NHL.com getting better

The NHL the coolest game on earth. It also has the coolest website of any other sport, and it's getting better.
In an AP story, Ira Podell writes of the improvements coming to NHL.com
"Come Wednesday, hockey fans will have an online place to go for everything NHL and it won't just be a one-stop shop. This innovative digital creation will feature seven "channels" of options and it'll all be free."
It's easy to be a cynic, and NHL ratings are down. The TV ratings yes, I wonder what the Internet ratings are though? In this year's college basketball tournament the ratings are down too. Many say it's because the games are available online.
Hockey ratings might have shifted too; Center Ice is available online.
Now Podell reports this.
"We know from market research that our fans are the most Web-savvy of all the sports leagues," said Andre Mika, the NHL vice president of broadband and new media production. "We also know, compared to an ESPN fan, that our fans are worth a 40 percent premium over some of the regular sports fans because of their ability to use technology."
I listen to Red Wings games frequently. In the past, since 1999, I listened to games on NHL.com, but earlier this season I found WXYT, which carries Wings games in Detroit, on iTunes radio.
If I wanted to listen to Detroit Tigers games online, MLB.com would charge me.
NHL.com is a great website - I can listen to games for free, after the game I can see highlights, I can see pre- and post- game interviews, download audio interviews, keep up with stats, compare stats, read feature stories, read news stories, and many more things there. I can even connect with other hockey fans, like on other social networking sites.
In a word it's great! Wednesday it reads as if it will be even better. I can't wait.