Why the NHL is poised for a big comeback season after overcoming COVID-19 challenges

Like many organizations dealing with the complications of the pandemic, the NHL has suffered incredible damage from 2020-2022.

Credit where it’s due, but the league fought the punches as best they could. It wasn’t perfect – perfect was never really an option given the situation – but it’s pretty easy to argue that sometimes the offering barely resembled the product they were trying to sell.

They did what they had to do and stayed alive. They played in front of no one and kept some sponsorship money, the salary cap and players’ wallets were squeezed, and the experience of going to games – when a few fans were finally allowed into the buildings – was odd and a little uncomfortable at first.

Even as the league tried to get back to normal in 2021/22, postponements and the odd Olympic break that never happened and a season that stretched until almost July always felt a bit like Sochi was going to be closed during the Olympics Paint run-down window displays Give the “okay, nothing to see here” vibe.

But like I said in the opening, they took those hits and kept going. That left the league reeling, still on its feet and fighting but barely making it to the last bell of the round.

This summer, the league has had to perch on its metaphorical stool in the corner to plan another round, and like Rocky, the league can still come out with great momentum. There’s comeback potential and I’m here to show that it’s finally in a good position to do so. In fact I expect it.

I expect this because…

You finally have a normal start and end time

The season starts on October 11 this year and ends six months later (April 13). Isn’t that clean and tidy? (Yes, it started about the season before that, but after a very short summer that players didn’t like.) Then we can jump in

on a proper playoff schedule and finish at least a few weeks before last season. There’s a normal little All-Star hiatus, a couple of outdoor games in early 2023, and a full-season where fans know what to expect. That’s a good starting point.

The games will come with full fans and no restrictions

Without sparking a debate about whether or not the pandemic is “over,” game attendance should return to full normality. No masks, no restrictions on what or how food or drink is sold, just… the good old hockey experience. That means raucous fans and energy and all the things that bring life to the weird game that needs help.

Fans at home will also benefit from proper media access

For years, no reporter could sneak up on a player and simply log the team’s temperature. They couldn’t ask a definite question that could highlight a single trait outside of the public throng. They couldn’t get that little nugget from an angry player that there’s internal drama.

Of course, teams don’t like that that bit of “coverage” is back, but let’s face it: the NHL is an entertainment product, and the human element is entertaining hell. We will all benefit when reporters regain access to the dressing rooms. Enough with the zoom.

Not yet, but very soon the salary cap will increase

It is estimated to increase by 10 million per team by 2025-26. Right now, really good teams are being penalized for being good at the wrong time. The tip of the Atlantic – Florida, Toronto, Tampa Bay and Boston… You can argue that they all needed to get a little worse, at least the first three mentioned there, directly because of cap issues.

I realize that doesn’t help today, but it can help teams invest more money and retain their players over the longer term. They want teams to be able to build strong teams and keep them together when they choose. Trades are fun for the fans, but when the goal is to collect good players and right now that your good players need to be paid, things get awfully tight.

The league also has real superstars in their prime

While Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are both still in the league (and were still very good last year), Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews have taken over. You need great players to keep fans interested, and the NHL currently has some true superstars in their prime, both just 25 years old but with over half a dozen NHL seasons behind them. Will Matthews score 60 goals (or more) this season? Will McDavid top his 123-point season last year? You will be a must see on TV.

Great locations for events

Some years the NHL All-Star Game takes place in a small market where it’s actually winter (ugh), and players can’t wait to do something other than attend the event. This year, the All-Star Game is being held in South Florida, and the NHL draft is being held in Nashville. All that’s guaranteed is more players and media participating, making it more entertaining for the rest of us.

We are also on the cusp of major innovation growth

I don’t know what Sportsnet has made public, but I do know that there will be some TV shows this year that will increase their use of interesting, fun information. Whether through puck tracking technology or from new camera perspectives, the game and how it’s presented to fans will look different this season and for years to come.

That’s all a lot of optimism, I know, but as a sports fan who’s followed the game through the dark ages, I find the culmination of so much light exciting. There will be the usual problems that come with any sports league that aren’t fun – people getting hurt and officials getting yelled at and all those other inevitable parts of the business. But overall, the NHL is in a good position to bounce back from losses in recent rounds, and when they do, fans will generally emerge victorious.