Gary Bettman Pulls the Plug on Top NHL Event After Failing to Generate Fan Excitement
Photo credit: AP Photo/Mary Altaffer
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has decided to stop broadcasting a major NHL event after realizing that hockey fans aren't particularly interested in it.
Each year, the top players come together for the traditional Awards Ceremony, which takes place just before the NHL draft. Although elite players strive to win the Stanley Cup, players who excel in particular categories are recognized with other honors. While some of them are proud of those accomplishments, others are only interested in the Stanley Cup.
According to Elliotte Friedman, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman decided to call off the award ceremony, but the top players will still receive their prizes.
"What the league is looking at in combination with the Players' Association, is what else can they do that's interesting, what else can they do that will make the awards special," Friedman said. "A couple of things have been thrown out. One of the ideas is doing it the way the NBA does it.
The NBA, during the first week of the playoffs, will honour the winners at their home arenas.
These are the kind of things that are being considered because it's not expected this year that there will be an awards show as we've seen it in the past."
The NBA, during the first week of the playoffs, will honour the winners at their home arenas.
These are the kind of things that are being considered because it's not expected this year that there will be an awards show as we've seen it in the past."
Since the league awards the same trophies each year, frequently to the same players, the ceremony has previously drawn a lot of criticism for being too predictable. Naturally, some awards create more buzz than others, such as the Hart Memorial Trophy, which is given to the player who is most valuable to his team, the Calder Trophy, which is given to the best rookie, and the Vezina Trophy, which is given to the best goalie of the regular season. The players will still receive their trophies, of course, but there won't be a big ceremony.
Friedman claims that reducing the number of events at the end of the season is another benefit of doing away with the NHL awards show. According to Friedman, it was "too much, too quickly."
This is really disappointing for a lot of fans. Others, however, see this as a sign of important future shifts. Fans will eventually grow accustomed to this new formula, even though it doesn't seem all that exciting right now.
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