The Stanley Cup begins tonight in Los Angeles as the Kings host the New York Rangers in the opener of the best of 7 for the NHL Championship.
There was a time when it was hypothesized that a Rangers-Kings Final would be the greatest thing ever for growth of the game of hockey.
The thinking was based on New York & Los Angeles having the two biggest television markets in the United States, and thus, a Stanley Cup with teams in those markets would only be beneficial.
I don’t necessarily disagree with the thought process, but really, based on the playoffs this year, hockey has done an exceptional job of selling the excitement of the post season through the on-ice product.
Columbus-Pittsburgh, Minnesota-Colorado, Anaheim-Dallas, Rangers-Philly, Montreal-Boston, Rangers-Pittsburgh, and the LA Kings win three straight Game 7 victories on the road, including that epic series with Chicago, which I understand is the third largest TV market.
What could be better ?
Keep in mind, there’s every possibility that the Final won’t be as good as the 14 playoff rounds that have taken us through the last month & half.
But if the Kings-Rangers Stanley Cup Final is the best series of 2014, it would be a dream come true for the NHL’s Marketing Department.
I’m Fred Wallace