Hockey at its greatest
Posted on April 29th, 2009 – 10:37 AMBy Michael Russo
Disregarding which teams you were pulling for — and boy, it’s got to be painful to be a Devils’ fan today — those were two outstanding Game 7’s.
As Dave Strader said during the VERSUS telecast, there was Sergei Fedorov — circa 1994.
And for awhile in the Devils’ game, there was Brian Rolston — circa 2005-08. What a shrewd pass by Brian Gionta off the boards to essentially set up a signature Brian Rolston one-time slapper.
It seemed like that would hold up as the winner, but in an amazing turn of events, the Carolina Hurricanes went from being 1:20 away from their season ending to ending the season of the Devils with 32 seconds left.
What an unbelievable finish, even more unbelievable than their victory with two-tenths of a second left earlier in the series. So many great plays down the stretch, like Tim Gleason saving the puck at the blue line on his knees seconds before Joni Pitkanen set up Jussi Jokinen’s tying goal. And there’s few scarier sights than Eric Staal coming down the off wing with speed like Mark Messier.
It was just a stunning finish, one that’ll have the Devils second-guessing little plays for a long time. Zach Parise had an awesome series, but you know he’ll be wondering if he should have just chipped the puck out on his forehand rather than turning toward the corner 10 or so seconds before Jokinen’s goal.
Shawn Roarke from NHL.com wrote a really good sidebar with myriad Devils’ quotes. Here’s the link.
So with that win, the NHL got what you know was its wish — a Crosby-Ovechkin second round. And Boston-Carolina should be an awesome series, too. I’m almost more enthralled with the East matchups than the West (Vancouver-Chicago, which should be fun, and Detroit-Anaheim).
The semis should be great drama.
195 Responses to "Hockey at its greatest"
Is there anything more enjoyable than Stanley Cup playoffs? We’ve had some good matchups and upsets and exciting finishes already. Unfortunately I am leaving tomorrow for a long weekend with non-hockey fans. I hope I can keep one of the TV’s softly tuned in.
Why would you have friends that are non-hockey fans wood? 
Or ar they rellitives so you have no choice in the matter?
Thanks for the snack Russo, the picture of Lynn was giving me the hee-bee-gee-bee’s.
NiNY: I’m not saying that the League should use guys like Datsyuk to promote car washes, or crap like that. But like SI does, they have several different covers for all the different regions of the country. What I’m saying is that the League should be using “stars” in their regions to promote the game on TV. Instead of showing a STK commercial on Versus in Carolina to promote the playoffs, use Staal or Brindamore or one of the team’s top players, whom a potential fan may recognize because of the jersey or whatever. At least somebody with a connection to the area to help draw in the fringe. Obviously it doesn’t matter whom the League uses for promos in regards to “core” fans, but I think they are missing the boat by not promoting the stars of the game in their regions. I think more Chicago sports fans who are not hockey fans would be more receptive to watch a playoff game if they saw Kane and/or Toews in an add promoting it.
Also, for Russo, is there any info you could provide as to why your paper would try to pass off a stock photo as actual game footage from last night’s Canes/Devils game? Just curious. Like I typed before, go ahead and use file photos if that is all they have, but then don’t pass them off as having occurred in the game that is written about in the story. I just have a feeling that if the Celts/Bulls goes to a game #7, we won’t see a picture in the paper from a game between the teams that happened 6 months ago.
I’m almost more enthralled with the East matchups than the West (Vancouver-Chicago, which should be fun, and Detroit-Anaheim).
Of course you would be. You’re a johnny-come-lately… LOL
All of these series have ‘great’ stamped on them. Except maybe the ‘Hawks sweeping Alan’s ‘Nuks right onto the golf course.
Band, these are old college friends. One friend who is a sort of ‘Canes fan couldn’t make it. If he were there my odds would go up. Deep, the Chicago sports fans who are not hockey fans have ample opportunity to be seduced into watching the Hawks in the playoffs by their local media. The NHL and TV are trying to advertise marketable commodities that can have a national appeal. Yes, hockey will never be the NFL or MLB but magnetic stars like STK and AO can make the game a little more popular nationally. While our game is still largely regional there is definitely more national interest, albeit still somewhat limited. For example, 20 years ago could you have imagined people packing an arena in Dallas to watch hockey or hockey players playing D-1 hockey from California or Arizona?
