from Fluto Shinzawa of the Boston Globe,

- If you have been watching this season on broadcast, cable, or satellite TV, chances are good you can remember Led Zeppelin on the radio and “Jaws” on the movie screen. According to data compiled by research firm Magna Global for SportsBusiness Journal, the median age of NHL viewers in 2016 was 49. This is up from 42 in 2006, and 33 in 2000.

Among 16 sports, the NHL’s 16-year rise in median age between 2000 and 2016 is the second-largest after pro wrestling (26 years). In comparison, the NFL rose from 44 to 50 over the same period.

Industrywide, TV, not just in sports, is experiencing a decline. Customers are cutting the cable cord. Streaming is widely available. DVRs allow for viewing at any time with no need to watch commercials.

Magna Global’s data, however, doesn’t necessarily indicate that young viewers are turning away from hockey....

- Hockey’s competition committee, led by NHL senior vice president of hockey operations Colin Campbell and NHLPA special assistant to the executive director Mathieu Schneider, features heavy hitters. The players include David Backes, Mike Cammalleri, Cory Schneider, and Daniel Winnik. Peter Chiarelli, Jim Nill, David Poile, and Doug Wilson represent the GMs. Coaches Ken Hitchcock and Barry Trotz participated in the committee’s latest recommendations, although they were not voters.

Maybe that’s part of the problem.

These are indisputable insiders. They have spent their lives in the sport. They are not creative, outside-the-box thinkers when it comes to improving the game....

more on each of the above topics plus other hockey notes...