How I Feel the NHL's Obsession with Money Now Costs Them Money Later 

In business we call this over-earning. Yes, you can screw your customers now and make a fortune - but it will cost you long term.

The nhl has ruined the tv product with the digital ads. This is the single largest contact the league with its fans.

local blackouts suck so much, i pay money to watch a game but i can only watch games everywhere other than the area i live. makes no sense to me.

This is why Shannon is The Hockey Guy. The passion in this video. Speaking for all of us fans. ❤️

I'm old enough to remember thinking that a 0 - 0 tie was a great game. A defensive goalie duel can be just as good as a fire wagon score fest

As someone who does sports betting himself, I think the NHL has gone too far in terms of advertising gambling websites and pushing it on people who have no interest in betting or have had a gambling addiction in the past...it's making the product unwatchable

Many thousands of us hockey fans are now on fixed incomes. We have to decide if we need to pay a lot of money for hockey channels on TV, or go to the doctor, put gas in the car, get groceries, plus pay a regular cable bill(obnoxiously priced as is) a to see hardly any hockey. More fans will tune in to watch if we get to see it easily. Even if the team I root for is not on, we still like to watch the game. Thanks for all THG videos, I watch probably 99% of them, and you tell it like it is, too little of this in the world today.

why are blackouts still a thing? if a leafs game or a habs game or whatever is blacked out for me i can’t watch it on tv, i can’t stream it (legally) and i can’t go to the game because i live in saskatchewan. which leaves me no choice but to watch a pirated stream or not watch at all, making the nhl no money either way.

The NHL is absolutely risking hurting itself with the intense chase for more money. I get it. It's a business and they want to make money. But chasing it too hard will hurt more in the long term. The digital ads are bad. But honestly, I'm getting sick of the gambling ads constantly. Just all time and everywhere. And while it isn't all on the NHL itself, you get it with surrounding the league. Podcasts, news sites, etc. Just so darn much.

I'll give a real world example. Up until RU-vid added the 2nd ad to each ad break, I sat through the ads because 5-15 seconds before and maybe in the middle of a video was okay. I've used adblock for years now and wouldn't even stomach that anymore. In the quest for more money, you lose good will and more consumers, so you have to keep trying to get more out of who's left.

Never lose sight of the implication of the 20% drop in ratings. It means a bunch of new people watched hockey last year out of curiosity. Then went: "this is boring/this is the same NHL I didn't like in 2005" and didn't come back this year.

This guy is a real hockey fan. The passion he has for the game. You love to see it

Couldn't agree with this more. They're like addicts, always craving the next short lived high, not realizing the damage they're doing to themselves long term. 2020 is the biggest example of this, but as you explained with the Versus deal, there is a consistent history of this.

You're the hero we need and deserve, Shannon!

The problem with the NHL is not necessarily that they actively seek new revenue sources, but that they always seem to go just that extra mile to piss off everyone. Like the digital ads could have been done in a reasonable way with no animations and some conditions for the advertisers on the use of colors so that the players don't disappear into them. You could have gotten 90% of the money without basically any backlash.

I have been watching this channel for a few years and this might be my favorite video Shannon has made. Thanks for the real talk THG!

The NHL is making its product harder to watch with the constant advertising and the jersey ads (I primarily watch the Wild who have giant ads). Ive found myself watching and caring more about football and college hockey rather than the NHL

When the NHL loses viewership, advertisers will take notice and offer less. So the NHL makes less money, BUT, those viewers? There's no guarantee they'll return.

Not sure if this last week felt ridiculously long because there was barely any hockey or because there was no Shannon lol. Genuinely missed him while he was gone. Glad you got a vacation! But man is this channel a big part of my day!

Actually before it was Versus it was The Outdoor Life Network. The National Hockey League played games on the Outdoor Life Network in the States.

As someone who brought ESPN+ to watch other teams when the Sabres aren't playing, which means I watch a ton of hockey. The digital ads and gambling ads I'm able to tune out. But I can easily see how it would be distracting for new fans. Also with the poor marketing from the league. Watching the Skills Comp was a total mess and was an opportunity blown to get new fans. It's a shame because nothing beats hockey, but it sometimes feels like in my environment that I'm the only one who watches.

the nhl has never been accused of being intelligent when it comes to needing to use critical thinking.

Saturday night I attended a VERY exciting AHL game, and missed the All Star Game as a result. Correction: I didn't miss the All Star Game one bit. I made the right call, and it wasn't close.

