The NHL Network’s offseason programming: What’s your solution?

It’s no secret that the NHL Network’s offseason programming is weak at best. Aside from about an hour of various reruns each weekday afternoon, the network is stocked with wall-to-wall rebroadcasts of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs. For diehard Boston Bruins fans, there are probably about 23 games that will be interesting. But for the rest of NHL fans that saw their favorite team make the playoffs, the rebroadcasts just re-open wounds that have only started to heal. And the 14 teams that didn’t make the playoffs at all? Chances are those markets are clamoring for replays of their rivals vying for Lord Stanley’s Cup.

Bottom line: the rebroadcasts are stale.

Jeremy K. Gover wrote an excellent article outlining a few suggestions for the NHL Network and their executives to help breathe life into TV schedule. For anyone who is even remotely interested, it’s definitely worthwhile to read Gover’s article in its entirety; he has more than a few ideas and strategies towards implementing the vision. One idea he has is to have something like a “Director’s Cut” you may see on a DVD or Blu-Ray for the rebroadcasts aired in the offseason. It’s a great way to help liven up any replays the network chooses to run:

“Take Game 5 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Quarterfinal between the Blackhawks and Nashville Predators for example. Instead of just showing the moment when Martin Erat centers the puck instead of tying it up to preserve the one goal lead in the dying seconds of regulation, why not put a picture-in-picture box with Head Coach Barry Trotz sharing his post-game comments? Heck, why not the post-game comments from Erat himself? Who wouldn’t want to hear what those guys thought just moments after that monumental collapse happened?”

For those who need a reminder, here’s a refresher. Predators fans: watch at your own risk.

Another idea Gover presents is incorporating local reporters, columnists, and bloggers into the mix. Bringing in the locals would help take a look at a lot of the games that we’re already familiar with from a different perspective.

“Bloggers are the wave of the future. And newspapers are struggling. And both are looking for publicity (a/k/a free advertising). Why not bring them together and ask accredited media members from each team to do an on-camera commentary of the games they covered? How amazing would it be to watch the final moments of Game 4 of the Detroit Red Wings sweep of the Phoenix Coyotes while Carl Putnam of the Coyotes blog Five for Howling talks about what it was like being in that arena thinking ‘this could be the last time I watch a hockey game in Arizona?’ Whether you think Glendale deserves a hockey team of not, that’s just great TV right there.”

While all of Gover’s ideas have potential, this is where he strikes gold. Pulling in beat writers and bloggers that follow the team for 82 games every season would bring new life to old games. Assuming there’s positive feedback –let’s face it, more voices and perspectives are good for a network filling 24 hours of programming everyday – this is something that could spill into the regular season. If there’s a story about the Wild, then get Michael Russo’s take from the Star Tribune in Minnesota. If the Ducks make news, find out where the team was coming from with an interview with Eric Stephens from the OC Register. Mix in bloggers who have their finger on the collective pulse of their team’s fanbase. It would help give fans a more complete picture of any story making news throughout the season.

What do the readers think? Do you have ideas how the NHL Network could improve their offseason programming? Fans all over North America surely have ideas—we’d love to hear what you have in the comments.