wood: I appreciate the comments, but the fact is the NHL has never had worse national viewership than it does right now. Do not equate expansion with better national visibility. These are the Cup Finals numbers the last few years. Plus, the Cup Finals have historically done better than the national games the League has put on during the regular season:
1995 5.21 FOX New Jersey Devils vs. Detroit Red Wings
1996 5.09 FOX Colorado Avalanche vs. Florida Panthers
1997 6.37 FOX Detroit Red Wings vs. Philadelphia Flyers
1998 4.83 FOX Detroit Red Wings vs. Washington Capitals
1999 4.87 FOX Dallas Stars vs. Buffalo Sabres
2000 5.51 ABC New Jersey Devils vs. Dallas Stars
2001 5.06 ABC Colorado Avalanche vs. New Jersey Devils
2002 5.77 ABC Detroit Red Wings vs. Carolina Hurricanes
2003 3.63 *ABC/ESPN New Jersey Devils vs. Anaheim Ducks
2004 3.29 *ABC/ESPN Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Calgary Flames
2005 Strike, no season
2006 2.83 **NBC/OLN Carolina vs, Edmonton
2007 1.76 NBC/VS Ottawa vs. Anaheim
Deep: from a marketing perspective, I think you’re over-thinking it.
I work with a guy, from Chicago, big sports fan, but had lost touch with the ‘Hawks (like, I’m sure, countless others) during the dark years before the old man got out of the canoe.
Two weeks ago, all of a sudden, he’s a Hawks fan again. When he mentioned this to me, and I tried to engage him in a conversation, he didn’t know who any of the players are, who the coach is, etc. Keep in mind, he lives in upstate NY.
Now, if HE can re-catch the bug, remote of the team’s local area, then I just don’t think Johnny Nascar down in Raleigh is going to somehow not know that the Canes are still alive just because STK and not Eric Staal is featured on the Versus spots.
*NOTE TO MS.C: I am *not* taking a swipe at those potential hockey fans south of the Mason-Dixon line, or saying they’ll never “get” hockey. In fact, just the opposite. In short, I am conscientious of trying NOT to incur your wrath on what I know to be a particularly sensitive topic to you.
*side note* Your use of Staal is a bad one, since there is (was?) that ad with that chick who goes around north america spreading the good word of nhl.com (or whatever it is) where she finds herself up in Thunder Bay talking to the Staal parents.
Now, if you’d said “Ray Whitney”…
NiNY: It just seems that what the League is currently doing, nad has done, for the past bunch of years has not worked. The numbers continue to slide. They need to change things up and do something that they have never done and that is promote their stars on a more regional basis. Run the same playoff spots in all the markets, but use stars from each market that people may have a connection to. I understand the League wants to squeeze every bit of juice it can out of STK, but that marketing style simply has not worked, and the numbers prove that.
Deep: again, WGAS?
you said: “I have always beleived that the NHL will never be a “national” sport for variouis reasons, but it could be a great “regional” sport.”
If that’s the case, then are you also saying that the league’s national marketing campaigns really undermine that? I find that hard to believe, the story about my buddy the born again Hawks fan being one piece of evidence.
There is no such thing as bad advertising.
DB , those numbers reflect the decline from 2002 on as broadcast rights switched to premium sports channels. if you can remember back far enough the same thing happened when the north stars viewership dropped when spectrum picked up the broadcast rights inthe early 80’s, uh, man am i dating myself there.
East matchups are more exciting
NiNY: No such thing as bad advertising, but there is such a thing as wasted advertising. The Cap is going to go down, the economy almost ensures that team’s revenue will go down (note the Yotes had to borrow from the NHL to pay bills this month), so, I would hope the League would be doing a better job of getting fans to the game, both in person and over the air. I just think their methods have proven that it hasn’t worked, the story about your friend notwithstanding.
that chick
correction: that hot chick
DB, do you have numbers for the NBA finals and the world series for that same time frame. I have a inkling that you will see the same decline.
But like SI does, they have several different covers for all the different regions of the country
SI is still around and when did they go to different covers for different segments of the country?
The NBA would be floundering if it weren’t for MJ. MJ was the league for the better part of 8 to 10 seasons in the 90s.
note the Yotes had to borrow from the NHL to pay bills this month
i wouldn’t be so quick to use phoenix as a measuring stick for the entire NHL.
Most of the ads I see coming out of the NHL are collages of a variety of teams and players.
The NHL may have overbaked STK in the beginning, but they have backed off that a bit.