Don't worry... our fearless leader Gary Bettman said that his poll we never saw any data for indicated that fans like the digital ads!

I've been a hockey fan for decades, and watching on tv has become irritating that borders on stressful. It's like my social media feed threw up on my television/computer screen. There are pop up windows for twitter and instagram, moving ads, gambling stats, all on top of the usual ticker with game scores and updates scrolling along the bottom and the scoreboard. I like to watch The. Game. If I wanted to watch ads and popup windows, I would play a Candy Crush or some other phone-based game. I miss *seeing* the games, the plays, and action. Thank you for calling attention to this and speaking for all us fans!

I'm 3 years older than Shannon. I remember the talk in the '90s about the NHL becoming more popular than the NBA. Even here in New England, where hockey is more popular than in much of the U.S., that never seemed likely.

Yah, put me in the alienated category. The constant gambling ads were the final straw. I'll watch highlights online but won't sit down and watch a full game again.

The 2005-06 season was actually nationally broadcast on OLN (Outdoor Life Network), before the channel was rebranded to Versus. That network choice definitely seemed odd to me.

Solid rant, love it! The whole short-sighted shift from ESPN to VERSUS was overshadowed by the lockout. Don't think most fans even noticed because they were just happy to get NHL hockey back. Agree 100% that the NHL is interested in $ over quality of the product. The dramatic shift to the NHL being a champion of online gambling is the thing that is going to come back and haunt the NHL. What a misguided move. And the ads on the rink and players will only get worse while ticket prices continue to rise. The NHL is going to price themselves out of a lot of households.

Long time hockey fan, NHL fan, season seat holder; that said, I hate the board advertising, it is a definite distraction and it should disappear. I also would never buy a hockey jersey with advertising on it and I have a dozen or more. And the gambling sites on tv now - when do we bring back cigarette ads ? It's got to stop and I congratulate you on your stand on this issue. You speak for the fans, unfortunatley the NHL has forgotten us.

He is right about the ads. It's designed to get your attention and the fact that fans are admitting that it's distracting that's what the advertisers want. They want you to look at the digital board ad.

I actually started disliking the flashing changing ads, I really miss the actual local ads on the boards because I usually memorize the ads in October/November so I don’t have to think much about where the game is being played. In addition, the local ads are actually of a help because I would likely shop at their stores when visiting. The more nationalized feel of the game is just making it too overly corporate. I even thought the Islanders were playing at home when they digitally overlayed Northwell Health (a local Health Network and Key Sponsor of the Islanders) onto the Ice of a different arena multiple times. It just doesn’t work.

This rant about the league was awesome! Hat’s off to the hockey guy 🏒!

When Vegas came into the league, they did hockey tutorial segments during intermission. Dallas used to have some of that that too. I could the the NHL has teams explain back checking or what a hook is. If they explain penalties, maybe they need to have the zebras watch that too XD

THG the absolute GOAT

I don't like the current playoff format. A better playoff format would have 1st in conference play 8th in conference, or 1st in league play 16th in league. The benefit in both these scenarios is the best regular season finisher playing the worst finisher.

Good points Shannon. I'd like to share what I've done differently this year in response to gambling ads, board ads, gambling ads, jersey ads, gambling, and the league treating me like I'll just keep taking it: Last year I reckon I spent over $6,000 at live games. This year, I haven't gone to a single game, and I refuse to spend a dime until the league takes its viewers more seriously.

In the vein of “just because you can doesn’t mean you should”, many of the bells and whistles they’ve added digitally are asinine. I don’t need a name tag above the player when they touch the puck. I don’t need a little circle around one guy so I can “keep an eye” on him. I don’t really need a timer to know a player has been on the ice a long time, or a shot speed indicator to know a slap shot was a howitzer. It’s honestly like they’re trying to impress us or something, but all it is is a cluttered viewing experience when I just want to watch some damn hockey.

I remember stumbling upon this channel and thinking "This guy calls himself The Hockey Guy? That's quite a boast!" And yet you definitely live up to that name, Shannon. In a world of bombastic editing, clickbait and react videos, your substantive videos that are what they say on the tin are a breath of fresh air, and I can see that your channel follows the ethos you're espousing in this video.

I've been a hockey nut for 50 + years But with more access and time, the digital boad ads are causing me to not care about watching hockey Am I wasting money/ice package, , by not maximizing what I watch meh(the meh is scary) If not for Shannon, I would be losing even more contact/interest with hockey(very scary) What is happening to a rabid hockey fan who has become dis- interested in hockey

I agree. NHL needs more eyes on it. I remember being in Pennsylvania in the early 2000s. I thought I would be able to watch Pens, Devils, or Flyers games on TV. Couldn't find one game all week! Sports channels were replaying old basketball games instead.

