The NHL is healthier than you think

Despite the normal negative opinions of the NHL that seem to permeate throughout the press and population of the United States, the NHL is on pace to have a season that I believe will go down as the true turning-point for the league’s future. There are always hordes of fans calling for the firing of Gary Bettman, the retraction of southern NHL teams and the addition of teams in cities such as Hartford, Winnipeg and hell, why not Saskatoon?

The reality is that the NHL could be surging in a way that we haven’t seen in decades. Regular season television ratings increased exponentially from last season, league revenues continue to rise (as does the salary cap) and the latest bit of good news is that television ratings for the playoffs have risen a VERY surprising 33% overall on Versus, and an amazing 65% in the 18-49 male demographic.

NBA lovers throughout the sporting world will attribute this to the NHL being in such a horrible state that the ratings had nowhere to go but skyward. Valid argument, sure — except for the fact that television ratings, while declining over the years, surely did not drop 33% in the past season — or three.

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