Hockey Plays "What if"

We’re barely past the first round of the playoffs and I’m already sick and tired of the NHL’s Stanley Cup ads.

What if Bobby didn’t fly? What if Ray didn’t come back for one more year? What if Messier didn’t guarantee a win? What if Gretzky wasn’t great?

What if I switched to the NBA playoffs to avoid watching those ads?

ENOUGH!

What’s more aggravating is that the questions incite this notion of importance. They make it seem like the suggested events and people were earth-shattering. Moments that changed the plight of our civilization.

What if Bobby didn’t fly? Well, the Bruins would probably go on to win the game anyway since they were leading the series 3-0.

What if Ray didn’t come back for one more year? The Avalanche would still have won the cup.

What if Messier didn’t guarantee a win? Come on, he had a 50/50 chance of being right.

What if Gretzky wasn’t great? Messier would have picked up the slack.

Why stop there? I’m having fun.

What if Lord Stanley never created the Stanley Cup? The NHL would instead have a simple trophy named after a former president/commissioner and its tournament would probably have a sponsor.

Get ready for the 2010 Viagra NHL Playoffs!

What if Conn Smythe never changed his team’s name to the Maple Leafs? Toronto would be home to the St. Pats. Probably would still have the same cup drought. The only difference would be people talking about the green and white.

What if Hull’s foot wasn’t in the crease? Perhaps the city of Buffalo would avoid heartbreak for once.

What if Kerry Fraser called a slashing penalty on Gretzky? Leaf fans would never have to think about 1967.

What if the Sharks beat the Ducks last year? There would be more confidence in San Jose.

What if Maurice Richard took up bowling instead of hockey? Think about it.

These arrogant Stanley Cup ads tie in with a recent discussion forum topic started by H-54 user The Dan.

This gentleman noted how the playoffs are described as a time when players raise the level of play. However, The Dan points out that such a message does more harm than good.

It suggests that regular season play is not as intense as the playoffs; the players don’t work as hard. Therefore, watching regular season games are a waste of time and casual fans should just wait until April to see exciting hockey.

A notion such as this one might not exist in Canada. But it certainly holds true when it relates to the NHL’s constant struggle trying to promote the game in the United States.

Regardless, the NHL’s playoff marketing campaign has failed this year. To suggest these “moments” changed the fate of the world is conceited.

They were just moments. That’s it. That’s all. If they never happened, the same result would likely occur or a different outcome would happen with little significance. We’d wake up the next day and the world would stay the same.

The NHL can rant and rave about the playoffs as much as they want. At the end of the day, it’s the on-ice product that will attract viewers. If the league can clean up what happens on the ice and treat every match – regular season and playoffs – equally, television numbers will rise.

As I’ve said before, if the Olympics taught us anything, it’s that you don’t need violent, aggressive behaviour or one-time, significant moments to garner attention.

Every game in that tournament was met with excitement. Every match wasn’t symbolized by one moment, it was represented by 60 minutes (or more) of moments - even the gold medal match.

The NHL should study and learn from the Vancouver Winter Games.

Until that happens, I will roll my eyes every time those “what if” ads show up on my screen. I might even change the channel.