Erik Karlsson has long been the top talent in the NHL, but it has taken a playoff run to make the rest of the hockey universe to take note.
Karlsson has long been classified as merely a gifted offensive player, playing defense.
That has never been the case, but to the occasional Ottawa Senators viewer that may be what was sold by the broadcast team.
The NHL media Mecca is located in NYC and rarely does it stretch it's boundaries far beyond that. The on air talent is usually confined to former New York and Philadelphia players. Thus the bias to the east coast and primarily the mid Atlantic region of the sport.
Another case in point would be the Winter Classic, which oh yes, will be played in New York City once again. How about bringing the event to the State where outdoor hockey is played every day during the Winter?
Ah, that is a topic for another day.
Note to the NHL, there are tremendously talented players in the league today. They happen to play in every corner of the geographic landscape of the NHL, not just the East Coast, or Chicago.
I know time zones create some challenges to TV coverage but every team is scheduled to play games in all opposing rinks. How many Rangers, Penguins, Capitals, Flyers, and Blackhawks games do the networks force down the American hockey viewers throats every year?
The time is now to take a broader view of the talent and sell the game's best players because there are so many from which to choose.
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