This season the NHL hosted the Draft at the marquee venue Sphere in Las Vegas, and it was a smash hit for most fans and people in attendance. However, UFC President Dana White thought it was amateur hour.
The UFC is hosting an event at the Sphere in the near future, and Dana White commented on what he saw from the NHL in the same venue. White said that the UFC's event will make the NHL look like child's play.
The Draft at the sphere was honestly a fantastic event, and the best the NHL draft has been in years. Due to the strict television and venue schedule, the draft moved quickly and was over in just 3.5 hours, and packed with trades. The visuals were impressive, but if White is right at all about his assertion, it was greatly underused by the NHL. It's not uncommon for the NHL to be behind in marketing, and White called them out hard for it.
Hopefully the success of this year's NHL draft at the Sphere is repeated next year, potentially with more tweaks to make it even more entertaining. Hockey fans don't need the window dressing of a light show at the draft though, just the excitement of new players and trades is enough.
