Sean Avery thinks NHL, Bettman doing poor job of marketing game
2008-10-02 21:42:40
The NHL’s most famous mouthpiece is at is again, this time taking shots at the league and commissioner Gary Bettman over the marketing of hockey.
“I mean it would certainly be good for the game if we marketed the game, but the NHL does a terrible job of marketing,” Avery told Rachel Nichols of ESPN’s E:60. “They just, they haven’t figured it out that villains and heroes are what sells. Our commissioner hasn’t realized that he needs to probably do a better job of marketing the game and certainly some of the players in it. But I don’t think that’s ever going to change unless they hire me to run their marketing stuff.”
The full E:60 Avery interview will air on ESPN Oct. 7 at 7 p.m. EST.
Avery, who signed as a free agent in Dallas after playing last season with the Rangers, appeared on CBC’s The Hour on Wednesday and talked about personality Don Cherry.
“He's a staple as far as Canadian hockey goes,” Avery said during the interview. “And I grew up watching Coach's Corner, and he serves a purpose. But he really does not know s--t about hockey. He knows, like, unnecessary facts about putting Sears catalogues on your shin pads.”
He also added: “He says a lot of things. He calls people by their wrong names. And it's just, like, enough of this guy.”
The entire interview can be view on The Hour website.
Shane (Posted 2008-12-03 11:25:34)
Sean Avery will try whatever it takes to stay out of arms reach of Phaneuf. Ofcourse he knew he would be suspended and not have to face the Calgary Flames. If Avery was to leave the NHL tomorrow... no one would remember him after a week. Chicken sh1t that thrives off the attention because when push comes to shove he knows that he is a complete idiot that real people just shake their head at.
GAM (Posted 2008-11-09 15:23:46)
If you call putting NHL on TSN (Toronto Sports Network)then yes Bettman is slipping these announcers have NO clue about the game and i cannot stand to listen to them. As far as Avery goes he is a chicken sh#! and i cannot wait to see someone give him a Mouthfull of Knuckles that is if he has the Balls to stand up and put them up TURTLE
J H (Posted 2008-11-08 04:40:00)
I dont think Marketing a sports league is not as simple as changing the rules and spending money. Sometimes it is things that happens within a league organically that will get people intrigued. Competition, storylines, personalities, etc.
Alyssa (Posted 2008-11-07 18:03:33)
Hey, I agree with the guy. Sean Avery is right. Bettman SUCKS at marketing the NHL. I agree with him on that. Bettman is no marketing genius at all.
TOM COTNER (Posted 2008-10-03 17:40:09)
HELLO MR. SEAN AVERY------------
HUMOROUSLY, OF COURSE, ONE MIGHT SUGGEST THAT YOU TURN ON YOUR COMPUTER AND WATCH THE LAST FEW WEEKS OF T.N.A. PRO WRESTLING WHEN STEVE BORDEN (STING) HAS BEEN DELIVERING HIS PROMOS OF THE YOUNGER STARS NOT PAYING HOMAGE OR GIVING RESPECT TO THE ELDERS WHO PAVED THE WAY FOR THE NEW BREED TO HAVE A JOB. WHERE IN THE BLAZES DO YOU GET THE BALLS TO DISRESPECT GRAPES FOR HIS ON AIR COMMENTS AND MULTIPLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE SPORT ??? OLD FASHIONED ??? PERHAPS, BUT LOOK AT WHAT O.F. GETS YA. THE 70'S, LET'S SAY; WHEN NOTHING WAS BROKE UNTIL THE YOUNG PUPS DECIDED TO FIX IT ANYWAY. WE HAD STICKS MADE OF REAL WOOD, EQUIPMENT MADE OF A MATERIAL THAT DIDN'T CAUSE CONCUSSIONS, ONLY A FEW EUROPEAN PLAYERS, AND THEY DIDN'T BITCH EVERY TIME THEY GOT HIT, AND OH YEAH, LET'S NOT FORGET AFFORDABLE TICKET PRICES !!!
