NHL Season Preview: League Looks To Leave Rough Summer Behind

A compelling '08-09 NHL season “created momentum with increased overall attendance and television ratings, and the NHL heads into the new season with the best possible building blocks in place,” according to Wes Goldstein of CBSSPORTS.com. But instead of “those subjects occupying the minds of fans during the offseason, the league has had to deal with one P.R. nightmare after another.” An Eastern Conference team exec said, “This was probably one time when the less attention the league had, the better. The optics were generally pretty bad, but you hope once the season starts, the games will be what’s important” (CBSSPORTS.com, 9/30). The NATIONAL POST’s Bruce Arthur notes the league “took beating after beating” this offseason. The “summer of chaos” included “economic problems, the players’ association’s continued dysfunction, some recalcitrant and boorish off-ice behaviour, more trouble on the U.S. television side, and Gary Bettman, tight lipped and condescending, on a witness stand” (NATIONAL POST, 9/30). However, SI’s Michael Farber writes as the season starts, the Original Six -- the Bruins, Blackhawks, Red Wings, Canadiens, Rangers and Maple Leafs -- have “rarely been cooler,” and they remain the “bedrock of the league” (SI, 10/5 issue).

DROP THE PUCK: With the NHL set to begin its ’09-10 season tonight, THE DAILY offers a special preview section offering coverage and analysis of many of the aforementioned subjects. We explore the implications of the decision to reject Jim Balsillie's bid to buy and relocate the Coyotes, dive into the ongoing dispute between Versus and DirecTV and present the latest on the NHLPA's continuing squabble. We also look at how the Penguins are following up last year's Stanley Cup win from a marketing perspective and examine a 10-year attendance trend for all 30 teams.