The general lack of interest in the lower forty eight in pro hockey has always puzzled me, but I suppose the NHL has to accept the blame. Professional ice hockey has been an international game for decades (someone forgot to tell the networks) and many of the sport's top players come from the United States. Anyone heard of Mike Modano (currently with my beloved Detroit Red Wings)?
There was that "Miracle on Ice" thing back in 1980 when a group of American collegiate players stunned the world by winning the Olympic Gold medal, defeating what was considered to be the greatest team ever assembled (that would be the Russians) along the way. There are NHL teams scattered all over the United States; including smaller markets such as Columbus, Nashville, and Phoenix. The original six teams (aside from the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens) included the Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks (the current defending Stanley Cup champions), and the New York Rangers. Some of these teams are 80 years old, though they're awfully limber for their age.
The NHL is the second oldest professional sports league in North America and is (IMHO) the most exciting sport in the world. So why is it last in the ratings? Beats the cup protector out of me, but something has to change. No sport that has someone as crazy as Alex Ovechkin who not only leads the league in scoring, but in bodychecks as well, can be all bad. Hey, an American woman even wrote Slapshot (and the Candians still haven't lived that down).
But now, Roku has come to the rescue of the sport, and not a moment too soon.
NHL GameCenter LIVE subscribers will be able to watch up to 40 live, out-of-market games per week, have access to the NHL Vault for classic games from the 1960s all the way through to last season's Stanley Cup Playoffs, and catch up on all current season games on demand in the 2010 archive 48 hours after their completion. The archive also contains condensed games; which means that you see all of the great scoring chances, missed opportunities, goals, fights, and horrible penalty calls.
The NHL is the third professional sport (joining Major League Baseball and UFC) to partner with Roku and this was a wise move by the folks in charge of the frozen game. The sport looks great in HD and should be part of your daily dosage of sports on the boob tube. Anything beats watching golf and NASCAR. I know what I'm getting for Chanukah. Game on!
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