Letters to the Editor
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America and Hockey
In response to the previous post about the excitement of hockey and why it hasn't caught on here in the States . . . I think many would agree a stronger, more expansive television/cable deal would benefit.
But I also feel there is a distance many feel to the exclusive skill sets of the sport. Not to take anything away from the other sports but the skill of skating alone turns a lot of people off because a lot of people can't skate. My experiences with other sports fans brushing off hockey, in my view, seemed to be grounded in an impotence of knowledge and background in the basic skills.
That being said, there was a time in the '90s when Sports Illustrated had a cover story stating "Why the NHL is Hot and the NBA is Not" and with the number of close games and OT series enders, it's a wonder why it isn't- maybe the key is exposure and a better marketing campaign, we'll see . . .