The United States of Hockey

Last week, you may have read a pair of posts about hockey’s growth in the south, particularly in the state of Georgia. Today, we widen the net a little bit to give you an idea just how far hockey has come in this country since the NHL’s expansion of the 1990s.

Through annual efforts from USA Hockey, and it’s affiliates, the game has grown immensely in the last 20 years and it only keeps getting bigger and better. However, when you look at the growth, you can’t help but notice where hockey’s numbers are biggest.

States with NHL teams tend to be more populous areas, with more arenas and therefore more opportunities for kids to learn the sport. That is why it  is so crucial to have NHL teams in the major markets in the United States. As I mentioned last week, having a nearby NHL team is about as good a marketing tool you can have if you’re running a youth hockey association.

In addition to simply having the NHL team, if the local club is doing well and building excitement, the same can be said for hockey as a whole. For a quick example, the state of Illinois saw record growth at the 8 & Under age level in 2010-11. The number of boys and girls under eight playing hockey in Illinois increased by 30.1% in the season following the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup.

In last Thursday’s post, I documented the impact of the Stanley Cups won by Carolina and Dallas on hockey membership in those states. So while having a team helps, having a good team helps more. I will examine the “Stanley Cup Effect” in depth after the Stanley Cup Playoffs have concluded.

Coming up after the jump, a look at growth over the last 20 years in NHL states.

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The potential relocation of the Atlanta Thrashers has created a lot of buzz and there are passionate arguments on both sides. To step away from those arguments just for a second, and to take a look at the much bigger picture, I’ve collected some numbers from the NHL’s most “controversial” locales.

Atlanta may end up being the poster child for what some have called the NHL’s “failed experiment” of Southeast expansion. However, as I mentioned in Tuesday’s post, there are so many indicators that prove its working. We just don’t see them as easily as empty seats.

To me, one of the best indicators of the NHL’s biggest influence is prompting people to try the sport for themselves. To not only be a fan, but an active participant. Some people don’t have the means or the patience to pick up a sport as difficult as hockey. However, having a local NHL team to show just how fun the game can be, many kids, and as my research found, many adults are diving right into hockey.

The NHL is a youth hockey organization’s greatest marketing tool because of its nationwide exposure. In a local market, that exposure to the sport increases incredibly. Being able to see the best players in the world is inspiring to a lot of kids. That is why putting hockey in places where they “shouldn’t work” and giving an honest effort can help the game’s influence spread.

Coming up after the jump… a look at the raw numbers.

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Relocation has probably been the hottest word in the most recent NHL news cycle. As Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported, Atlanta Spirit, the ownership group for the Thrashers, is in talks with Winnipeg-based True North to sell the team. True North would then move the team to Winnipeg.

This news has disappointed many people, including me. I was just as upset at the potential of Phoenix moving. However, I never actually believed the Coyotes would be leaving with the time, effort and money put into that franchise by the NHL.

The situation in Atlanta looks dire. It’s not hard to understand why this is happening, but it makes it no easier for a hockey fan that wants to see the game grow in “non-traditional” markets.

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