DO NOT READ INTO THIS THE WRONG WAY !!! I DO NOT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH EUROPEANS, ONLY THEIR STYLE OF PLAY FOR THE GAME; IT'S BORING PLAIN AND SIMPLE. THERE ARE PLENTY OF DECENT LEAGUES IN EUROPE FOR THOSE FOLKS TO STAY THERE WHILE ALLOLWING THE NHL, AHL, ECHL, AND JUNIOR LEAGUES TO STAY PREDOMINANTLY NORTH AMERICAN. HOW ABOUT A MAX. OF 3 NON-N.A. BORN PLAYERS PER TEAM IN THE ABOVE LEAGUES ?????? THE POWERS THAT BE WILL ALWAYS WONDER WHY HOCKEY CONSISTENTLY RANKS 4TH, OR 5TH IF YOU COUNT NASCAR, UNLESS THEY RECOGNIZE THE ERRORS OF THEIR WAYS, THEN RIGHT THE SHIP BEFORE IT GOES UNDER. JUST MY OPINON ??? I DON'T THINK SO !!! JUST THE OPINON OF THE OLD FASHIONED OLD TIMERS ??? OKAY, I'LL ACCEPT THAT !!!
Adam Hutter (Posted 2008-10-03 16:27:07)
Bottom Line is that when Avery talks, he gets people's attention. Good or bad, smart or stupid, he gets people talking about the game. Same as Roenick did when he told the NHL, "just give the Rangers the first pick so they can draft Crosby". It was both stupid and smart. When people do outrageous things, it gets even the casual fan talking about the NHL. That can only be good. Except when people get hurt... I hope Chris Simon signs with Avantgaard Omsk.. or some other KHL team.
SiD (Posted 2008-10-03 16:06:03)
Wait I got it! Implement the fighting rules from Konami's Blades of Steel! The loser of the fight gets the penalty, the winner gets to keep playing.
Just messin, worst rule ev0r :P
Jessie (Posted 2008-10-03 15:35:36)
So let me get this straight: Avery wants more "villians and hero's" in the game, and wants more personality, yet he wants to remove one of the most well known and colourful guys in the game?
Adam Hutter (Posted 2008-10-03 15:34:32)
Hockey Marketing 101. Coupons on NHL . com for the video games. Actually selling KID related hockey stuff on the websites. not JUST JERSEYS... but pajamas, action figures that are NOT "made in Taiwan" (no offense to the taiwanese) but in canada or the US. paying someone, once a year, to put out a movie about hockey that realeases somewhere around say OCTOBER ? when the season starts? (not in december when the NFL goes into playoff mode. More Stanley cup promotions across the countries, maybe every city once a year. Not just where the All Star Game is and who wins the cup. (those are promos unto themselves). But for instance, when was the last time the cup was in Columbus for a promo? Or Minnesota? And it does not always have to be about making money on each thing.... Promotions of the SPORT will eventually pay back ten fold.
SiD (Posted 2008-10-03 15:24:37)
Waving your hands in front of the goalie is obviously unsportsmanlike. I am not a big fan of yesterday's rules, but just for that instance I would have loved to see Avery take a big dose of lumber to his back.
Luckily for Avery he's not paid to think, otherwise he's still be in the minors acting as one of the teams pilons to assist with practice drills. Like switching to ESPN is as simple as making the choice to move, certainly no money, contracts and negotiations to cover right? Like Bettman hasn't considered this given that it is his job? As for Don Cherry, he is set in his ways, and Hockey moved away a bit from his opinionated point of view, but he is always right in his analysis of what players do on the ice. If Avery had half his wits, he wouldn't need to be an agitator to sell himself to teams. He could actually be a stellar player.
Adam Hutter (Posted 2008-10-03 14:52:23)
Tim B., What is Avery a classless goon for? Waving his hands on front of Broduer? That, my friend, was creativity. A goon has little hockey skills and fights and hits and has no shot. Avery did something that was clearly NOT against the rules (at the time). Roger Neilson pulls his goalie only after the goalie has laid his stick ACROSS THE GOAL LINE !! He is called a creative genius and Avery is a classless goon? Neilson's tactics were bush league and tantamount to juvenile delinquint activities. Avery, who has good shooting skills and is one of the faster skaters in the league, was just doing what he was taught. Win by whatever means neccesary, within the rules of Hockey. We should have more players being more creative and we should have the NHL make rule changes to let players score more. Bye the way, I wish we could have kept him in NY. He does not wear himself out everywhere, he was for sure a fan favorite in NY. Even though he did intern at Vogue Magazine. I mean... hopefully it was to meet the models, right?
Tim B. (Posted 2008-10-03 14:27:56)
Avery..what a joke. The guy is clearly in love with himself, and has worn out his welcome with every team he ever played on. His agenda is to market himself, not the league.
Don Cherry REALLY hit the nail on the head when he raked Avery over the coals for being a classless goon...
