In Tip Off: How the 1984 NBA Draft Changed Basketball Forever, NY Daily News columnist Filip Bondy shows how a league that couldn't pay a network to broadcast their games went on to be biggest draw around. The 1984 NBA draft gave the league future Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley, and John Stockton. Oh, and some guy named Jordan too. This infusion of young talent shaped the game for years to come. Bondy explores how they impacted basketball and also how it could have been much different had the Portland Trail Blazers selected Jordan instead of Sam Bowie.
A league having problems drawing network ratings with a new crop of insanely talented youngsters....Sounds vaguely familial to my modern ears.
The NHL right now is filled to the brim with fetal star-power. The past two years have cemented the hype that preceded Ovechkin (22) and Crosby (20). Together these two make up a marketing juggernaut. Crosby is reserved and soft-spoken. Ovechkin, impulsive and outgoing. Their play on the ice displays raw talent, creativity, passion, and athletic prowess that attracts fans who might not know a puck from a paper clip, but they are certain they just saw something remarkable.
The 2008 NHL awards show is sand-blasted with young names: Evgeni Malkin (21) is a finalist for the Hart Trophy, Dion Phaneuf (23) a finalist for the Norris Trophy, Henrik Lundqvist (26) for the Vezina, and this year's Calder Trophy is one of the most contested in years as a half-dozen rookies were all worthy of the prize.
2007-2008 was a break out year from Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown of the LA Kings, Paul Stastny of the Colorado Avalanche, Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim Ducks and Mike Richards of Flyers. Add in kids like Rick Nash, Zach Parise, Milan Michalek, and many more and it's easy to forget that Eric Staal almost has 300 NHL points and he's not even 24.
The NHL right now is a loaded gun. They just need marketers who can hit a moving target from 1,000 yards.
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