I'm not a hockey fan. That's no great revelation to those who know me, but I have to admit

that I tuned into the Olympics to watch the games, including Sunday's gold medal final.

And you know what? I enjoyed it.

Canada's 3-2 overtime victory over the United States was riveting, one of the greatest

sporting events I've watched in a long time. It didn't match the Miracle on Ice in 1980, but

it was such a memorable epic nonetheless. Having the best players in the world makes it a

great tournament, which is why NHL players should return for the 2014 Games.

Now that the Olympics are over can the NHL capitalize on the sport's newfound popularity?

It's up to Commissioner Gary Bettman to make the most of this opportunity.

But will he?

Bettman used to work in the NBA's marketing department, so you would think he learned a

thing or two from the league's image-conscious commish, David Stern. But Bettman apparently

doesn't get it that to grow your league you have to sell the people in your league.

Hockey is a religion in Canada, but it's still a niche sport in the U.S. with limited

interest outside the northern part of this country. Although the passion for the NHL is strong

in Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Detroit, it lacks the nationwide appeal of the NFL, NBA and Major

League Baseball.

The gold-medal game got huge ratings because it wasn't just the hard-core hockey fans tuning

in. The challenge for the NHL is how to keep the casual observers interested. To do that, the

league has to do a better job of marketing its stars.

Everyone knows who Peyton Manning is because he's constantly promoted by the NFL and the

products he endorses. The NBA and its corporate partners go out of their way to hype LeBron

James and Kobe Bryant. You have probably heard of Derek Jeter even if you don't follow

baseball.

But where are the advertising campaigns for the NHL's best and brightest? Why is it that

former NBA great Charles Barkley, who has been out of the league for a decade, has more

commercials than the face of the NHL, Sidney Crosby?

Alex Ovechkin might be the most exciting player in the world, but what is the NHL doing to

make him a household name outside hockey circles?

The U.S. team has plenty of young players the NHL can push. After what Ryan Miller did in

Vancouver, you could build a pretty good marketing campaign around him. Same goes for Patrick

Kane and Zach Parise.

The NHL's bogus television contract might be the biggest obstacle to growing the sport in

this country. The league has a deal with NBC and yet it says a lot about how hockey is

perceived nationally that the network didn't televise games until after the U.S. beat

Canada in the preliminary round.

You had to go to sister station MSNBC to watch hockey because NBC apparently felt it would

get better ratings showing ice skating, downhill skiing and snowboarding. Even curling got

more air time than hockey, for crying out loud.

The NHL's primary network outlet in the U.S. is Versus, which eliminates a lot of potential

fans because anyone with DirectTV doesn't have access to the network.

If people can't watch the games, how can the NHL possibly increase its fan base?

The Olympics were a great celebration of hockey. The tournament got the attention of people

who don't follow the sport. But can the NHL build on that momentum? That remains to be seen.