Shannon Rose Kilpatrick (Posted 2008-10-03 14:26:48)
National Hockey League take heed, Sean Avery is right and GET OFF OF VERSUS and onto a channel that is available in more households like, dare I say, ESPN!
gmoney (Posted 2008-10-03 13:55:53)
You what the funny thing is? I can't even get hockey on tv where I live. You want marketing avery? How about getting the nhl on a network, like espn, that every househild in the us can see. Versus sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
M.Sanchez (Posted 2008-10-03 13:54:21)
It's about time someone in the NHL say's something about not selling the NHL properly. Sean is going to have another great year and it will defenitly be entertaining to see Lappy and Tucker on the same team when Dallas faces them this year. I already have those date set on my Tivo.... Good luck Sean. L.A. Still misses your void.
Paul (Posted 2008-10-03 13:44:19)
Agree with Avery. Can not wait to see how much he gets fined by the clowns running this league. As for some of the camera comments I have been reading, what you all need to understand is that hockey is the quickest moving sport and hardest to actually follow. Anyone with knowledge of both the game and TV production would know this. All and all most of the stations and camermen do a good job. It is hard to move a sixty pound camera at the same speed as a slapper from the point. Events are a lot more bang bang in hockey than in other sports, and it can be hard on the cameramen and production team because it is harder to predict and set up for than the other sports. That being said, I am sure there are ways to improve upon it, but it will not be easy.
Matt (Posted 2008-10-03 13:41:13)
The NHL is currently launching a new advertisement campaign and the first two commercials that I saw previewed on TSN were actually quite good. They begin with a still picture at which point a player comes to life, says a couple quick words and then returns to the position in which they were originally pictured (Dion Phanuef steps out of a huge hit against the boards and Sidney Crosby emerges from the Penguins bench as Detroit celebrates their Stanley Cup victory). So far I like what I see and hope the NHL can continue with more quality ads. The NFL fantasy files commercials are amazing, even non football fans are impressed. I hope the NHL can follow suit.
Adam Hutter (Posted 2008-10-03 13:14:34)
Again, Avery is right. But he is not the first to point out the NHL is not good at marketing the game. Jeremy Roenick has said it as well for years. It is not just about flashy ads, and the few heroes that are promoted, it is about sponsorships, endorsements, and PLACEMENT!!. Lets face it, the NFL is a great place to advertise your sport. The NHL is making plenty of money that it can spend on NFL magazine and television ads. The NFL is a hockey style sport with hitting, style, skilled players and (ha ha) not so skilled players. Coaching in both sports are more important than the supposed other 2 major team sports as well. That is where your marketing dollar is well spent. Hell, have the guts and compare it to the NFL while you are at it. Do you know that if you put a time clock on the average NFL game, from whistle to whistle (start of a play to the end of a play) that there is less than 15 minutes of actual playing time? The NHL is a FULL 60 minutes of action, and it take up less time on TV !!! Market there !!!
glenn (Posted 2008-10-03 13:12:23)
I don't see why the nhl couldn't at least improve the camera work. Look at the NFL...I'm not even a football fan and I am totally impressed with the visuals with that product.
sean miller (Posted 2008-10-03 11:57:39)
Crosby this and Crosby that - he won't be in that photo again for a while. His team won't be in the final again for a while.
rob herault (Posted 2008-10-03 11:50:38)
The nhl needs to clean house and get people that can promote this beautiful game. Bettman as no clue what needs to be done. I don`t like Avery ( maybe because i`m FRENCH ) but he`s right, an idiot but he`s right.....don`t tell me that people don`t love to hate a guy like Avery, Doan, Cherry or even the cry baby Ribeiro. There are other storyline apart from the Crosby show......he`s a great player among many others.
NYR411 (Posted 2008-10-03 11:39:38)
We need more comments from players like Avery not less. He is right. During the playoffs it was wall to wall Crosby. Why, because he is goodlooking or Canadian? Against the Rangers he was a ghost and Jagr was leading all players in scoring and excitment but it was all Crosby. European players are what makes the NHL so great along with our North American players and the league tries to hide this. Those of you who didn't watch Avery like I did every game don't understand that the last thing he is a GOON. He gets under your skin big time and if he is on your team it's great. The Rangers and Devils are 6 miles apart and what he did to Marty was great theater in a great rivalry. If he was on your team and he did that to your most hated rival, you'd love it, but from afar you don't understand. The league needs some color, some excitment, something to get a highlight on TV, not the same old thing, not Crosby all the time.