Gambling needs to go back underground. The amount of gambling ads is disgusting considering that most of the industry is based on preying on addicts.

Shannon, this is the best video you have ever done. Every word is spot on. The NHL Board of Governors needs to watch this. Thank-you for taking what so much of us have thought and felt, and putting it so plainly and clearly.

I agree with everything you said. sadly, you only touched the surface of money problems the NHL has created themselves. I felt like this was a 5 minute video and was shocked to notice it was almost 30 minutes. Just proves you right, in my opinion. Keep it up bud

Those lockouts really reduced my interest in the NHL product and that clown show, of an all star, weekend didn't help...LoL

Sidney Crosby was in a dunk tank 🤦‍♂️

This is so true. Imagine the NHL asking the fans what they want before doing things or the NHL talking to you Shannon because you are the most passionate fan that i know of. You truly live, breath and think hockey and we can see it. I wish that the NHL could see it

I think your point on all the on-TV distractions can be made about the in-arena product as well. I think there are too many in-arena distractions too. I think arenas feel like they have to do all of this extra crap to make a hockey game watchable. I went to and Avs game in December. The whole time I was there it felt like everything else going on in the arena was the main focus and the game itself was secondary.

23:16 really hammered home something in my mind. THG and Dangle are the two hockey personalities I listen to the most, more than any TV or radio people. But the paths each have taken recently could not be more different. Unfortunately, Steve has given in to a lot of the things THG has resisted. The SDP podcast not only has gambling ads, but actual sponsored segments where they chat with a gambling company employee about what bets to make. It's gotten really out of hand and I know a chunk of his fanbase have called Steve/Adam/Jesse out for this, but they have consistently refused to even acknowledge any criticism.

i dont mind the digital ads,,, i dont like ads on the jerseys though , im glad Detroit has no jersey ads

it feels like eventually there will be so much stuff on the screen that it will just feel like playing a video game

HERE IN AUSTRALIA WE CANT EVEN LEGALY PAY TO WATCH THE NHL. It's the odd game on Kayo or illegal streams only

I'd be pissed if I paid for a regular board ad and it was covered up digitally.

You are the man Shannon. You are absolutely right when most people would still respect you and find no fault in you achieving as much money as possible. But I believe more people respect and admire you for being genuinely you, even when it comes at personal financial cost. No one does it better than you!

For me only, I see what the NHL is doing to be like a new vehicle. It has wifi, it has a DVD player, it has all your Netflix and other subscriptions... "What about the engine?" ... "Well we had to go to plastic parts instead of metal because it was cheaper, so your engine could melt if you drive too much... but this vehicle has the coolest GPS, Siri, and Netflix!

I've found myself watching other things more this season than any other time in my 25 year hockey fandom. Its the boards 100%

Did the NHL get my money for Center Ice yes Does digital boards make me less likely to watch numerous games, I normally watch.....yes Do I find myself watching a lot less hockey yes Do I go numerous days with out watching...... yes Am I thinking about not renewing my contract........maybe

I hope you had a great vacation. I went to Disneyland with my nephews a couple years ago and the amount of money you can spend there is insane. It was super fun though.

Right on Shannon. One of your best posts. My contrarian take. "Less is sometimes more". Back to basics and a 60 game regular season!

Huge issue was Leah hextall and I appears ESPN realized it because she’s been banished to intermission interviews. No business doing play by play if you don’t know the rules

The gambling ads is truly the biggest issue. It's like a pandemic. As a high school teacher, I can't even begin to tell you how often I hear students talk about their gambling losses from online betting sites. They're 15 years old.

What's funny is Comcast owners in Colorado still don't have access to altitude sports and can't watch the Avs or Nuggets. Also the Stanley Cup champs practice facilitiy is in a Family event center. They practice where laser tag is next door. We're also talking about Stan Kroenke the Dude who owns the Rams, Nuggets, Avs and Arsenal name a few. The 2nd richest NHL owner.

Shannon For Commissioner!

Much love THG.

I'm fairly new to the channel and the Bettman picture always makes me giggle.

Bringing up the AHL...their AllStar weekend was WAY more watchable than the NHLs was. And both their skills comp and games itself took less time to get thru.

