When most of the other major American sports leagues zig, the NHL doesn’t zag. It waits, deliberates, wondering if zagging is even worth the trouble. And it’s this kind of mentality that hurts the league’s growth and health despite stewarding one of the most exciting sports around.
So it’s no wonder the NHL would dive into the NFT (Non-Fungible Token) fad after already losing its trendy luster.
According to a report from The Hockey News’ Sal Barry. the league is making a newfound wholesale investment in NFTs. Two whole lines of digital collectibles will be backed by the league. This is a far cry from the NHL, and some teams merely dipped their toes into the water when NFTs initially became a thing in 2020.
More from The Hockey News:
“Until now, there have only been a handful of hockey NFTs. These were endorsed either by individual teams or players but not backed by the NHL or NHLPA. Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Tyler Seguin, Thatcher Demko and Matthew Tkachuk all appeared on NFTs in 2021.”
The main reason NFTs never became more than a flash-in-the-pan is because of cryptocurrency’s overall nosedive of late. The NHL trying to take advantage of its novelty after many people have already moved on is so predictable. This league wouldn’t know about being on the cutting edge if it smacked upside the head.
NHL fans roasted the league for getting into NFTs after they lost their trendy popularity
Never count out the NHL ability to gleefully grab the dying tail of a trend instead of being at the forefront https://t.co/bxRFDQCvWh
— Jen (@NHLhistorygirl) July 11, 2023
Truly a league that has it's finger on the pulse https://t.co/95mhyvMUbH
— Jeff Veillette (@JeffVeillette) July 11, 2023
I hear the NHL will soon be making the transition from black-and-white television broadcasts to color television. Stay tuned for details. https://t.co/2157WoUYTd
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) July 11, 2023
Name a more iconic duo than the NHL and jumping on trends several years after their popularity died https://t.co/wKxBiYh9GJ pic.twitter.com/l0P0IgZ3lM
— Jason Rogers (@HeyJayJRogers) July 12, 2023
Legitimately thought NFTs just did not exist anymore https://t.co/lLVwE8S5QO
— Laura (@theactivestick) July 11, 2023
nah the salary cap about to drop to 25m before the start of the season https://t.co/f5L0IBbRnU
— salute emoji addict (@OVECHKlN) July 12, 2023
This is painful. How is the NHL this bad at everything? https://t.co/N7XfTSUVJ3
— Zoe York (@ZoeYorkWrites) July 12, 2023
https://t.co/S5RL9GMXet pic.twitter.com/PBMRhOYcUA
— 🦖 ryan lambert 🦕 (@twolinepass) July 12, 2023
Me buying an NHL NFT in 2023. https://t.co/GLpCiNN2ml pic.twitter.com/SKumszKk5r
— Mike Beauvais (@MikeBeauvais) July 11, 2023
