FOX had a flaming puck. ESPN had blanket coverage and Barry Melrose's mullet. And Versus has... well, since no one can see them, no one really knows what they have. Almost every network has tried to make hockey a more attractive game to national viewers, and they've universally failed. So what is NBC, in the second season of its broadcast deal with the NHL, going to try? Think youngsters in skates.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, NBC's strategy this year will be to highlight the young stars of the league, especially in their primary game of the week. They will still show three regional games every week, but will concentrate marketing efforts on the main game, which will often feature up and coming players like Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins. In fact, the Penguins will play the Philadelphia Flyers in the first NBC Game of the Week on January 13. Anything should help; the Peacock Network averaged a 1.0 rating in their games last year, down a tenth of a point from ABC's coverage in the pre-lockout season of 2003-04.