Why The NBA Lockout Has The NHL Looking Stupid.

Something came to me yesterday while I was driving home, and I just wanted to touch on it briefly. The NBA is in lockout, and if I believe the Bay Area's only FM sports talk station, they may be locked out until January (or maybe for the entire '11/'12 season). This made me realize just how stupid the NHL leadership is these days.

Gary Bettman knew that the NBA was headed toward a lockout, we all did. He also knew that he was looking at an opportunity for a new TV deal toward the end of last season. When he extended the stupid deal with NBC and Versus a couple of months ago, I was upset. I thought it was a stupid deal back when they initially left for Versus, and I thought it was even worse to extend with the never-seen network once the original deal finally expired. However, at the time, I didn't really understand the full impact of the NBC/Versus extension.

With the NBA facing a lockout and the possible cancellation of their season, the NHL had a huge opportunity, especially considering that they had a chance to secure a new TV contract just a couple of months ago. If there aren't any NBA games this upcoming season, what are people going to watch on ESPN, TNT, etc? Well, nothing, now. However, if the NHL would have taken a little less money to get back on ESPN or other cable stations (much like the current NBA deal) they would have been able to take all of those open slots left by the possibly vacant basketball schedule. Could you imagine? It would have been perfect.

If only the leadership at the NHL would have had some sense of how to promote and improve the league through positive exposure. Hockey has been picking up lately, it seems, and a move back to major cable stations with a possible NBA season cancellation would hae furthered that process. Instead, we're left with the sport being shown on a station that is primarily in existence for hunting and cage fighting. What are we to do?

Hopefully when this current TV deal expires, in 2021 I believe, the NHL can try and regain it's relevance.

Hopefully.

-- Sent from my Palm Prē