A Step in the Right Direction.

This season the Ontario Hockey League has followed the lead of the National Hockey League and has started releasing videos on the league website with every announcement of a player suspension.

The videos are used to outline what criteria the league used in coming to the length of each player’s suspension. The videos also show a replay of the play that lead to the suspension. These videos are meant to be a learning devise for the fans and the media on what the OHL looks at when coming to a decision on a suspension.

What the OHL does not do however, that the NHL does is show the disciplinarian speaking. In the NHL videos, Brendan Shanahan, is making the announcement on video. The OHL only uses text in their videos in a sort of Powerpoint fashion.

Personally, I think this advancement is great by both leagues. It gives us a glimpse at the criteria that they used when suspending a player and also what they were looking at on the play in question. Sometimes what the people in charge of the decision sees and what the average fan or media member sees are two totally different things.

I’m always a supporter of these interactive ways of getting out to the fans and, with this medium; I see no negatives about it. This is a forward step for the two leagues and I am sure we will see a lot of the other leagues, including the rest of the CHL start doing this in the future.

So what’s next for the OHL’s multimedia efforts? Personally, I would like to see this as a step forward, not just a one-time thing. I would like all OHL announcements from player of the weeks to personal achievements, to be accompanied by a live video showcasing what the players did to earn their distinctions.

I see no reason why videos released by the league have to only carry a negative connotation and I hope we will see more interaction through multimedia by the league to its fans.

It’s time to act like its 2011.

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