Once the season is over it’s not often you get a chance to reflect on the season…at least not objectively. Now that the season is over, you might find yourself thinking ‘where should I put my hockey helmet stickers?
The last couple of months of the season were filled with uncertainty as to what the future held. As it turns out, the future is now (at least for the foreseeable future). As the National Hockey League heads into an extended lockout, the chance of seeing a game on the ice dwindles.
One of the more exciting developments was that the NHL went back to being a 48-team league. There were undoubtedly some anxious moments as the season unfolded and the number of teams that could genuinely challenge for the cup did shrink. However, as things turned out, we are better off with more teams and an expanded season. This is a scenario that can and perhaps should be repeated in other major sports.
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The Challenge Of Balancing Competitive And Fun Performances
For years, fans have been deprived of the excitement that is brought about by competing for a spot in the World Hockey League, the American Hockey League, and the like. If today is your first day on the job, this is a scenario that you have hopefully resolved. Now that the season is over, you get a chance to reflect and ask yourself ‘did I enjoy myself? Was I competitive enough?’
One of the more difficult things about having more than one team in a league is that you run the risk of either having really competitive teams or really boring teams. What you want is a mix of the two – some excitement for the fans but also some merit attached to your regular-season performance. In the case of the NHL, this was certainly the case. While most teams were competitive throughout the year, there were also some dull periods where the entertainment factor was somewhat lacking. One could argue that this was the case for most of the 2012-2013 season.
If today is the first day of your job and you are looking for a way to improve your team’s performance, begin by identifying areas of weakness. For the Minnesota Wild, one area of concern was scoring goals – they ranked 26th in the league with 2.85 goals per game.
This past season, the Wild hired a new head coach in Mike Yeo. A part of his job will be to implement and enforce a team-oriented culture throughout the organization. One way that he can do this is by ensuring that every player buys into the system and has a clear understanding of what is expected of them. One way to achieve this is by creating and enforcing strict team rules – this includes things like no horseplay, follow the three-a-day routine, and so on. The same can be said for the Tampa Bay Lightning. After missing the playoffs the prior three seasons, the Bolts had a new head coach in Jon Cooper. One of his first moves was to institute a team-first mentality which can be seen in the form of a team-oriented culture. He did this by establishing and enforcing strict team rules – including no horseplay, no fighting, and no flopping.
As for the Atlanta Thrashers, they saw little to no improvement after transitioning to a new ownership group and new head coaches. While there were some highlights – most notably the hiring of Stan Bowman as the new head coach – the team continued to struggle. This led to the demise of the franchise.
More Than Meets The Eye
While we are on the subject of the NHL and the changes that it has gone through in recent years, it is important to point out that a lot more has changed behind the scenes. One of the main changes is that the league has adopted a new style of play. Gone are the days of individual brilliance, big hits, and endless shot-blocking. Now, skill-based gameplay is the order of the day. This involves things like face-offs being won and lost on the quality of the players’ skills, offensive-zone forechecking, and defensive-zone coverage.
This transition to a more cerebral style of play came with its share of difficulties. As it turns out, skill-based gameplay is more demanding than it seems. Even the best players in the world require specific coaching to achieve their full potential. A prime example is Evgeni Malkin, one of the best hockey players of all time. After spending many years with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Malkin became a free agent in the summer of 2012. Since then, he has had an up and down career, missing the playoffs three straight seasons. During this time, his point production has steadily declined. Many people will point to this as the reason for his struggles. Malkin, however, is still considered to be one of the best hockey players in the world. His issue has not been with his talent but more so with the fact that he has not had the right coaching. With the right guidance, he could potentially return to his previous level of play. This is the same for a lot of the other greats.
For years, the National Hockey League struggled with staying relevant in an increasingly digital world. While many of its issues had to do with the rise of the SaaS industry and the subsequent shift to in-demand online training, it is still difficult to argue that watching hockey is no longer fun. The good news is that these issues are now clearly on the NHL’s radar. As a result, many changes are on the way. Some of these changes are for the better while others are quite the opposite. It will be interesting to see how the NHL deals with this new challenge, as well as how the game itself evolves.