I have an instinctive aversion to all things East Coast hockey that goes back to when there was about a 95% chance that NBC’s Sunday game was going to be Philly, NY, Pitt or Philly. With cable and pay per view, I find that to no longer be a problem.
The NHL can market their little heinie’s off, but until they get back on ESPN, they’re going nowhere.
It’s up to the teams to drive the local markets.
Can somebody please call People magazine and tell them to stop using that stock photo of Carmen Electra pre-breast implants!!
SI uses different covers for things like the NCAA tournament, the start of the college football season, etc (they will have region-specific players/teams on the different covers).
NBC 2000 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Indiana Pacers 2 11.6
NBC 2001 Los Angeles Lakers 4, Philadelphia 76ers 1 12.1
NBC 2002 Los Angeles Lakers 4, New Jersey Nets 0 10.2
ABC 2003 San Antonio Spurs 4, New Jersey Nets 2 6.5
ABC 2004 Detroit Pistons 4, Los Angeles Lakers 1 11.5
ABC 2005 San Antonio Spurs 4, Detroit Pistons 3 8.2
ABC 2006 Miami Heat 4, Dallas Mavericks 2 8.5
ABC 2007 San Antonio Spurs 4, Cleveland Cavaliers 0 6.2
ABC 2008 Boston Celtics 4, Los Angeles Lakers 2 9.3
I don’t know why NBA ratings are where they are, because I wouldn’t watch a game if it were being played in my basement. As far as baseball goes, the decline in numbers has been attributed, in part, to the fact that games have all been moved to late night starts.
Year Rating Viewers/millions
2000 FOX 12.4 18,081,000
2001 FOX 15.7 24,528,000
2002 FOX 11.9 19,261,000
2003 FOX 13.9 20,142,000
2004 FOX 15.8 25,390,000
2005 FOX 11.1 17,162,000
2006 FOX 10.1 15,812,000
2007 FOX 10.6 17,123,000
2008 FOX 8.4 13,635,000
Stoned: I think the League could do better on ESPN, but first year they had some of the Finals game on ESPN, they lost more than 2 million viewers. In year 2, they lost another half-million viewers. I just think they League Brass has to be smarter in how it tries to promote a game where so few of us are watching.
WTF Russo? How about some names in the Wild GM search? We’re dying here!
If it has come to me trying to explain ratings and sports viewership around the country, then yes, we have indeed died.
just looking at NBA numbers, the league does well when the lakers are in the finals. very poor otherwise.
The NHL needs to get back on ESPN, as much as I hate ESPN, they promote the heck out of whatever they are showing, right now the NBA playoffs.
they promote the heck out of whatever they are showing
correction: they promote the heck out of whatever they are showing, “but for hockey”
Hockey got less pub than WSOP
Speaking of marketing…what’s up with that fish on the homepage? I click it all the time expecting to come to the blog. Serious Pavlovianism (if that’s a word) on my part.
When they showed the NHL they did promote it very well and it got good attention on espn.com, when it went away the attention also went away. They did not pimp the NBA playoffs when they were on NBC but now that they are on ABC/ESPN of course they are going to pimp it. The league needs to do what it can to get back on ESPN, and I think it needs to promote its stars no matter where they play, name means a lot.
East matchups are more exciting
Obviously, Capitals-Penguins is going to be the series most people will be interested in because of the rivalry, but don’t you think the West matchups will be more interesting than Boston-Carolina?
Or does it hurt too much for you to admit you’ll watch the Canucks-Hawks will great interest (and jealousy)?
Canes defeat Devils - here’s the math.
Ward > Brodeur
there was NHL tonight and wednesday was game of the week until they got the nba contract. they then changed the HL to BA on all advertising
Or does it hurt too much for you to admit you’ll watch the Canucks-Hawks will great interest (and jealousy)?
i will watch this series. no jealousy.
i don’t care much for the duck-wings matchup.
Or does it hurt too much for you to admit you’ll watch the Canucks-Hawks will great interest (and jealousy)?
Great interest, yes.
Jealousy? Don’t be so full of yourself Alan. No one on this blog has even a hint of ‘gee, I wish I were a braineater’.
I bet no one outside of Vancouver is pulling for your pathetic team. Not even the dozen or so people in Canada that believe ‘the Cup belongs to us’…
[…] Russo’s Rants – […]
I think the perception about the East matchups being more “exciting” might come from the fact that most everyone probably expects the Wings to blow past the Quackers and also figures that the young Hawks will dispatch the sitting-on-their-arses-too-long Nucks. The East just has a better “look” to their 2nd-Round series than the West does.
