Will the NHL Benefit From the Olympics?

Since the 04-05 lockout, hockey has really suffered. The NHL lost its ESPN contract, many fans, and credibility within the United States. To that effect hockey isn't even a joke in this country but more of an afterthought.

The Vancouver Olympics may have rejuvenated some interest in the sport. People you wouldn't think of as fans of hockey were riveted to their seats, watching the United States take on Canada. There was a passion, and people were wearing team USA jerseys. They wanted to know where some of the players were from. Such as Ryan Miller playing in Buffalo and Zach Parise in New Jersey. Now these guys are recognizable. More importantly marketable.

However if anyone can screw it up, the NHL can. The league that has no real major television contract (NBC barely counts) and struggles to fill seats, has teams in second tier cities. People don't care about hockey in Florida, Dallas, and Atlanta. The arenas are empty, and really how many people buy hockey jerseys. Like one person out of 50,000?

This is a golden opportunity to rejuvenate interest in NHL hockey. The face of their league (Sidney Crosby) scored the winning goal in the Olympics, and the U.S. team had players that people could care about. In the end the NHL will mess it up.

Sad, because there is nothing like playoff hockey. Nothing.