June 10, 2005
Revamp The NHL Draft
With word leaking out that there may be good news in store on the NHL labor front, John Buccigross is in an ebullient mood:
TSN in Canada will have a live draft lottery show talking in depth about the new CBA and discussions on the new rule changes. We will also know who Sidney Crosby will play for during that show. It might be the highest-rated show in Canadian television history.
Then a week after that, the draft. It will be held in New York and consist of Crosby and a few others holding up the sweaters of their new teams. That seems like a quick turnaround, but teams should be ready for the draft. They've had lots of time to prepare. Yes, teams don't know where they will pick, but after scouting and rating the top prospects, it won't take long to formulate a draft board.
Ah, yes, the NHL Entry Draft, hands down the most boring draft* of the four major team sports. If anyone from the NHL is reading, please take a hint and hire somebody new to produce this show for you.
Why? In short, the program just takes way too long. For some unknown reason, just about every team comes to the podium with three or more front office people in tow, and inevitably, they have to say something sweet about the city that's hosting the draft.
Sure, it's ever so nice . . . And ever so unecessary.
Instead, steal an idea from the NFL, and simply have Gary Bettmamn announce the first two rounds of picks. Let the draft pick come on stage, get his hat and jersey, do the grip and grin with Commissioner Gary, and get the heck out of there. As for the inevitable photo op with the pick's front office people, that can be handled backstage.
Once you get past the first two rounds, give the commissioner a break, and let Bill Daly read a round or two. And if he gets bored, give Colin Campbell a shot at some TV face time.
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* If we were counting five major sports, the MLS Draft would win hands down. This year, the Fox Soccer Channel coverage of that joke of a draft looked like it was being produced by a high school AV club.
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I've been badmouthing the NHL draft for a few seasons now... With the Lightning used to picking high, I would always try to tune in to see just what kind of charade we were in for....
And each year I ended up turning it off either before the Lightning picked or abruptly after - though I can sit through round after round of the NFL draft.
The NHL Draft - some Canadians will brag - is filled with it's own traditions, the pomp and circumstance "everyone on teh team" rallying around the draft pick and having photos taken... The huge draft board that looks like it should have been thrown out years ago, etc. I hate that "tradition" and do find it boring with the hype seriously downplayed here in the US with thanks to the production quality of the draft in part.
I wish they would stop the rotating draft location stuff and just pick Toronto, New York or Chicago to hold the draft each year. Having an arena that is only partially filled and gunning for reactions to the draft just seems counter productive because everyone seems spread out, spaced out and reserved.
Posted by:
at June 10, 2005 06:34 PM
So you are telling me not to fly out to NYC and do some draft-blogging?
Posted by:
at June 10, 2005 09:29 PM
I had a passing thought to do the same. I wonder if the NHL will grant credentials to hockey bloggers? I never tried that last season with the Bolts....
Posted by:
at June 10, 2005 11:15 PM
I know you can't seriously be contending that the NHL draft is more boring than baseball's. If so, it's easily the most baffling and outrageous statement ever made on this site.
Posted by:
at June 11, 2005 09:09 AM
Normally, I'm in favor of any event that generates hype -- since the NHL is desperately in need of any marketing opportunities it can get.
However, I've got to ask: Since when is it the prerogative of any pro draft to be "entertaining"?
The draft is a business transaction. You might as well call for entertaining contract negotiations or CBA sessions.
Maybe it's just me, but I'm pretty well over seeing the umpteenth draft show that compares the top defensive prospect as "another Brian Leetch" or "a Chris Pronger type". It's tedious. Especially when you keep in mind the draft's number games: Maybe a third of the players selected every make it to the big show. In essence, we're watching teams shoot the dice, even with first-rounders.
Beyond that, there's a big difference between hockey's draft and the NFL's and NBA's (and which was alluded to by Colby here): No one knows who the players are. Hardcore fans who follow juniors and college are familiar with the prospects; that's a very small group. It's hard to build up hype over names you only see in the week leading up to the draft. By contrast, NCAA stars in football and hoops are (mostly) familiar faces, thanks to the popularity of their college games. You just don't have that in hockey (or baseball). It's a different dynamic.
Posted by:
at June 13, 2005 09:58 AM
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