Hockey vs. NASCAR/Golf

[ThaSaltCracka]

I don't like any of these sports.

[Triumph36]

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hockey had a chance and blew it with the work stoppage.

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The work stoppage didn't 'blow' anything for the NHL. It simply accelerated the decline of the NHL is the US. Look, save for the American Original Six franchises and a few other successful expansions/moves (read: Buffalo, Colorado, Minnesota), hockey is a niche sport in the US. Always has and always will be.

The NHL were fools were not taking ESPN's TV contract. Granted, less money, but they needed that national exposure. Gary Bettman keeps saying that attendance ratings are up, but he's full of it.

The NHL launched an aggressive marketing campaign titled 'My NHL' to go along with considerably significant rule changes that were intended to appeal to everyone, including me (which they did). However, there still is a ways to go. And unfortunately, it appears as though the refs (by far the least envied referring job of the 'Big Four'), are starting to let things slide again.

The future of the NHL in the US looks bleak. At least half a dozen teams need to be moved/eliminated. Winnipeg, Quebec City and Halifax all need teams.

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This post is probably a joke, right? I hope I'm not getting leveled.

The problem with the ESPN deal was that ESPN wanted to plug in hockey wherever it saw fit - basically where it puts poker now on its schedule. That's a bad deal for the NHL - it needs an exclusive night devoted to hockey every week. In the New York area, I think OLN took a garbage deal to be added for free to the digital tier, because it's in no man's land - I often forget there's a game on, and I'm a huge fan.

As for Winnipeg, Halifax, and Quebec City, there is not a chance these three cities could ever support an NHL team now. Not a chance in hell. The salary floor is going up again next season - do you really think these cities could run profitable, competitive teams in this era? Absolutely no way.

Anyway, the first work stoppage killed hockey's buzz - baseball was on strike, here was the PERFECT opportunity to slip in and get people fired up about the season. Instead there was a lockout and the owners caved. Bob Goodenow's tyrannical reign on the NHLPA is over - finally - and I think they struck a pretty fair deal this time.

[vin17]

Yes, that must have been the NHL's reasoning...move to a network where viewer accessibility is essentially zero, but they get a fat deal. Anyone with half a business mind would have taken the lesser ESPN deal. Why, because it's only the most watched sports network in the world. Sure, the games would have bounced around, but at least American hockey fans as well as newcomers to the game would have been able to find it easily on the dial. On Versus, formerly OLN, NHL hockey would have been the premier sport, to go along with...flyfishing? hunting? Give me a break.

[MicroBob]

ESPN could put it on at 5am on Tuesdays only and hockey would still be better off than on OLN/VS only.
Seriously.

And hockey would have gotten far better coverage than that even with ESPN just plugging it in one whatever night they pleased.

Just having the playoffs on ESPN is a huge thing for hockey.
Having it on only the 'versus' network and local FSN affiliates with occasional NBC games is really awful.

Hockey needs those playoff doubleheaders on ESPN. Period.

Also having hockey on ESPN means you get more coverage of the sport on Sportscenter and on NHL-Tonight type programming which is also a big deal.

All the Nascar promotional stuff and non-stop coverage on Sportscenter is freaking annoying.

[MicroBob]

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I am from Texas and I'm sure I would love hockey if I'd grown up in a hockey town. As it is, I never played it or watched it--at all--as a kid. Now, I don't really understand the game that much and can't really follow it on TV very well. Also, I think you need a team to really get behind before you can get really into a sport, and I don't have a team like that.

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Much of this is true of course.
But you would be surprised at some of the cities that do really well with hockey even in southern cities where most of the populace knows nothing about the game before getting their team.

Nashville pretty quickly was absolutely crazy/nuts for their NHL team.
I think Dallas has had pretty good fan support as well.

In the minor-leagues, Oklahoma City has consistently been one of the best drawing teams in the country at around 10k fans a game and it's not like they have a ton of hockey players in the area.
Yeah, there are some kids who skate. But mostly it's adults who are coming out because they dig the excitement.

Shreveport, Louisiana also draws well. Another team with good attendance in that league is the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees.

That's pretty different from being a fan of the major-league game where you are watching games on TV and talking about playoff matchups around the water-cooler though.

Just saying that it's not impossible for a Texan who didn't grow up with the sport to actually enjoy it and start to understand it a little after attending a game or two.

[DrewDevil]

Oh, I agree with you 100%... it's just that there are so many sports ahead of hockey in my queue, as it were.

I'd just rather watch some random college b-ball game between Niagara and Wright State than go watch the Austin Ice Bats, even though I'm sure I'd enjoy the Bats if I went.

[Triumph36]

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Yes, that must have been the NHL's reasoning...move to a network where viewer accessibility is essentially zero, but they get a fat deal. Anyone with half a business mind would have taken the lesser ESPN deal. Why, because it's only the most watched sports network in the world. Sure, the games would have bounced around, but at least American hockey fans as well as newcomers to the game would have been able to find it easily on the dial. On Versus, formerly OLN, NHL hockey would have been the premier sport, to go along with...flyfishing? hunting? Give me a break.

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They were trying to grow the network. The NHL wasn't working on ESPN - and ESPN was going to put on the games whenever they wanted, basically, as a time filler. I don't think it's worked out quite yet, and it's quite possible it never does, but a deal with ESPN was not best for the NHL's future.

A lot of the game's problem to me is that there are 2 intermissions. As a result I just can't get into watching a full game between two other teams, usually, because every 35-40 minutes there's a 17 minute break. And I have Center Ice.

[B00T]

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few other successful expansions/moves (read: Buffalo, Colorado, Minnesota),

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Buffalo is far from successful. Not even 3 years ago, Buffalo was endangered of being removed. If the team hadn't been as good as they have been, they'd be in the same boat as Pittsburgh right now.

The contract with OLN is in year 2 of 3 I believe. Even being at the mercy of ESPN's scheduling would be way better than anything so far on OLN. I would love to see 2 west coast games at 10:30 ET on ESPN2 than what is on OLN. OLN on my cable package is in the middle of nowhere. The only time I ever think to check if a game is on is if the Rangers are not on MSG here. Even tonite they had Bos/Col which I missed and would of watched if I even remembered it was on since seeing the Rangers/Isles last night on OLN. With an ESPN deal they will catch a bunch of channel surfers at worst. Some cheesy 5 second plug preceding a commercial break during SC would of had me tuned in.

I really hope after next year Bettman comes to his senses and goes back to ESPN even if it's at 50% of what OLN or whatever other network would offer.

[MrFeelNothin]

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hockey had a chance and blew it with the work stoppage.

[/ QUOTE ]
The work stoppage didn't 'blow' anything for the NHL. It simply accelerated the decline of the NHL is the US. Look, save for the American Original Six franchises and a few other successful expansions/moves (read: Buffalo, Colorado, Minnesota), hockey is a niche sport in the US. Always has and always will be.

The NHL were fools were not taking ESPN's TV contract. Granted, less money, but they needed that national exposure. Gary Bettman keeps saying that attendance ratings are up, but he's full of it.

The NHL launched an aggressive marketing campaign titled 'My NHL' to go along with considerably significant rule changes that were intended to appeal to everyone, including me (which they did). However, there still is a ways to go. And unfortunately, it appears as though the refs (by far the least envied referring job of the 'Big Four'), are starting to let things slide again.

The future of the NHL in the US looks bleak. At least half a dozen teams need to be moved/eliminated. Winnipeg, Quebec City and Halifax all need teams.

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Hmm......I wonder if this guy is from Canada....

[1C5]

Probably, he knows how to spell Winnipeg.