The National Hockey League will be operating very differently next season. Normally the league would begin to play games in late October and would finish their playoffs around June. Instead, last season ended in September and the next one is expected to begin in mid-January. The 52-56 game season would be, as said by commissioner Gary Bettman, “fluid”.
What exactly does this mean? Well, the league is planning to adapt to whatever opportunities and guidelines are presented to them. They will have as many fans in attendance as they are allowed, and this is definitely something that can determine the future health of the league.
Unlike the National Football League, the NHL is heavily reliant upon gate revenue. The NFL makes so much money from their national television contracts and the NHL simply do not have the same deals, and additionally have much more gate revenue as a result of having about five times as many contests per team each season.
Currently, the NFL is able to have fans at select games and as of right now the NHL having fans in attendance at their home venues looks to be dire. This could result in financial hardships for the latter league, which in turn could send several teams out of business and weaken the stability of the league. The difference between the two leagues is that one plays outside and one plays inside. During the pandemic, people have been notably more willing to participate in outdoor socially distanced activities. Attending a half-filled football stadium while being adequately separated from other patrons has proved to be something that could be considered safe.
The NHL may be jumping on this train. Four teams, the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks and Pittsburgh Penguins have all asked the league to consider letting them use outdoor venues regularly and in turn have fan attendance. Additionally, the Nashville Predators, Dallas Stars and Carolina Hurricanes are considering looking into the idea of hosting outdoor regular season games.
This seems perfect in theory, but some problems do arise. One clear issue is simply feasibility. The Winter Classic is an annual outdoor game that occurs on January 1st each year, except 2021 of course, and the quality of the ice is always a concern. This is all just to prepare for one game, so it may be difficult to build a sustainable rink that can withstand multiple contests.
An aerial view of the 2016 Winter Classic, hosted by Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. (NHL.com)
Secondly it will be expensive. The Winter Classic has always been an expensive event to pull off, and it only makes a profit because it is a nationally televised game on a holiday that is up there for most viewed regular season sporting contests each year. The other outdoor games each year do not get the same buzz as the Classic, but still do well due to the novelty of playing a game outdoors. If the outdoor games become routine, especially with only limited fans in the stands, the profit could easily turn into a loss, which would be counterproductive for the league.
Pregame of the 2020 Winter Classic, with limited fans in the stands. (Getty Images)
Thirdly, it could ruin The Winter Classic. The game is entertaining for fans and brings certain cities alive each winter. If outdoor games lose their luster, the NHL loses an opportunity to attract fans who only tune into the game for the spectacle, and this easily could happen if outdoor games are overexploited this season.
Lastly, it may not be safe. The Bruins, Kings, Ducks and Penguins are all located in states where the NFL teams haven’t even had spectators, and the infrastructure for this is not currently built. The season is hopefully about a month and a half away, and the team’s are all looking at venues that have not hosted events during the pandemic. This, along with the NFL’s struggles with containing the virus within their league presents the possibility that it may not be safe to have fans roaming around the concourses.
The idea may not be perfect, but it is very proactive. The NHL is using the sport’s relation to the cold to it’s advantage, and is trying to make it work. It is a very interesting situation and will also be something fun to pay attention to over the next several weeks.