From the moment the Vegas Golden Knights won the Stanley Cup in June, the National Hockey League turned its focus north to a kid named Connor Bedard.
Hockey fans knew about Bedard for years. The Canadian prodigy, who was dubbed “the future of hockey” at the age of 13, has been the sport’s most talked-about prospect since 2015.
That prospect was, of course, Connor McDavid.
McDavid was perhaps the most anticipated player the sport had ever seen – a physical marvel with electric speed and breathtaking lateral movement who would change the sport forever. He largely did that in his first eight years in the league.
“He’s immeasurably better than the next best player in the league, and yet if you turn to the person behind you in the grocery line and ask them if they know who Connor McDavid is, even the average American sports fan can’t say for sure.” Yes.”
It’s a problem the NHL is actively trying to fix.
In 2021, the NHL reached rights agreements with both ESPN and Turner Sports (now known as Warner Bros. Discovery Sports).
“This groundbreaking seven-year agreement will not only allow the NHL to benefit from the unparalleled power, reach and influence of The Walt Disney Company and ABC/ESPN, it also sets a new standard in delivering our game to the most passionate and technically savvy “Players.” savvy fans in sports in the ways they now demand and on the platforms they use,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement when the deal with ESPN was announced.
Shortly after acquiring the rights to 72 NHL regular-season games – as well as the Winter Classic, part of the playoff rounds and alternating rights to the Stanley Cup Final with ESPN – TNT announced the hiring of Wayne Gretzky as lead studio analyst . Personalities such as Paul Bissonnette and Henrik Lundqvist have also signed up. The goal was clearly to emulate the network’s wildly successful “Inside the NBA” program, which thrives on the popularity and banter of its established hosts and has become must-see pop culture content.
Similarly, the NHL began using its ESPN partnership to expose players to a much larger and more diverse audience. While this isn’t the league’s first alliance with ESPN, which aired games throughout parts of the ’80s, ’90s and early 2000s, the NHL is making an obvious effort to showcase the sport at an unprecedented level.
One avenue in particular that the NHL uses is “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Pat McAfee, perhaps the most important pundit in today’s sports media landscape, began licensing his show to ESPN in September in a multiyear deal reportedly worth over eight figures. The show airs daily on ESPN television, ESPN+ and YouTube, which McAfee said gives him greater access to production resources and league rights opportunities.
On Wednesday’s episode, McAfee spoke with former NHL player and ESPN analyst PK Subban about the critical contribution ESPN will make to the advancement of the sport of hockey and how it is covered.
“The game is at an all-time high right now,” Subban said. “I think ESPN has done a great job of highlighting the superstars. I think that’s where hockey has fallen behind.”
“But look at Connor Bedard, he was the star in the first few weeks of hockey and everyone in the world knows who he is now. And as the season progresses, they’ll learn more about him because he’s an incredible talent, he’ll help increase NHL revenue and bring new people into the game. But his skills are comparable to many elite athletes we see in other sports. And we just have to bring that to the platform we have here at ESPN and show the world who we are.
To their credit, the NHL aggressively supported this strategy. Every single game Bedard has played in so far has been nationally televised, with the camera defaulting to the young phenom’s face. Remember Connor McDavid’s debut? Probably not. It was an away game in St. Louis that was not nationally broadcast in the United States.
“I think with the NHL we need to continue to get the cameras closer to these players, show who they are and highlight the individual players on the teams,” Subban said. “Hockey traditionally celebrates the team and the history of the team, which is all great, but I’m sorry, when Cleveland was winning championships, I wanted to watch LeBron.” [James] play. And when Chicago won championships, I’ll be watching [Michael] Play Jordan.
“[When the] The Chicago Blackhawks are playing, I’ll be watching Connor Bedard. The NHL must continue to shine a spotlight on the people in sports who are doing great things.”
Bedard’s debut, an ESPN primetime match against his childhood idol Sidney Crosby, drew an average viewership of 1.43 million, making it the most-watched regular-season NHL game in cable television history, excluding the Winter Classic. From a local perspective, NBC Sports Chicago’s first two games this season averaged a 2.0 household rating in the Chicago market, a 233% increase over the first two games last season.
The league finally seems to understand that a sport is only as popular as its biggest star. Now the strategy is crystal clear: Every casual sports fan in America will know Bedard’s name.
That’s why McAfee booked Connor Bedard as a guest on his show a few weeks ago, shortly before the start of the season. It was a great opportunity to introduce the average American sports fan to hockey’s newest celebrity. Hockey players don’t have the best reputation when it comes to their personality – for lack of a better word. It’s another hurdle the league has to overcome. A guy like Bedard, who has already impressed many people with his sense of humor and quick jokes, is the perfect guy to go head-to-head with ESPN’s biggest star on live television.
“It feels like the culture of hockey has been very secretive for a long time,” McAfee told Subban on Wednesday. “You had a personality. You are sociable. You chat and tell stories. Hockey people never did that. I thought seeing Connor Bedard on our show was a huge deal.”
“Connor [Bedard] Being in Chicago is a big fucking deal. It is the third largest city in the United States of America. They have a very long hockey history. They haven’t been doing so well for a long time. And he should be next. This is huge for hockey.”
He’s right. It’s a big fucking deal.
The rare diamond from North Vancouver belongs to the NHL.
They have a responsibility to the sport of ice hockey to capitalize on this.
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