Danny (Posted 2008-10-03 11:11:52)
Avery's right. The heritage classic wasn't on TV in the states, Versus still has the cable rights, major newspapers are dropping covering local teams (at least in the NY area), and there's more to this league than "Sid the Kid". I think the TV angles were phenomenal in Bern where the Rangers played 2 exhibitions games. Granted I don't know if they had any seats up against the glass, but maybe if you got rid of a corporate box or two (yea right) they'd allow some cameras to get closer to the ice. Half the time the camera men miss most of the play. By the time they zoom in for a point shot the defenseman has let his shot rip, and by the time they get to the goalie its either in or sticked to the corner. For people that aren't into it, if you're not at the game, or watching on and HDTV I could see why they won't watch. It can be tough to follow.
Sandy Bachleda (Posted 2008-10-03 10:52:37)
I have a few comments.
Shane made a comment that "Avery is a jerk to fans".
I have to disagree. My husband and I got the chance to meet Avery on two different occasions. He was great both times. He stopped and singned everything we had, happily. He talked and joked and was an all around nice guy. Off ice he's a different guy. And on the ice he's a guy you hate to have to play against BUT you would love to have as a teammate.
Thanks for reading....
Doug MacKenzie (Posted 2008-10-03 10:46:37)
Avery is right .......Bettman thinks he is still working for the N.B.A.
Morgan S. (Posted 2008-10-03 10:41:02)
Hey Shane. If I call you an idiot do I have to capitalize it?
JohnE (Posted 2008-10-03 10:05:02)
(But he is right, current league leadership does not have a great history of marketing our game well...)
JohnE (Posted 2008-10-03 10:03:27)
There is a reason Cherry has been around the hockey world forever...lets see if Mr Avery is even remembered in 40 years around the NHL. He is like William Perry or Mark Fydrich, he wont last.
Hubhockeyfan (Posted 2008-10-03 09:00:51)
Avery is correct, the NHL and Bettman do a poor job with marketing. They should take a lesson from the NFL. Hockey should be on ESPN not Outdoor Life/Versus, no bumping overtime games to show bull riding or the like, and more and better NHL commercials spotlighting the stars of the game. The Winter Classic is a step in the right direction, unfortunately until the league removes Gary "the mouse" Bettman, things will not change.
Shane (Posted 2008-10-03 08:32:53)
So Mr Avery…… You like to bite the hand that feeds you.
As if this is not already known, but you’re a PUNK who should not be in the NHL. So many great people are skipped over for the NHL for a lot of reasons. You have been very fortunate to have been given a chance.
You are still a PUNK and a GOON and just a plain JERK to the fans, players and players you have played against, coaches, media, etc. Shut your pie hole before your chance to do so is gone!
Picard (Posted 2008-10-03 08:16:57)
Oh, and who is a bigger supporter of our military forces abroad? If you don't respect the fact that Cherry ends Coach's Corner by honouring our recently fallen soldiers (whenever these tragedies occur), then you are a bigger piece of garbage than Avery or Cherry could ever be.
T.J. (Posted 2008-10-03 08:16:47)
Don Cherry is a JOKE! cya
Picard (Posted 2008-10-03 08:07:55)
While I agree that the NHL is marketed poorly in the U.S., what makes Sean Avery an expert? His 3 month internship with Vogue magazine? Give me a break. I like Avery, for the most part, but he needs to fall out of love with himself before I can respect him. And its funny how he throws verbal bombs at Don Cherry, but nothing is mentioned about how their "rivalry" of sorts started. Cherry trashed Avery for his bulls**t stunt against Jersey last year - Cherry actually FRIED him for it - and Avery couldn't take the fact that Cherry accused him of having no class and being a negative influence on the game. Avery's father even wrote a derogatory article for his local paper trashing Don Cherry as a result. Cherry is hard on lots of guys - Sidney Crosby, especially, and you don't hear THOSE guys saying Cherry needs to shut up or quit. Avery's just a spoiled little kid who got a talking to and is holding a grudge against the guy that did it. Cherry is an institution in this country - yeah, everything he says isn't always politically correct - or well researched, for that matter, but I've seen some poorly researched articles on THIS site, and what's wrong with a guy being honest with his opinions? Towing the company line, and saying all the right things seems to be what people want out of Don Cherry, yet reading some of your comments below, you all seem to want more PERSONALITIES in hockey, and fewer canned responses. Don Cherry provides that, even if he ISN'T an active player. Reporters are often careful of what they say, to ensure they can leave the door open for future interviews, but Cherry could care less, and says what he feels, and I respect that...alot. And if he goes a bit over the top sometimes in the name of entertainment, well, who am I to complain? I get a good laugh, and my buddies and I have something to talk about during the commercial break. Speaking of which, this verbal sparring between Avery and Cherry could really turn into something interesting by season's end...
