10. People Love Hockey Again:
Despite two lockouts in the past decade, hockey has crept its way back into the mainstream.
An exciting last season gave the NHL a ton of momentum heading into 2013-14. The Olympics should give the league a sizable boost in February and then the playoffs start about a month later, so expect to see a ton of new fans of hockey this season.
TV ratings are good enough, the exposure is finally where it needs to be, and the league is loaded with talented players. Markets like Chicago, Boston, New York, and Los Angeles are competing too, so that is always big.
With a full season we could see an NHL-boom this year that will hopefully carry on for years to come.
