Gary Bettman Announces NHL's Decision to Cancel Major Event Amid Low Fan Interest

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TJ Tucker
October 21, 2024 (9:07)

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A lack of interest is forcing the NHL and Commissioner Gary Bettman to completely rethink what is happening with the NHL awards and how the fans perceive it

What do you do when fans simply aren't interested in what you're offering? Change it, of course. That's exactly what the NHL and Comissioner Gary Bettman are looking to do with the NHL awards.

The awards are usually handed out during a televised event after the end of the season. However, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said during "Saturday's Headlines" that the NHL is looking at something different as fans don't seem all that interested in watching. The NHL may turn to the NBA for a new format.

"What the league is looking at in combination with the Players' Association, is what else can they do that's interesting, what else can they do that will make the awards special. A couple of things have been thrown out. One of the ideas is doing it the way the NBA does it. The NBA, during the first week of the playoffs, will honour the winners at their home arenas."

Friedman said these are the kinds of things being considered as there won't be a televised awards show at the end of the 2024-25 season. One of the big reasons that interest gets lost is that award recipients are named, in many cases, before the show takes place. That includes the winner of the Bill Masterson trophy, among several others.

The NHL usually hires celebrities to host and/or perform at the NHL awards. However, many of these are often considered B-list or lower as there simply isn't the money behind the NHL's show that would be put behind shows in other major leagues. It's unfortuante that NHL award winners may no longer get the attention they deserve when it comes to winning trophies, but if you're anything like me, you haven't watched the show with much interest over the last few years.