This is interesting but I think the Yakupov hype needs to build itself up even bigger than it already is and he needs to make himself an off ice personality if he's going to reach the upper echelon of player stardom and have the power to draw fans single-handedly the way that pretty well only Crosby and Ovechkin currently can. The problem is hockey is too much of a team sport so that means it's more important that your team is good than for you to have talented individual players. For the NHL they need to do a better job of marketing these players if they want to turn them into individual brands the way they are in the NBA. If not then the drawing factor for fans is going to be traditional big market powers like the Bruins, Red Wings and Rangers or teams at the top of the standings.

The biggest problem in the NHL may not even be a lack of extroversion or marketable personalities within its talent base. It may be the fact that unlike the NBA individual players can so seldom carry a team. It just doesn't happen. Even the best can only go as far as their team can take them. If the goal is truly to market players as brands themselves then the game needs to somehow change to accomodate this. It needs to be altered so superstars can be game changers like all the time. I'm not sure that's in the best interests of the game.

Let's say that Yakupov is a super-duper Crosby level type star. He doesn't have the same hype or backstory coming in. Wayne Gretzky never nominated him to be the second coming or what have you. Also that name just sucks. I'm just going to say it. It's not marketable. Yakupov sounds like something you do when your hungover. It doesn't inspire me to think of dominant play. I just could not see myself going out and purchasing a Yakupov jersey even if he led my beloved Oilers to the Stanley Cup. Like it or not there is an inherent value in a player's name, and in his origins. Yakupov does not portray any of our traditional archetypes for dominance the way a guy like Ovechkin does. If Yakupov is really going to be this superstar crowd drawer he's going to need to come up with a wicked nickname and start generating some more mainstream media hype. If the jackass baseball fan who barely follows hockey (not sure why he's a jackass but just go with it) still doesn't know who this guy is and probably won't know who he is until he gets drafted first overall and even then he'll total forget his name for like five years until maybe accepting him as one of the mainstream solid players that's been around for so long that even a jackass who barely follows hockey would have some idea who he is then I'm sorry but you just aren't a going to be that transcendent guy. You're just another top pick who hardcore fans really do love and casual fans merely appreciate the highlights.

This is certainly an intriguing piece because the balance of power definitely favours the east, at least in terms of drawing power but that has as much to do with the fact that the East simply has the more traditional market powers than the fact that it has the most superstars. For casual fans there are really only two big draws in the league Crosby and Ovechkin. Maybe Stamkos is up there but I don't think he's reached transcendence. Not sure Yakupov is gonna be that guy either.

One thing worth discussing here is the fact that there are a couple of markets out there where a borderline transcendent guy could be elevated above his own merits because of his market. Philadelphia might be like that, same with Boston but definitely New York and Los Angeles. If Yakupov could be a borderline transcendent guy then landing in one of those markets is the way he's going to get elevated. For example imagine if Stamkos played in one of those cities and not Tampa Bay. Not sure we'd possibly discount his super-duperstar status.

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Thanks for the response metaldude!

A couple things I thought about when reading it. One, I think they could find some way to market Nail. I know in Russia it's pronounced differently, but they could work with the first name.

I was really hoping someone like LA would make a big offer sheet for Stamkos. That would have been sick.

I totally agree that the East is the bigger market. I tried to explain that it will always be this way, but I also hope that the Western Conference can gain such notoriety in time.

I also agree that this is a team sport and unlike the NBA it's hard to market individual players that can reach that level of transcendence. Crosby hit it because of his story, I have to be honest, he's a bore to listen to. Ovi, is much better in this respect. It's a shame Bissonnette isn't a great player ha ha!

I got to admit though, guys like Roenick who did play in the West and had personality did draw people. I've used players and their stories to draw my friends into the sport and it's been actually quite persuasive and I've made many non sports fans, hockey fans.

I do hope the Yakupov hype machine builds and perhaps it would have helped even more had the NHL did a multi-network deal in the US involving ESPN. NHL2Night was a great program that propped the game well. ESPN is the biggest influence in American Sports and yes, this isn't just a sport in the US like most of them, but has huge Canadian and European stars. Something like that would have been nice, but alack, not for another 10 years is this worth even mentioning.

Again, I just feel like the West could use more rising stars that are marketable. I think Nail Yakupov has a chance to do it. Ovechkin made it work and Malkin is getting there more and more. Doesn't Yakupov speak better English than Malking already? ha ha.

So here's to hoping Anaheim or even LA getting him and marketing him right.

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Team 1:10 Multi-Cat Roto league

C- Malkin,Giroux,Thornton Galchenyuk, Schenn, Berglund, Eller
LW- Hall,Ovechkin, E.Kane Saad
RW- Seguin, Stewart, PAP
D- Subban,Phaneuf Keith, OEL, Hedman,
G- Pavelec,Hiller Lindback, Theodore, Lehner

Team 2:24 H2H League Multi-Cat

C- Lecavalier, B. Schenn, Ennis, Belanger
LW- JVR, Leino, Bissonnette, Whitney, C. Bourque, Nodl
RW- Kopecky, Langenbrunner, Doan, Versteeg, Mayers
D- Doughty, Burns, Souray, Sarich, Lovejoy, Potter
G-Pavelec, Enroth