Hockey has its share of violence, but the NHL is OK with CBC adding a little sex and drugs to the mix.

According to a CBCNews.ca Arts story, the NHL wanted a sneak peek of MVP, a sexy prime-time soap about pro hockey players.

As the National Post put it, league execs “just wanted to see what kind of fictional, salacious shenanigans the fictional hockey players get up to in the fictional league”.

The good news is that they do indeed recognize that it’s, you know, not real.

“While it certainly could be interpreted not to cast professional hockey players in the most positive light, I also understand that its fiction,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly wrote in an e-mail to CBC.

“And I have enough faith in the Canadian public to see it as such. The CBC understood why we’d want to see a copy.”

I can see why CBC wants to sex up the game; according to a Toronto Star story, Hockey Night in Canada ratings are slumping due in part to the sucky Maple Leafs. (What? Three wins in a row? That’ll fix the power rankings!)

MVP premieres Jan. 11, 2008.

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