Five Ways NHL Can Capitalize on Olympics

The NHL gets zero out of the Olympics. Gary Bettman is right to consider dropping league support. The only way to keep the NHL in the Olympics is for the NHL to leverage the Olympics to its advantage like the Olympics leverages the NHL.

The arguments against league involvement have been discussed countless times. The league is shut down, and the risk for injury to its best players casts a shadow during the tournament. Additionally, the All-Star Game is canceled, which means one less marquee event for the league and lost revenue for a league city. For these reasons and others, it is easy to see Bettman's apprehension about committing to the 2014 Olympic games.

It is time to for the Olympics to benefit the NHL. Everyone is in agreement the NHL needs to find ways to use the Olympic momentum to its advantage. Advancing the game of hockey through the Olympics is nice, but advancing the NHL through the Olympics is better. After all, the NHL is in the business of advancing the league, the owners, and the players.

Here are five ways for the NHL to capitalize on the Olympics and to justify staying in the Olympics:

1) Buzz. What the Olympics lacked was discussion about the NHL. How many times did NBC tell viewers the Americans hadn't beat the Canadians since 1960? The only NHL buzz was if the league was going to allow its players in the 2014 games. The NHL needs to create attention-grabbing storylines about the league and opportunities for the press to talk about the NHL. Creating buzz can be done three ways:

A) Have a week-long winter meeting in the host Olympic city. The agenda topics will the include announcement of the flex NHL schedule (see No. 2), top prospects and the draft (see C), and the trading deadline, among other league business. The advantage is that many press outlets are concentrated in the Olympic city at this time making it easier for the NHL to get attention.

B) Move the trade deadline to two weeks after the Olympics. During the Olympics there will be talk about the future of the players in the tournament. This year's deadline was four days after the Olympic gold medal game. There needs to be more time to speculate on moves during the Olympics and after the Olympics. The longer the rumor mill can run the better.

C) Invite the top 100 NHL prospects in the world to a week-long combine and four-on-four tournament two weeks prior to the Olympics. Run prospects through drills and give them a chance to play each other. The press will talk about the future Olympians and future NHL stars the week before the games and throughout the games. Some of these prospects may actually be Olympians, which won't hurt either. Some of these prospects will be undrafted, creating more buzz for the NHL draft and those who are property of teams will be talked about as trade bait.

2) A post-Olympics flex schedule. The schedule after the Olympics will be decided at the Olympic winter league meeting and announced during the Olympics. The teams separated by 10 points, and fighting for the last two playoff spots before the Olympics start will have a weighted schedule. These teams will play each other more often during the last weeks of the season. Roughly 9 points separate seven teams fighting for the last two playoff spots in the West. Six teams are separated by 8 points in the East. Let these teams play each other during the last 20+ games of the season

As it stands now, Detroit plays eight of its last 21 games against the teams fighting for the last two playoff spots, while Anaheim plays only five games against these teams in their last 20 games. Teams battling for the last playoff spots should have a minimum of half their remaining games against each other.

3) A marketing campaign during the Olympics should send the message that the best players in the world wear the NHL shield. For the most part, the best players in the world are in the Olympics, and it should be emphasized that the best players in the Olympics are playing in the NHL.

4) A second Outdoor Classic with a twist. The second game should be hosted by a Canadian team at a small outdoor rink. This Field of Dreams type game would have limited tickets available and emphasize the Canadian origins of the game. The press relentlessly emphasized how Canada invented hockey during the Olympics. This Outdoor Classic would take fans back to its roots at a small outdoor venue. Ticket demand and the marketing possibilities would enhance the NHL. The home team would need to receive financial support for losing a home game, but it would be worth it.

5) Heavy television saturation after the Olympics. The Versus television network needs to air five consecutive nights of the flex schedule games. The weekend after the Olympics should have Versus or NBC air three consecutive flex games on Saturday and Sunday. NBC and Versus would essentially be airing playoff hockey immediately after the Olympics.

The above plan creates a lot of disruption to the league, its schedule, and the Olympics. As a result of the above plan, the NHL may become a slight distraction and cause some disruptions during the Olympics. But ultimately, it allows the NHL to take Olympic momentum and make it NHL momentum.