Pittsburgh Penguins

Can NHL have crowd noise without crowds?

The Pittsburgh Penguins watch their 2016 Stanley Cup Championship banner being raised to the rafters before the game against Washington Capitals at PPG Paints Arena on October 13, 2016 in Pittsburgh. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH — It's a given that if the NHL is able to complete the 2019-20 season and award the Stanley Cup this summer, its games will be played without crowds.

That doesn’t mean they can’t have crowd noise, though.

And the competition just might be enhanced if there is some. At the very least, the viewing experience for those watching on TV and online would be.

Several games in the Bundesliga, Germany's top soccer league, that were televised Sunday proved that. Although no fans were present in the stadiums, there were chants and cheers and the general din associated with a well-attended sporting event. The noise was recorded -- whether it was piped into the stadium or simply added to the telecast wasn't clear -- but it didn't conflict with the empty seats as much as it simply overshadowed them.

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It was a good first step toward making games more compelling -- the ones contested without crowd noise have felt more like scrimmages than actual games -- for the audiences networks will be trying to attract and retain as more sports and leagues resume operations that were suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.

And the NHL, which is expected to play its games in as few as two “hub” cities once it gets clearance from medical and political officials to restart the season that was place on hold March 12, should consider taking that concept to a higher level.

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