Howard Shapiro Interview, Part 2 – The NHL, lockout, the US market, and the salary cap

I recently got the opportunity to sit down with “Hockey Days” author Howard Shapiro for a little Q & A. Shapiro is on a media blitz promoting his latest effort, “Hockey Player For Life.”

In the first part of our sit-down, we discussed the Pittsburgh Penguins’ off-season moves and the club’s upcoming campaign.

In, this, the second part of our interview, Shapiro shares his thoughts on the business side of the NHL.

Alin Mateescu: In one of your articles on RumorMeThis you stated that “[hockey and the NHL] will never reach certain segment/demographics in the US.”

Do you think that it’s the game of hockey that doesn’t attract large portions of the American population? If so, what makes hockey unappealing to certain regions of the United States?

Howard Shapiro: Because the game isn’t made for TV and you don’t really get a sense of how fast the game is moving and because it doesn’t translate well on TV you lose a significant portion of the public. The game gets no coverage on Sportscenter as well and that is a huge loss. It’s hysterical to me when I go to Canada and flip on TSN and the first 20 minutes of worth of highlights are from NHL games. It’s just always going to be a tough sell down here in the states,

AM: Is it the league’s fault for not doing a better job of marketing itself? Aside from promoting fighting, as you have suggested in the same article, is there anything more the NHL can do to increase their fan base in the US?

HS: I think the league has tried via commercials and other marketing means to increase the profile of the league but the number factor that they’ve messed up is the TV contract with Versus. Versus does a great job with the games and the post game show and things like that, but most people don’t even know what channel Versus is and if the league powers to be were smart, they’d crawl on their hands and knees and beg ESPN to take them back. To me, that’s the best thing they could do to increase the fan base.

AM: Has the labor dispute which caused the cancellation of the 2004-05 season had a negative affect on the league, in the US? How has it affected your view of the owners, players, and the league as whole?

HS: Actually, I think the strike has been the best thing to happen for the league…it’s probably Bettman’s single greatest (and some may say only) contribution to hockey. Instituting the cap was the only way to save hockey and it took a year to get it done, but it did and now the league is better off for the lost year.

AM: Can the salary cap continue to rise in the NHL despite falling revenue and flagging interest in the American market? Are the salaries that recent free agents have received out of line with the current economic state of the league?

HS: I don’t believe the salaries are out of line. The way things should work is that the top players should be paid the most and receive the high salaries. It’s when the Bobby Holik’s and Martin Lapointe’s of the world get top money, that’s when you have problems.

Check back for the third, and last, part of our interview with Shapiro as he talks about his latest effort set to hit stores October 7, “Hockey Player For Life.”

Shapiro will be signings autographs and chatting up fans in Toronto October 3rd at the Indigospirit location at the Royal Bank Plaza 200 Bay Street from 12:30 – 2:00 PM and October 4th at the Chapters-Runnymede at 2225 Bloor Street West from 11:30 – 1:30PM.