The NHL should market the guys along with their girlfriends.  These guys, and especially girlfriends, are very attractive people.  Look at Mike Modano and his girlfriend.  Henrik Zetterberg and Emma, and the list goes on and on.  Even if the guys are a little boring, their girlfriends are bright and lively.

Posted by w2j2 on 01/24/08 at 03:38 PM ET

Not sure if you missed it w2j2, Modano recently married that girl.  Unless you are talking about a new girlfriend…

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 01/24/08 at 03:42 PM ET

NHL players are very modest and that draws some fans to them and repels others away. Of course this can make them more difficult to market.

But why should they be bullied (by Adam Proteau no less) into living as an alter ego, that they must play the part of a flamboyant performer on and off the ice? Why should Brian Leetch act like Terrell Owens? Isn’t it possible that some hockey players would rather earn less money if it means maintaining a semblance of dignity and class?

He named 4 NFL players: TO, Randy Moss, Lawrence Taylor, and Brian Urlacher. 3 of the 4 are known either as divas and/or lawbreakers. That’s desirable? (I don’t know much about Brian Urlacher...never stood out much anyway off the field).

Athletes should not be forced into being puppets. This is true in many ways. The NHL does have a culture of modesty, which can suppress personalities and create a dull image. So they could allow a little more freedom in that sense. But it is absolutely ridiculous to force an individual like Brian Leetch (or anyone else) to force them into the public eye in their private team.

Posted by Dan on 01/24/08 at 05:25 PM ET

Agreed, Dan.  No one should have to become a cartoon if they don’t want to.

I’m sure that with a couple dozen players on each team someone is interesting enough to interview - it just might not be the biggest star, and he might be more a quiet and thoughtful quote instead of a loud sound-bite generator.  It requires a little more effort, but I’d think the insight would be worth it.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 01/24/08 at 05:38 PM ET

This isn’t complicated.  Hockey players are, by and large, nice guys who’re passionate about the game they play, and are pretty affable and accessible.  If the NHL feels that marketing their players as anything else than a refreshing alternative to the tabloid-esque hype surrounding some other sports’ stars is a bad idea, shame on them, because I happen to think that it’s great to promote the players for who they are…

And if that means leaving a superstar alone because he’s not comfortable in the spotlight, so be it.  Kris Draper, Kirk Maltby, Chris Chelios, and Tomas Holmstrom are tremendous assets to the Wings, and while we’re lucky that Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk (whose wry sense of humour is starting to come out) are friendly, too, even the vanilla guys have tons of stuff to say--if those short-attention-span theatre-goers known as reporters put in half an effort. 

I interviewed Nicklas Lidstrom, albeit briefly, and he’s an absolutely brilliant man who will sincerely and genuinely answer any question, and if you ask him about the tactical aspects of the game, that gigantic hockey mind goes to work, and he gives you an, “Gee, I never really thought about it that way” answer.  Just because he’s “vanilla” doesn’t mean that he’s bland--far from it.  He’s just an honest, polite person who’s secure enough with himself that his rightfully massive hockey-playing confidence doesn’t translate across to his secure-but-not-egotistical off-ice self. 

Our players are great, just as they are, and I’d rather watch the Caps’ site’s video of Brooks Laich talking about how he tapes his stick, or Niklas Kronwall glibly interviewing a Rolls Royce rep at the Auto Show than to see some scandalous spread of so-and-so with a Hollywood starlet (no offence to Paul or any of the Scarlett Johansson fans out there).  Market the hell out of the ones who’re willing, and understand that part of that marketing plan means that if a guy wants space, well, that’s okay, because this is hockey, where you don’t have to force guys into the spotlight--you just have to ask them thought-out questions, and you’ll get thoughtful and insightful responses.

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 01/24/08 at 08:13 PM ET

Good post Dan.

It has been well known for years that hockey players are the more polite and personable players in sports for the media to interview. And now, somehow that is a problem? I agree with the author on the premise that the NHL needs to branch out from Crosby. If the league wants to promote individual players rather than teams, I think its plain nuts to put the entire future of the league on one or two stars, particularly given that neither Crosby or AO or any other player is truly heads and shoulders above the others. But, to argue that the NHL needs arrogant, selfish malcontent showoffs in order to become popular is insane.

Maybe culture differences, with a large percentage of NHL players from either Canada or Europe, might play a part in the marketing problem, though I think the international aspect is an overrated excuse as too many US-based news organizations and media conglomerates lack creativity and intestinal fortitude and choose to play it safe. The league could go overseas to see how European football clubs market their players as many of their players are from different international backgrounds.

I myself prefer the modest hardworking sport stars. I admire players like Yzerman and Lidstrom, Tom Brady, Brian Leetch, Pete Sampras, Greg Maddux and Mike Modano. Maybe that’s just because their personality is more like my own. I just tend to see a quiet brilliance to how they go about mastering their craft. The TO’s, the Randy Mosses the Kobe Bryants and the other “look at me, aren’t I special” players seem to be more about soap opera antics than of substance on the field. But, if that is the only way to market the sport of hockey to new fans, then I’d rather the NHL stay a niche sport.

Btw, I’d be interested in hearing how more TO-like hockey players would play to Canadian fans, or even in the Midwest US. Midwesterners tend not to gravitate towards “me first” showoffs and there are a lot of hockey fans in the Midwest. Do European sports fans put up with these types of players or is this some kind of American fascination.

Posted by UMFan from Colorado on 01/24/08 at 08:52 PM ET