[Travis]

If you honestly believe that promoting a third rate player who's best material is going after a player's girlfriend through the media (and as others have said, if he wasn't reprimanded after this, what would his next target have been if he carried on down that road), who would have then turtled like nobodies business when confronted on the ice is a better idea than marketing a young potentially elite talent like Patrick Kane, then I really have to question why you watch the sport to begin with.

You can talk about how English is a second language for some of their stars, but there are more than enough Canadian and American players around to market through ads and interviews and the sport has had a lot of personality in it and players (Roenick and Hull being two of the more recent ones) who were star calibre as well as "entertaining", but in a manner positive to the game. This isn't wrestling and they don't need trumped up bad guys for the fans to root against. The XFL didn't make that marketing plan work and it'll be a black day indeed if the NHL goes down that road.

Using your own example, that's where contraction may be the answer. Eliminate how many "meh" players each team have and you'll see more consistent exciting action on the ice. Ales Hemsky gives a pretty mundane interview, but he's one of those guys who'll make you hold your breath when the puck is on his stick. That's the sort of thing the league needs more of, not wondering when Avery will start doing jumping jacks in front of the crease.