The NHL has to be riding on a major high right now. Despite the shortened season, the playoffs gave us great games beyond belief. Starting from the Leafs collapsing in Game 7 to a well-played Sharks-Kings series, the NHL has given us fans something to celebrate.
And maybe those games caught the attention of non-hockey fans. And if that wasn’t enough, last night’s Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final had to have done something.
Ratings are one indicator of interest and it looked real good from last night. And it looks like the NHL is on the right track in getting a bigger audience. After all, since commercials are not allowed during overtime, the audience could not walk away for a second and risk missing the game-winner. That’s compelling. And maybe that’s what the audience in America needed to get into hockey.