Olympic Hockey

What a hockey game yesterday! For those of us who love hockey this was a final present in a weeklong procession of gifts. Canada fulfilled their goal and won the gold while the United States proved that their preliminary victory over Canada was no fluke. This was a game for the ages. The United States as the youngest team in the tournament should feel good about the the 2014 Olympics as well.

Can the NHL capitalize on this goodwill and increase the league's visibility. It is unlikely. Hockey in the United States is primarily a regional sport. And that is OK. Very few sports transcend the entire country in all geographic areas. That said hockey is a fast moving, aggressive sport which should have appeal to the masses in this country.

Ryan Miller in goal, Zak Parisi scoring, and others might well inspire young boys across the country. However there is no way for the NHL to market its players affectively to the masses.

There are reasons that hockey is the number 1 sport of most of its audience. I would believe that for those who follow hockey closely the percentage of number 1 sport is higher than any other.

I love hockey. I love playoff hockey. The Olympics was playoff hockey with all star teams involved and nationalistic pride added. It was AMAZING