Don't forget about the trapezoid ads too. They don't bother me by themselves but it's gets obnoxious with the digital ads behind the net and on the boards

Welcome to Europe where if you don't know the team, you sometimes don't know which picture is the logo on the jersey because of the ads.

All the digital and projected ads in Europe... next year. they just need to install some new tech. The Euro arenas are now as sophisticated as in NA. Want some fun ? Go watch a vintage game form the 70's... no ads anywhere...Perfect.

I think what the nhl has seemed to forget is that hockey is already the most visually busy sport out of the big 4. With baseball and football you have frequent breaks between each pitch/play. And in basketball, the court is small enough where you have extra space at the top that isn’t really being used. With hockey you don’t have any of that.

Very well done, Shannon! The grab for money at any cost, the cost of integrity, pride, history, or the sentiment both good and bad. ( you acknowledge both, to be better) is very short-sighted and cost you more.

One thing I noticed with the digital ads is that the top of the goalie water bottle keeps flickering because of poor technology. So you would have this dark small object that is roughly the same size as a puck keep flickering at the back of the net, as if someone has scored a goal, and it's really distracting under certain circumstances.

I wouldn’t mind the jersey/helmet ads if they were just solid black/white, though i completely agree with the digital board and on ice ads especially during live play

speaking as a fan from across the pond, how busy the screen is now when watching games really makes it a tough watch as well as a tough sell to my friends, especially when it can be tricky to follow the puck on a clean screen (I have many years experience of stopping up late in the 90's to watch a game on a cheap analogue small screen TV so I its easy enough for me) but with the points raised about growing the game, the on screen presentation is actively hurting the game. The on ice product is defo the best I've seen in my 20 years plus of viewing. As always Shannon, a great, balanced, insightful and thought provoking video.

I wish I would have known you were in the Anaheim area, I would have loved to talk hockey with you and other members of the community.

So glad you made a point on the gambling. It's absolutely absurd to spend so much time per game on the odds and bets to win.

You are correct 💯. I have already this year turned off games entirely because of all this nonsense. I hate the ads on the helmets and the jerseys! I think all the different jerseys are becoming too much!

Unfortunately not all broadcasts are created equal. I hear a lot of complaints about blackouts and ads. As a Devils fan living in the Dallas market, I gotta say I feel very lucky. I pay like $20 for ESPN+ (Hulu and Disney included) and like $40 for sling which gives me all the national broadcasts. Being able to choose which teams broadcast I watch has been a game changer. MSG is fantastic. The ads aren't intrusive and there's no tickers at the bottom of the screen or anything. It's hard for me to see what everyone is complaining about until I remember that I don't live in a big hockey market and somehow that gives me more options on how I view the game. So in a way I kind of feel like the NHL has accomplished its job out attracting smaller markets. But at the cost of angering the bigger markets. Anyway love the content.

Welcome home. Glad you had a safe and fun trip

As a Ducks fan, finally got to watch Bally on a single-team fee basis. I was paying $20 a month. A bit high but OK, ill do it. The product was HORRIBLE. JUST HORRIBLE. It’s unwatchable. I cancelled. PS - I personally don’t care about jersey ads.

I listen to the game, more than watch it, now. Great announcers make the game come to life…

Just wait till they start putting ads in the commentary: "here comes Jack Hughes on a Honda Civic™ breakaway! He shoots and a huge Tim Hortons™ glove save by Ullmark! What a brilliant McDonald's McStretch Pass™ by Hamilton that was.

I agree 100% Shannon! Thank you for saying for me much better than I could say it myself. The digital boards are so distracting! Especially when a puck or a wheel rolls by. I find myself trying to concentrate on not looking at them at all but it takes away the ability to just enjoy the game for what it is. Digital ads on the glass are just as bad, I want to look into the crowd and see the crowd like I am actually at the game. I am close to giving up on the whole game which as a Canadian I am so proud of. How much of this crap are we we supposed to take?

