Slowly but surely, a number of off-ice events in the NHL have become increasingly popular with fans and the media. New events like the All-Star Fantasy Draft have brought relevance to the All-Star weekend and the Draft Lottery has suddenly become a half-hour TV event.

One thing the NHL has done a terrific job with is making their product TV-ready. Whether it be revamping the awards, instituting an All-Star Fantasy Draft; the NHL has realized their product is marketable and they have taken full advantage.

One event that could use a little updating is the NHL Combine. The Draft’s scope and popularity is continuing to grow and the Combine is following suit. However, the Combine is not growing in terms of entertainment value in the way that the Draft has.

With top-10 prospects growing more NHL-ready on a yearly basis, the draft is becoming more of an important event. No longer is it like playing darts with a drunk girl – hit the board and hope that your team scores points. Now players are more talented and capable of jumping to the professional ranks immediately. This obviously gives a greater vested interest in the Draft itself. However, the NHL combine continues to be more of a fitness test versus a skills test.

Considering the NFL Combine is a week-long television festival, why not have the NHL follow suit? I’m not proposing that these guys get suited up and scrimmage, that is what the Top Prospects Game is for. What I’m saying is create a few hockey specific events that will televise well. It could be fun.

Here is a list of some serious and not so serious (emphasis on the latter) ideas I came up with: Continue reading →