Parity comes with a cost in these playoffs; popular teams are out

The NHL has to be loving the parity of these playoffs, but at what cost?
Look at some of the teams to have been eliminated.
You have the Red Wings, a national brand on the scale of the Dallas Cowboys or New York Yankees.
The Chicago Blackhawks are done, after losing to Phoenix last night. The Pittsburgh Penguins with the star power of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are enjoying summer vacation after their unforgettable series against Philadelphia.
And the Vancouver Canucks, who have a big following in Canada, failed to get back to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Who is left in the Western Conference? How about St. Louis, Phoenix, Nashville and Los Angeles.
They’ll bring good, competitive hockey to this next round. But they aren’t going to break any television ratings, I would think.
None of those markets are passionate hockey markets. None, also, has the pull to attract the casual hockey fan around North America to watch any of the games.
Unless the New York Rangers and Boston are able to remain alive in the East, this could be a playoff season that few outside the markets that remain alive care about.
The parity is exciting. But it does come with some cost.