face* I always ask people like that: "Have you heard of the Dallas Stars?" They usually say no or yes but i dont like hockey. This is a great example of how bad the USA hockey effort is in the US. But overall, Most of the effort is done by the Stars. Like when Mike Modano retired, he was interviewed about his career and future plans. He said that he wanted to help out the hockey community here by making programs. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HE DID!
So, minor hockey in Texas is booming. (Well, mostly North Texas like the DFW area)