The fact that we have blackouts in 2023 is insane to me. I'm a Devils fan living in Flyers country. I bought ESPN+ to watch every Devils game because 1) its cheaper than cable and 2) they're not even on TV despite me still being in Jersey. But the 3 or 4 times a year we play the Flyers I can't watch and have to find a stream through reddit (which yes Gary it's totally legit) because it's blacked out. If you want to grow the game and bring in new fans putting restrictions on local teams is the wrong way to do it

A big thing is also the culture that prphibts the game from marketing its stars and that's totally on the junior hockey coaches and management coming up. Connor Bedard was recently featured on CBC's "The National" and he said "You never know what the future holds, whether I'm back here (meaning Regina/WHL) next year or not. I'm not thinking about that. I don't want to have the menality this is the last little bit (in junior hockey)." That answer reeks of years of media training and being taught if you say anything remotely interesting or off-script, the media will use it against you. Although that's true, it would allow him to display some personality. Instead, hockey culture beats the personalities out of the kids and makes them boring robots/clones. A better answer (that would still allow him to display some of that humilty) would be to say, "If everything goes according to plan this will be my last year in Regina and so I'm trying to savour it as much as possible. Right now, I've got four goals: win the WHL championship, win a Memorial Cup, go number one overall in the draft, and be playing NHL hockey come next October." This false humility thing where all these stars endlessly compliment each other (like McDavid constantly saying Crosby is the best player in the world) doesn't sell tickets. Like WWE, the NFL, and the NBA, this is the entertainment business. We need heroes, villians, players you hate to love/love to hate, guys you root for, guys you boo. Players like Brad Marchant, PK Subban, and Sean Avery have/had it right. That's what sells tickets and brings in causuals and causes you to watch out-of-market games on a midweek night between two teams you don't root for because there's a compelling storyline.

Great Video Shannon. I totally agree about passing up short term gains with an eye to increasing and maintaining your fan base, which is really how the NHL can sustain their earnings over time. Any hockey fan can tell you, high scoring games can be the most boring. Listen to Shannon, Gary. Get rid of the electronic boards and let the best hockey players in the world do their jobs.

The Economics Guy

Nice work

Great stream Shannon. I’m a long time Bruins / NHL fan. I remember Ted Lindsey doing color , Peter Puck between periods and fuzzy UHF broadcasts trying to follow the puck. Sadly, your comments about money and the game are right on point. I used to think the NHL was kind of immune from the commercial trappings that are embraced by the other professional sports. Between TV ad revenue and now sports betting and gaming, the pure hockey fan is the looser. In fact, I have started watching more College hockey as a result. Really hate to see the NHL look more like the NBA or NFL.

I started actively watching last year, mainly because I wanted to watch it with my father, and I can tell you, I'm not enjoying it nearly as much this year. I'll lose track of the puck because of flicking ads (and I have poor eyes as it is), and the frustration builds. Then we get 100 mid-roll ads when they are going back to face off, and all those ads are gambling, and the frustration builds. Then they are having even more inconsistent calls, and the frustration builds. It's to the point where unless the game is bound to be an exciting game with two great teams, I'm not watching. And once my subscription ends, I'm not renewing. So that's kind of my point of view as a relatively new viewer, but a long time follower of the sport.

Digital ads and gambling have turned off me conpletely. I watch you and hockey highlights now, that's it.

Thank goodness the KINGS have no jersey ads or helmet ads... yet.

I started watching and playing hockey in the late 1950's. Objectively speaking, the game is played better today, but I don't watch it anymore. The simplicity and the soul are on life support. You're the man, Shannon; a Canadian who knows and loves hockey.

Why am I imagining Mr Krabs as Gary Bettman?

It's the ads, I think I've watched one game in its entirety this season... I get that some people can tolerate them... I'm one of those who have been lost at the margin. That said, if they replaced all/most of the physical ads with digital ads, I'd probably pay good money for an ad-free version.

Biggest turn off for me has been the gambling ads and espn commenters, I really like the home/away play by play teams around the league. But the espn team reminds me of the last couple of nhl games on Xbox no passion, I hate gambling the ads are generally obnoxious. I’m sure there are plenty of businesses that could fill the void of betting

Last night I watched the AHL All-Star organized by the Laval Rocket, farm team of the Montreal Canadiens. You know what? It was 10 times more entertaining and competitive game than the NHL gimmick over the weekend. Players seemed to enjoy the format and we saw the intensity increased towards the end of the game. Fans were cranked up, as it is usually the case for Rocket games. It was the perfect mix of tradition and modernity last night. Kudos for the AHL and the Rocket. They, at least, get it.

Thank you, it's so rare to hear someone say they like a low scoring game. The more goals there are, the less important each goal is.

exactly! well thought out and said guy. one of the main reasons i quit watching NASCAR over 15 years ago...unfortunately professional hockey it seems going down the same route...😪

I look forward to your vidoes EVERY SINGLE DAY Shannon. Thanks for all you do. Rarely comment on RU-vid but thought you deserve to know how much your efforts are appreciated