Will the NHL Maintain Olympics Momentum?

Hockey is all the rage these days.

NBC drew an average audience of 27.6 million viewers Sunday for the US/Canada gold medal game. It was the largest audience for a hockey game since the 1980 US/Finland gold-medal game from Lake Placid averaged 32.8 million.

At least 52.9 million U.S. viewers watched a portion of Sunday's game, according to the Nielsen Co.

But will it carry over to NHL action?

My prediction is that it will- for a short while. But once the Olympic memory fades, so will the country's interest...unless they keep marching out American-made hotties like the one above.

Honestly, what's missing in the NHL is celebrity, sex appeal...and US citizens. Now don't get me wrong-- hockey players are the most humble and down-to-earth out of the four major sports. There's no Ochocinco on the ice, and that is a very good thing. But that's not enough to attract the common fan to pay attention.

But the thing that's missing the most? Americans! Most of the NHL players are foreign, and while that's cool, it's hard for the country to "connect" with a Russian with no teeth. However, look at how the United States fell in love with Team USA, they obviously could not get enough!

Start scouting those high schools harder, NHL folks! And make sure they bring a head shot with them!