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Originally Posted by Matty81
I don't know that anyone is going to be able to provide data to back up either point of view. But I find it hard to believe or argue that anybody could believe participation in the Olympics over the last 20 years hasn't exposed a lot of people to hockey who wouldn't otherwise know it exists.
This olympics will definitely create new fans in South Korea and Asia, how many is impossible to tell right now but it certainly won't lose hockey any fans.
Not to mention the impact it has on existing markets. Lots of people in Canada who aren't super into the NHL were drawn more into hockey by Crosby's golden goal. And the argument that it might hurt the NHL is total nonsense. If one team doesn't win because of an injury, another market will, it's a zero sum game.
Ultimately, it doesn't have to be the Olympics even, but a best on best international tournament with broad distribution (that isn't mickey mouse like the god awful world cup) draws people who aren't followers of the NHL in.
Like the WBC baseball, if owners are left to own that tournament, they will ensure it is second priority to their own money making endeavor and looks and is treated badly relative to the stanley cup finals, which is too bad.
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I just don't see it. First of all hockey isn't the marquee sport. Figure skating is. Sure if the NHLers had gone it would be fun for Korean fans to be exposed to great hockey for two weeks and then it would be forgotten. Just like Nagano in 1998. Japanese didn't suddenly become NHL fans. NHL hockey is not on tv, which another entirely different problem the NHL has.
Here is the problem with hockey. The World Cup profit goes to the NHLPA/NHL. The Olympic profits go to the IOC. What's in it for the federations? Why would China spend money on hockey? Why would Chinese fan watch this foreign sport that has no benefit for them?
If you want to make Asia interested in hockey? You have to give them a piece of the pie. Not just a one time thing where NHLers come for 2 weeks and then leave.
How is this done? Give Asia a guaranteed sport in the next World Cup and share some of the Asian tv money with them. NHLPA/NHL can't hog everything. Say in 2020 the World Cup is 10 teams with an Asian team. Yes they will get destroyed but just the fight to gain that birth (the fight between China, Korea, Japan, Australia, New Zealand etccc) would develop home grown talent.
So a 2020 World Cup that has Canada, US, Russia, Czech, Sweden, Finland, Slovakia, Switzerland, (euro qualifer), (asian qualifier) with proper money distribution would be a true World Cup.