Hockey Fans Don’t Watch the Finals Unless Their Team is Involved

I watched my first hockey game in Lincoln, Nebraska.  Home of the USHL Lincoln Stars.  (Proud alumni include David Backes and Brandon Bollig.)  The Ice Box holds a few thousand people.  One game and I was hooked.  My wife as well.

But it appears that hockey fans are turning a bit fickle.

While we are big fans of our own teams, we often turn a blind eye towards the Stanley Cup Finals if our teams aren’t involved.

At least based on the TV ratings.

My favorite team isn’t in the Finals this year, but I still watch the games.

What is behind this trend?

Part of the reason is what the New York Times described last year as a lack of crossover stars.

But everyone, from the league, to the teams, to the media are trying to figure out why.

Here is an even more interesting stat: “neutral” hockey fans actually watch the conference championships more than the Finals.

Puck Daddy shares their thoughts:

That’s what hockey fans are known for in the postseason: Turning off the television and getting their summer on instead of watching the pucks fly deep into the playoffs. That’s why the NHL desperately needs a massive local audience from at least one of the Stanley Cup Final participants in order to have a respectable rating.

The good news for the NHL: Ever since bottoming out with a 1.2 overall rating in the Ducks’ 2007 Cup Final win over the Ottawa Senators – the lowest rated Final on record – they’ve been lucky with the matchups. Two battles between Detroit and Pittsburgh. Chicago vs. Philly. Boston, bringing a massive New England audience. Los Angeles vs. New Jersey, a lackluster series that came in at a 1.8. Chicago vs. Boston. LA vs. New York. And now, Chicago again.

The bad news is that they still are way too reliant on having that massive local audience carry the national rating.

Which brings us back to our original question: Why don’t more American hockey fans watch the Final?

Internal research from the NHL suggests that hockey fans are “the most tribal” when it comes to postseason viewership. Hockey fans aren’t as engaged in the championship round as the “Big Four” if their team isn’t involved, or if they don’t have a rooting interest.

We’re not talking about casual sports fans that dip in when there’s a Game 7. We’re talking engaged hockey fans who watch games during the season, interact on social media, but don’t count themselves among Blackhawks or Lightning fans.

These are “neutral fans,” and they’re the heart of the problem for the NHL and its U.S. ratings ceiling.

“It may be that neutral NHL fans don’t watch the Cup Final as much as NBA or MLB fans watch their respective championships. From what I’ve seen over the years it’s easier for the NBA Finals or World Series to earn big numbers in neutral markets than it is for the Stanley Cup Final — Buffalo, Boston/Providence and Minneapolis the main exceptions,” said Paulsen, the founder of Sports Media Watch.

“I suspect the NHL is more of a regional attraction — i.e., fans care primarily about their own team. Neutral NBA fans have an intense interest in LeBron James, much as neutral MLB fans had in the New York Yankees when they were contending. I don’t think there’s as much interest among neutral NHL fans in teams like the Blackhawks or Rangers.”

Which is, of course, maddening for the NHL. The Blackhawks should be the Yankees of their era. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are stars. So is Steven Stamkos. They shouldn’t be ‘famous for hockey’ but famous in sports.

Image courtesy of Sergei Scurfield.