The three-month-long NHL playoff grind began last night for players, fans and media alike, with magazines such as Maclean’s and The Hockey News hoping to capitalize with cover stories and/or special features. NHL PowerPlay, a custom quarterly by Paton Publishing, also released its annual Cup Crazy guide to the beards and body checks today, but not in the traditional format. The mag has been shut down and will now appear as a quarterly section in Hockey Now, a monthly freebie that focuses on the grassroots side of the game.

Hockey Now

“It was too confusing to have two hockey magazines,” publisher Beverly Paton says. “We thought we could manage both, but when the advertiser calls, you want to end up in a situation where you’re selling the hockey brand.”

Paton Publishing acquired Hockey Now from B.C.-based Hockey Now Communications Ltd. in December 2006.

Along with the Cup Crazy feature, the "NHL PowerPlay" section will offer features on the NHL Entry Draft Preview (June 10), NHL Entry Draft Postscript (early July) and an NHL Season Opener (early October) in the respective issues of Hockey Now.

“The bigger opportunity was to reach the readers with a full NHL to grassroots story,” Paton says.

Related links:

• Paton Publishing
• Hockey Now