One of the biggest improvements in marketing the NHL has been the introduction of the NHL on TNT panel. This panel is full of ex-players who add hilarious banter, great commentary and mid-game insight into what's happening in the game. The panel does an amazing job at not only marketing the personalities on the panel, but also has a focus on bringing new fans to players currently playing in the NHL.
The analysts on the panel include Paul Bissonette, Wayne Gretzky, Anson Carter and Henrik Lundqvist. They do a fantastic job at riffing off each other and working together to entertain viewers while also educating people on hockey scenarios with their experience. They also often invite current players in for interviews where they can show their personality, since it isn't a formal interview scenario like post-game media availability.
This is such a genius idea for the NHL, as they have always really struggled to market their stars. Hockey players have always had to fight the stereotype of being way too robotic, something McDavid was criticized a lot about early in his career. That's why interviews like this one are great for McDavid, as he can show off some personality by being able to poke fun at the analysts in an informal setting. They also have the option to bring in special guests to make things even more interesting, like they did here with Shaquille O'Neal to embrace the «Shaq Hyman» joke that's been going around.
The panel gets tons of interactions on X as well, as fans have discussions that they can interact with and speak on. This helps grow the game considerably as it brings tons of people in to talk about the game and have discussions about what is going on. It also brings fans in to watch the entertainment of the panel when they may have found hockey coverage too boring beforehand. These guys are making huge waves for making hockey fun again and encouraging players to show off how fun they can be, which is nothing but amazing for the growth of the game itself.