Tim (Posted 2008-10-03 06:40:27)
Why do people get upset? He's telling the truth. He just has a brash way of saying it.
Fatty McGee (Posted 2008-10-03 04:26:44)
He's right! Gary Buttman has NO IDEA how to market the NHL! If he did, it would be far ore popular than it is. Instead it's a niche market sport that gets beat out in the TV ratings be re-runs of The Nanny.
Stocker (Posted 2008-10-03 00:01:04)
Avery is the man, he tells it like it is. Sometimes the truth hurts.. Commissioner Bettman is a total bozo and it clearly dropping the ball (or puck in his case). The League has a number of players and teams that that add entertainment value to his otherwise simple and boring league. Commissioner Bettman its your job and duty to sit down with Ave's and listen to how to and who of Avery's people and connections can help you to properly market your status quo marketing tactics for the NHL. If you do the same thing time after time, you and your owners will receive the same results year after year.
Bottom Line: Sean Avery is a hard working, hard playing, passionate player. He tells it like it is, it smart, has great taste and people who are not threatened by him or his approach listen to what he says..
Listen up commissioner, your biggest enemy's could end up being your biggest allies.
flo (Posted 2008-10-02 23:50:46)
ok, i hate Don Cherry. He's everything english canada is trying to not pass themselves at but Don is giving them a bad rep for. but he does know his hockey. i hate him, but i love to hate him. i won't cry if you take him off the air. Ron Maclean is a classy guy on the other hand, but i keep on waiting for the day where he puches Don in the face for cutting him off. Go Ron Go!
Joe (Posted 2008-10-02 23:47:54)
Avery ain't alone!!!!
http://www.FireBettman.com
Kenny (Posted 2008-10-02 23:17:18)
The way Avery carries on, you'd think he didn't like his job. First off, he talks smack on everyone. Second he interns for a fashion magazine. And finally he's making an obvious pitch to Bettman, to give him a job as the head of marketing of the NHL.
He gets paid the big bucks for playing a game, and he's gotten Elisha Cuthbert in the sack, what does he have to complain about.
Jared (Posted 2008-10-02 23:14:47)
Don Cherry knows what he is talking about. That's all I'm going to say about that.
Lynn (Posted 2008-10-02 22:52:36)
Well isn't Sean Avery captain obvious these days? Of course the NHL is a disaster when it comes to marketing. I do marketing for a living and if I marketed the NHL the way they've been doing I'd be out of a job. Then again, if he marketed the NHL, I might have to start liking baseball.
Lenny (Posted 2008-10-02 22:41:02)
Love it! Rock on Avery, mix it up.
Hockify (Posted 2008-10-02 22:33:18)
OK deal, Avery. You stop playing hockey and go into marketing and the NHL will be a better place! :D
Kevman (Posted 2008-10-02 22:31:46)
Sean Avery may be a complete ass, but he's right about the way to market the NHL.
bawston dude (Posted 2008-10-02 22:04:10)
Hahahahahhahahahahahahahahaha. Avery's hilarious! He's right to boot. About the marketing aspect anyway. The ony good commercial i've seen about hockey were the ones in the '98 season about the Oly's. Those commercials had ba--lls. Different teams making up excuses about not wanting to face off against the Canadians. Or was that the '02 season? One of those years. We do need a better marketing team. These clubs have also got to stop media training these athletes. "cant say that. Dont say this" "dont give them bulliten board material". Like c'mon man. These clubs have got to change their policies. Simply put. NHL PLAYERS ARE TOO NICE! If i was in marketing i'd mike up every player and i wouldnt censor any of their comments. I'd also install micro-mini cams on the front of their helmets. (for replay purposes only). Can you imagine a player going on a break-a-way? And seeing it from HIS point of view? It would be awesome. How about seeing a close-up of Zdeno Chara's fists flying at the cam? There are literally many,many excellent idea's out there. How about goal celebrations? The fist pump is old. Bring in some Terrell Owens type celebrations. Lets go people! Keep the idea's coming!
Mike (Posted 2008-10-02 22:03:41)
I agree on both counts Avery, although you're pretty unclassy about the way you choose to say things, but I guess it wouldn't make headlines otherwise. Don Cherry, Ron Maclean, Bob Cole, Harry Neale (if he still does games this year) have overstayed their welcome. Can PJ Stock, Mike Milbury and Al Strachan while they're at it. HNIC is going down the toilet and being left in the dust of its competitors. HNIC Hotstove is about the only thing they do right over there.
Etienne (Posted 2008-10-02 21:56:35)
Was it Katie Couric who did that interview?
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