There is not a single American hockey fan who feels as though their sport receives a fair amount of respect and attention. In fact, there is not a single American hockey fan- just a handful of ice enthusiasts who enjoy watching men hold wood. Yet that could all change in the not too distant future. According to...well just about everybody, the NFL is headed to a lockout next season, and the NBA may end up following suit. Though that would be a terrible year for American sports fans (including hockey fans, football is great), it could prove to be a great year for the NHL. With no other leagues to compete with in the winter, the NHL would be the only sport that fans could see games of. Something like this would be huge for the league, and huge for the game itself. Imagine a day in the future where fans list the biggest playoff chokers in sports, and actually name Joe Thornton. That's huge.
The prospect is made especially exciting due to the fact that rumors are being spread that ESPN and ABC are interested in putting the NHL back on their networks the year after this lockout would allegedly take place. This could turn into a perfect storm for the NHL, and for the game of hockey itself. There could foreseeably be a year where the only things on Sportscenter are hockey, and lockout news. The NHL would presumably achieve some of its highest ratings ever- and that's especially useful going into contract negotiations. NHL ratings have been climbing since the first Pens-Wings Cup, and not just in the playoffs. The final month of the regular season saw a 25% jump in ratings for NHL games, and NBC was up 10% from the year before. These statistics, coupled with the NFL/NBA lockout year, would undoubtedly result in a lucrative TV contract for the league, whether it be on ESPN or VS (although let's be honest here, they'll take ESPN if they have the option).
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