Watching that youtube clip, it seems like the announcers were caught off guard that another guy was even competing with "Mchayzus" much less beating him.
Grow the game, elevate the stars! Sure. But to concentrate solely on one guy ain't gonna do it. Especially when said star plays in the most distant and desolate market possible, with apologies to Winnipeg.
I remember in the 90's when I was getting into my teens and my interest in sports other than the NHL was piqued. I came to learn that every team in the NFL and the NBA had a star player and I was interested in learning who they were and why they were great. I'm sure people unfamiliar with the NHL have a similar way of engaging. Video games even emphasize that more since you can literally pretend to be those guys and try every team. One game I'd dance around defences with Barry Sanders, the next I'd be dropping back and launching bombs with Dan Marino, the next I'd scramble around with John Elway.
But it seems the NHL is just hellbent on having one star. Another Gretzky. After all, that was the actual golden era, they surely realize. Little do they seem to understand, he was buoyed by all the other stars that played at the same time.
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