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The inclusion of Larkin and Lyon on the preliminary roster for the World Championship is certainly a boost for the captain and the original “3rd goalie” from the past season.

With the Olympics and other international events on the horizon, it’s possible that players who may take a pass to heal up will try to be in the mix. As teams are eliminated in the post season bigger names will be made available and a star heavy roster could only help these tournaments.

If you’ve kept track, the NHL has been able to negotiate major strides for the Olympics in terms of insurance and travel but even the use of the North American ice rink dimensions. That absolutely rattled the dynamic of how badly the IIOC wants/needs star power to reinvigorate the world wide celebration. No one was blind to Simone Biles and what kind of explosion her immense skill, creativity and strength brought to gymnastics. Honestly, a sport that was never on in the house was what my wife had to see.

Most of you know that I’m fairly blunt about the transfer of broadcasting to the distribution of media. If you’re old enough, Youtube is akin to Napster had that platform survived. Careers are made on viral clips but the second the briefcase brigade gets ahold of the reins it’s the same old thing. There is already concern about the upcoming summer games as a dwindling reverence for the games intersects with a lower yield form of broadcasting in terms of streaming.

All of a sudden, more than ever, the Winter Olympics are going to have a huge build up and are now the world wide commercial for the NHL. They’ve changed the rinks, picked up the costs, and the NHL has found a way to take the sting out of the empty schedule and potential loss of talent to injury. In short, the NHL players always have an advantage and now they have an enhanced version with that 15 ft reduction in width.

Credit where it’s due, the NHL has done superbly to transform the Olympic product to draw fans into the professional platform. As for Larkin and Lyon, it’s going to be interesting. If Larkin shares a line with a Tkachuk I’d be glued to the screen.

Let me know your thoughts. I still see the number “the 16 teams that didn’t make the post season” and feel like there is a gap that the NHL is not filling. Like it or not, fans drop off when their teams do in some cases. Whatever the future holds for the NHL, they have (wisely) allowed it to be intertwined and not in juxtaposition to their own goals of growth.

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