Hockey Players Have Image Problem

In the aftermath of the Pacers-Pistons-Fans brawl espn.com has a “SportsNation” series of poll questions related to fans vs players.

At the time I took it #6 was the most interesting to me:

Which sport has the most confrontational athletes?
60.6% NBA
20.5% NHL
9.6% NFL
9.3% MLB

I have to admit I was shocked. Not only do most fans who like hockey love it because of the game, but because of the athletes themselves.

The NBA being on top of the list is no surprise. The current events guaranteed that placing and the overall street thug image of some players is frequently in the news.

So how does the NHL land second in this poll by a wide margin? Is it the current CBA situation? Is it the popularity of the game in the United States? Could it be fighting allowed in hockey being interpreted as the players being “confrontational”?

It’s probably a combination of the first two more than anything. The players are in a battle with the owners of the teams in their sport right now, and that is one very big confrontation. The sport itself isn’t exactly at the top of the ratings list and generally figures to do poorly in any general sports poll where people make sports comparisons.

What is obvious from this is that the NHLPA needs to do some serious PR, and not just attacks against the owners, but a huge “look, we’re nice people” campaign and not just up in Canada, but down here in the States too.

Posted by David M Singer on Nov 22, 2004 at 06:11 PM

Comments

Well, I'm not surprised at all but that poll. I agree that it's the perception of hockey from the general public that puts the NHL 2nd. After the "Basketbrawl", Sports Networks want to show their top 5 lists of fan-athlete fights. What do they show? Domi fighting a Flyer fan and the Big Bad Bruins raiding MSG. No wonder people think hockey players are goons. -----
Posted by Jamie Fitz on 2004-11-23 19:11:27 Honestly, I think it's the perception that fights are "allowed" in hockey. There are also the reputations of certain players as "enforcers" and/or "goons." However, I wouldn't put NHL players near the top of this list - most of them come off as really good guys - even the goonie ones. I personally adore Rob Ray, and they don't come much goonier. As for the NBA brawl - *sigh* way to go Detroit. I've made no secret of my dislike for today's NBA, but this new incident just reinforces everything I find wrong with the game. A "thug" mentality seems to have seeped it's way into the league, and don't get me started on the fans. Sure makes a girl proud of her home state.
Posted by Wendy on 2004-11-22 20:11:07 I think this is really tough to hear, and think the current labor situation is absolutely a big part of the result. Hockey players, like football players, are confrontational as a function of their sport, and the fact that they are allowed to fight in some instances also hurts their cause. As I'm sure you know, most hockey players are really great people - but I suppose this means that fans wouldn't be surprised if a hockey player started swinging his stick into the stands one night.
Posted by Tom on 2004-11-22 18:11:31 The current situation with the CBA could be one of the bigger reasons why hockey players are perceived as confrontational. Maybe the aspect of fighting in the game is detrimental as well. Hockey players are often mislabeled a bunch of heathens, because of the "violence" associated with the sport. I will add this though: Hockey players are the most well spoken out of the sports listed in that poll. Football or basketball press conferences can get down right brutal at times.
Posted by Jamie on 2004-11-22 18:11:28

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