Next Media Animation Video Believes Stanley Cup Final, NHL Could Use Tiger Attacks to Boost Buzz (Video)

Game 1 between the Bruins and Canucks was a physical, hard-nosed game that featured great goaltending, hockey’s closest version of a “buzzer-beater” and the NHL’s highest ratings for a Stanley Cup Final since 1999. Yet some people still think hockey needs more excitement.

Next Media Animation posted a video on Friday that paints the NHL as the “red-headed step-child” of the four major sports in the United States. Claiming the sport is often overshadowed by the NBA Finals, which is played on offset nights, the video portrays the Cup Final as struggling to attract viewers.

But despite the apparent need for a tiger attack after a missed penalty shot, the NHL is doing quite fine.

With an Original Six team in the Bruins and a Canadian team in the Canucks, the NHL is recording its best TV ratings since the Dallas Stars took on the Buffalo Sabres 12 years ago, Media Life Magazine reports.

Two out of every five TV sets in Boston were tuned to NBC to watch the Bruins take on the Canucks in the series opener on Wednesday.

But not everyone is convinced.

Join the Stanley Cup conversation on Twitter at @NESN. Use the hashtag #nhlcup11.