Some of you may remember my original article article Six steps to fix the NHL part 1. Some things changed while some things remained the same. Despite our love for the game hockey is a business. Businesses produce products and the NHL product is pretty darn good. That said no product is perfect so I make the following suggestions in the hope that the hockey gods are listening somewhere. 

Winterize the Winter Classic – (new) Pick three regional spots (west/central/east) and alternate between those venues. That way you minimize the chances of a weather malfunction. It would be nice to have a drawing at the end of each classic to pick the teams for the next winter classic.  I know the NHL is worried about attendance but that worry appears to be a non-factor in terms of ticket sales. Seems to me that the NHL has a good thing going no matter who plays in the game.

Sell the game not just a couple of players – (old & new) Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are great players but the NHL is selling him like they are the only two guys on the ice. This is hockey and not pairs figure skating. Sell the game and the people will come. On that same note try regional advertising. Do you really think I want to see Chris Pronger commercials in DC? Probably about as much as a Flyers fan wants to see an Ovechkin commercial in Philly.

Muzzle Don Cherry – (new) Some of the things he says specifically about non-Canadian players is not in the best interest of the sport. I understand that he is a hockey icon in Canada but if he continues to slam European players while promoting his good old Canadian boys in a sport exploding in Europe Cherry is not helping hockey. Sometimes relics need to be put away (or kept in Canada) in order for the game to move on. Cherry is a relic for Canada alone to enjoy.

Stop the the east coast bias (New) - I want to see more of the San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings on the Sunday game of the week. I've seen the Penguins so much on Sunday I'm starting to believe they are my home team. Come on NBC! How about some variety? 

Maximize Player protection – (old) The amount of games players miss because of preventable injuries is simply insane. Mandatory complete face cages alone would cut down a dramatic number of injuries. Of course I can hear the hockey traditionalist now “In my day they didn’t play with helmets”.  That is great but would you want a doctor to treat you today using 16^th century medical practices? Some things are traditional and some things are just stupid. It only makes sense to do everything you can to keep your players-products on the ice. Injuries will happen but it is the preventable ones that make me angry when I am a paying customer.

Addition by contraction or movement - (old) While hockey has caught on somewhat since its migration to nontraditional markets there are some places that simply are not working out. Meanwhile there are cities in Canada that can afford a team and want one. It makes very little sense to keep trying to sell snow shoes in Bermuda. Someone can explain to me why there are two teams in Florida and Canadian cities don't have teams?

Stop the fighting for good – (new) I admit that I used to love the fights but as I’ve grown a bit older it just drags the game down. The hockey traditionalist will argue that it is hockey’s form of self-policing.  I used to agree with that but now it just sounds like a lame excuse. If you have referees why do you need fighting? Aren’t the referees supposed to police the game? The days of the goons are dying anyways because no teams can afford to have a guy that just fights taking up salary cap space. Why not score a public relations victory and just stop it now. 

Ok...that was seven steps, but six is kinda tradition. What would you change if you had the power?