Besides Crosby (and now MacKinnon), younger guys like Matthews, McDavid or even David Pastrnak haven't had the team success that Tom Brady or LeBron James has. However, the way they've taken the NHL by storm should not go unnoticed.
If you go outside the hockey world, nobody knows just how good of athletes these young players are.
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Patrick Maroon appeared on the Pat McAfee show and discussed the situation:
The NHL does a terrible job marketing the sport, especially its top players. What needs to change?