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The National Hockey League needs to take a page out of the NBA's handbook to improve its popularity and recruitment in the United States.

The NBA has created a business and promotional model that are fused together through charitable groups and sponsored events. For example - the NBA has a continental-wide 3 on 3 tournament for every age group starting at age 7. The NHL needs to take a look at how it presents itself in the United States before having a shot at making its players valuable enough for draft consideration. This is a decade long venture however, as the building of popularity among the youth will inevitably translate into the popularization of the sport and eventual harvesting of real talent.

Being so geographically close to hockey's Mecca, Canada, gives the NHL and United States an invaluable starting point. Cross border tournaments sponsored by the NHL already exist but flies under the radar for those who are not already interested in the sport. With the right ambassadors, sponsors and talent pool participating, the NHL has the opportunity to showcase American players standing toe-to-toe with their Canadian counterparts. To help facilitate this venture into a growing trend, the focus should include the inclusion of NHL scouts at tournaments, prompting younger players to get excited about the possibility of being discovered as a rising star. If you look at the NBA's record of finding hidden talent you will notice many of the players were approached by scouts while playing school yard hoops inside inner cities across the country. While there are very few public ice rinks in the USA, there is still something to be said for conveying an idea that hockey can help create a future for players who show raw talent and skill. Regular tournaments with local television support can accomplish this kind of player improvement.

Inevitably, these kind of promotional ideas lead to a trickle effect on athletes interested in hockey. Exposure of the sport leads to registration increases. Registration increases leads to a better player pool. Better players leads to better hockey, and better hockey leads to an increase in popularity. Once the grass roots support of hockey is established, corporate interest will allow network television to place a higher emphasis on NHL games, thereby increasing the pool of ideas advertisers generate in order to get the word out.

When the NBA was going through a growing pains in the early 80s, they relied on their young stars to captivate fans and in turn increase the sport's popularity. While the NHL does not have American players like Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan, they certainly have the ability to create stars for the future if they follow a formula that attracts players and fans at an early age. It may take a while, but eventually this kind of aggressive promotion and support for one of the world's greatest sports will no doubt translate into the recruitment of future American stars ready to skate with the game's greatest. The NHL has an opportunity to tap into a country that is already known for producing some of the planet's greatest athletes. Time will tell.

Learn more about this author, James Di Fiore.
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