from Wayne Friedman of TV WATCH at MediaPost,

How do you restart a sports league again, just eight years after a similar fresh-in-the-mind lockout?

This is the NHL’s big task. For many NHL fanatics, nothing else quite fills their need for sports TV viewing. Timing might help here, given that there is still a season, shortened as it is. Perhaps it helps that the NFL season is coming to an end just as this new NHL season is beginning.

The sport, which was on the way back from viewing losses on local TV (broadcast stations/regional cable networks) and national venues (NBC and NBC Sports Network) due to its previous lockout in 2004-2005, may actually not be as damaged this time. The league has saved half the season, including the higher-viewed playoffs.

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