Matthew Will
Managing Editor
Hockey is alive and well. The current state of the NHL is great. Teams who have never won Stanley cups, expansion teams, in fact, are playing extraordinarily well. As for the NBA, the NHL’s biggest competition during winter is not so good.
Last year, the Las Vegas Golden Knights joined the league, the first expansion team since 2000, when the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets joined the league. The Knights surprised the world not only with their fan support, but also their play on the ice. Vegas not only won their division, but also placed third in the conference. They followed up the great regular season with an unheard-of postseason. The Knights earned themselves a Stanley Cup Finals appearance.
These successes drove people to watch the sport, giving the NHL Stanley Cup Finals their best television ratings since 2015.
Last season, the NHL had eight or nine legitimate title candidates. As for the NBA, there were four… maybe… While regular season TV records show the NBA is doing better, the playoff speak a bit differently. This last year, the Stanley Cup finals had two teams who had never won the cup, everything lining up for a thrilling series. The NBA had the same finals matchup for the fourth year in a row, bringing boredom to fans with no affiliation.
The bottom line is that things could be bad for the NBA, if they wish to keep the excitement around their sport. Sure, LeBron James and Kevin Durant are always big stories to follow, but that excitement is getting old.
Connor McDavid and Johnny Tavares have come roaring into the NHL, and they are exciting “kids” to watch. Edmonton and Toronto have some of their deepest teams in years, after both did subpar last season. All these offseason stories have the potential for another exciting year.
It is time for a revolutionary sports breakthrough in America, and that breakthrough is hockey. Beware NBA, because the NHL is ready to strike.
