We all saw the ratings for the gold medal game here in the US.

Now it's time for the NHL to jump all over marketing their US stars.

Are all the little kids in the US dreaming of growing up and being like Canadian hockey star Sidney Crosby?

Fuck that.

In New Jersey, throw together a sick highlight reel of Zach Parise's goals and get US citizens interested in US hockey players.

Do it for every market that had an American on the team.

One of the biggest complaints about casual hockey fans are the lack of US stars.

JUMP ALL OVER THIS!

In order to gain fans, don't to make the sport popular. Try to make it look cool. Make it look American.

Popularity will soon follow.

_________________
Wheelhouse

This is the NHL we're talking about.

There is only One True Crosby.

No No, they can't...because Sidney is supposed to be the next Wayne Gretzky! That's all the NHL cares about!

Well at least Kane was on the cover of a video game and Miller was on the picture of the Bing search engine.

_________________
"...they came down into the stands and asked if I knew how to do play by play. I said...No. But. I'll take a shot at it if you want".- Rick Jeanneret

oh, but theyve tried. crosby has repeatedly turned down offers to to be on the cover of both EAs NHL series, AND the 2k series.

_________________

Really? I somehow don't believe that.

But you can Market Miller easily, you can market Kane easy, you can also market any one of the great American players who played for Team USA. Rafalski?

_________________

Actually, he has, dude.

And yea, how hard can it be to market Ryan Miller to America?

_________________
mechaphil

With the exposure he's gotten recently, a bit more of a push and Miller could easily become a household name.

_________________

I mean, come on, even Brian Williams is pulling an honest-to-goodness "Tim Russert" with Miller!

_________________
mechaphil

I'd like some exposure for Darcy Regier. I'd like some radiation exposure if he doesn't get off his ass and make a fuckin deal soon.

_________________
Lord Stanley's Cup is what its all about.
Mr. Pegula, your destiny awaits you sir.

he probably already has been exposed to radiation, living in this area along will do that. Most of the manhattan project garbage is up in lewiston. not to mention the chemical plants around here and three mile island, happening relatively close to here. if you could get a UV light you could mess with his DNA, especially the thymine bands. though that would slow him down. a thumb tac to the chair might work more.

_________________
"Tis The Season, Fa la la la la LaFontaine" - Rick Jeanneret

As the american exposure. i'm just curious would it make fans hate the player much like most people think bettman is in bed with crosby. I agree it will spread hockey through the states more, well maybe not as much the south but eventually. It will work better than say throwing a team in alabama, where most people care about college football, and Nascar i would guess. Just trying to see both sides of the coin.

_________________
"Tis The Season, Fa la la la la LaFontaine" - Rick Jeanneret

Actually the hockey market is pretty big in Raleigh, an it's all because of the NHL forcing the teams to make leagues available for players. I mean I see plenty of kids a few years younger than I in hockey skates and who can skate really well and play hockey and how many different skating rinks are around me which promote both figure skating and hockey.

The Raleigh Youth Hockey Program is pretty big and it is because of the Hurricanes being here, if you would have thought hockey in Raleigh would be pretty big ten years ago to now, you'd be insane. Plus with many northern transplants they will get their kids involved also.

The South was never a complete fail, it would take at least 15 years for a lot of people to start to notice the team and get behind them and to have their kids play hockey. If the NHL makes teams start leagues for kids it will grow, it's still never going to be like Canada where you just go to a pond and skate but it can get big easily.

They need to promote the game, but a few key players, and don't shove him down your throats really. If they would market 10 players out of the NHL, it would be huge, because not everyone wants to be a big lipped Crosby forward, some want to be a goalie or play defense, market the best players in every position.

_________________

every year since nhl 07. he turned both franchises down EVERY year since 2006. he may very well do it next year, cause, you know, he won the gold. and it would be stupid for EA and 2K to not offer it to him.

_________________

Interesting

_________________
"...they came down into the stands and asked if I knew how to do play by play. I said...No. But. I'll take a shot at it if you want".- Rick Jeanneret

The NBA's best players are Kobe and Lebron. And you see plenty of commercials for them.

But you also see Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, and so on and so fourth.

I just think that, if you want to appeal to casual American hockey fans, you need to promote American hockey players.

And why not????? America DOES breed superstar talent!

Ryan Miller, Zach Parise, Patrick Kane, Paul Stastny...

_________________
Wheelhouse

This would be the perfect time to market them to the rest of the country, if done correctly. We know that the NHL would fuck it up like they did Crosby. So much so that everyone who remotely follows the NHL hates the him.

_________________

And yet, this is the beauty of what the Olympics has done.

I'm not a huge Zach Parise, Ryan Kesler, Brian Rafalski, Jamie Langenbrunner, Patrick Kane, and so on and so fourth, fan.

If I saw a Parise commercial, I'd think, "Fuck yeah!"

The olympics warms up NHL enemies to fans because they're now heroes.

SO GET AFTER IT!!!!

_________________
Wheelhouse

Gotta get a GQ front page with some of Team USA's players...Miller, Parise, Rafalski, and Kane

_________________
"...they came down into the stands and asked if I knew how to do play by play. I said...No. But. I'll take a shot at it if you want".- Rick Jeanneret

Someone agrees:

http://www.buffalonews.com/2010/03/03/9 ... ympic.html

_________________
Wheelhouse

A lot of the athletes that have been mentioned are marketed more through their own endorsement deals over which the league has no control.

Think of the most recognized athletes of the last few years. Jordan, Woods, and Manning.

Jordan and Woods got most of their exposure through Nike, and Manning through his myriad endorsement deals.

One of the reason hockey players aren't as recognizable is because they tend not to have the me attitude of those other sports. You cannot win in hockey without a team effort, and this is reflected in their endorsement deals and how they present themselves.

_________________
Proud LGBTQQ Individual