And NBC is doing its part to give the NHL every opportunity to succeed. NBC, which earned a profit from last season’s NHL coverage, is rewarding the league with an expansion of its broadcast schedule from six weekend dates to nine. The additional games provide the NHL with the most ­regular-season broadcast coverage it’s had in the United States since 1998.

“The added coverage is indicative of our commitment to hockey,” NBC Sports’ Brian Walker says. “They introduced a stellar crop of young stars, and I know they are working hard to expose them.”

And with top young stars like Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals’ Alexander Ovechkin, hockey has the profile players it needs to appeal to the casual television viewer the way NBC did back in the Michael ­Jordan–Magic Johnson–Larry Bird era of the NBA.

“For a while, hockey lacked the players with universal appeal that you can build a fan base around — the type of player that basketball has in Dwyane Wade or Shaq,” Pilson says. “The NHL has to market those players so they become household names.”

WITH THE NEW RULE CHANGES and the anxiety involved in bringing the game back after a yearlong leave of absence behind it, the league now must focus its attention on fixing its ratings problem and developing a national television fan base. The NHL’s dedication to boosting attendance is the best shot at doing this. But for now, as Bettman will attest, it’s a work in progress.

“This past season was about relaunching and getting our fans back, and now we have the right foundation to move forward on,” he says. “The fans continue to come back, and the ratings will grow.”