Do They Still Play Hockey?

Tiger Woods is getting a little abuse this morning from hockey fans for a comment he recently made about their sport. When asked at a press conference about the Stanley Cup, Woods replied, smiling:

"I don't really care. It's all about the Dodgers. I don't think anyone really watches hockey anymore."

To summarize: Woods was asked a question. He answered. What he said is not technically accurate, of course - people do still watch the NHL. But interest in far less than it used to be; the NHL is a team sport has never really recovered from its owner-player labor battles of several years ago.

As was recently pointed out on this site in discussions about the LPGA TV deal, the NHL regular season games draw an average of around a 1.0 rating. In the same ballpark as the LPGA, although still beating the LPGA's average.

Wait, do they still play the LPGA? "I don't really care. It's all about the Dodgers. I don't think anybody really watches women's golf anymore."

What? What? How dare you say that! I don't care if it is true! The LPGA seems on the ascendancy, however, while the NHL seems on the descendancy.

I think NHL fans have a right to be upset - but not at Tiger Woods. At their league, at their inept commissioner, at their team owners, at their players for being unable to figure out how to keep their league, well, relevant.

The funny thing is, hockey as a sport has never been easier to find across North America. There are hockey teams all over Texas, for crikey! Minor-league hockey is big business, even in the South (are the Macon Whoopee still around?). But at the NHL level, the league just seems to be floundering.

Don't shoot the messenger.