And yes Alan, I for one will be watching your Nucks get their arses handed to them (hopefully) with great interest. Jealousy? Not at all. What goes around comes around in sports. This year’s “parade route planning” is next year’s “coulda, woulda, shoulda” crying-in-your-beer topics.
What’s everyone’s opinion on the Wings-Ducks matchup? Will Detroit continue dominating, or will Anaheim continue to surprise?
I would be pretty shocked if Detroit didn’t make it to the cup, but that’s just me.
Maybe it’s because of my familiarity with the teams, but I am actually looking forward to the Nucks-Hawks series the most.
west coast finals = detroit vs chicago
east coast finals = boston vs pittsburgh
stanley cup finals = boston vs detroit
cup winner is detroit (unfortunately)
kj…
Oh, don’t kid yourself. There’s a heck of a lot more than a dozen of them. They might not all be rooting for the hated Nucks, but to a person, from BC to the Maritimes, they ALL think that “The Cup belongs to us.” But unfortunately for them, it’s been hanging out south of the border for quite awhile now. It keeps playing keep-away to places like DET, ANA, CAR, TB, NJ, etc, etc, etc.
It looks quite promising that that trend will continue again this spring too.
The beauty of the playoffs is that on paper we have perceptions of these series, but once they start it changes and new storylines emerge. I for one would have thought the NJ-Carolina series would be sort of dull, but look at how it turned out.
west coast finals = detroit vs chicago
east coast finals = boston vs pens
stanley cup finals = detroit vs pens
cup winner is pens
In my best Soup Nazi voice:
Hossa…no cup for you…1 year
OK, I’ll play ….
west finals: Vancouver-Detroit
east finals: Boston-Wash
SCP finals: Vancouver-Boston
Bruins to win cup, keeping alive what has now become simply an obnoxious run for Boston sports teams.
You guys really think Osgood will take the Wings to the finals? Maybe I’m alone but I think the Ducks will expose the weak link in this upcoming match up.
Indy Car racing is on Versus channel too. 2 leagues that have no marketing sense at all.
Indy Car racing is on Versus channel too
tour de france
america’s cup
WEC
No one on this blog has even a hint of ‘gee, I wish I were a braineater’.
I bet no one outside of Vancouver is pulling for your pathetic team. Not even the dozen or so people in Canada that believe ‘the Cup belongs to us’…
I won’t argue with you on that one. We know we are hated. But we’ve waited 39 years for a Cup, so you really think at this point we want a popularity contest? On the Calgary Flames website, a poll asked which team Flames fans would now support and the top response was ABC Anyone But Canucks)!
The only part of your response I would argue with is when you call the Canucks “pathetic”. You think a team with Luongo, the Twins, Kesler, two scoring lines, a big strong defense made up of guys almost all over 6′2 and 230 pounds, is pathetic?
Patheticness is subjective.
I deem your squad to be the patheticest.
NiNY: You have mail.
I really don’t think anyone outside of the BC Lower Mainland thinks Vancouver will win it all. Some may say other teams, but until (and unless) someone can actually prove otherwise, it’s still Detroit’s cup to lose. The rest of them are pretenders.
Other than that, I’m enjoying the heck out of the playoffs. Aren’t you?
The Fowl will beat the Dead Wings in 6 games and the Nux, sad to say, will beat the Hawks. Jerry Seinfeld’s long-lost brother is playing too well right now. Could care less about the Canes/Bruins, but I’ll go Cam Ward and the Caines in 7, and The Caps beat the Pens in 5. The only reason the Caps/Rags series made it to 7 games is because of Lunquist and MAF won’t play to that level.
Spring around here is brown and dull, and yet….it’s the absolute BEST time of year for a hockey fan. With or without the Wild in the postseason, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are the best show in sports for my money.
Go Hawks!!!!!
Wow, in the 80’s and early 90’s, I sure never thought you would hear me say that.
it would be justice for the pens to defeat the deadwings for the cup after hossa snubbed them.
WEC rocks!! Uriah Faber is exciting to watch, can’t wait for the re-match with Brown!
Versus does a good job broadcasting the games but the NHL needs a bigger market channel (i.e. ESPN) to make the league strong again. Can’t the NHL split the broadcast rights so VS & ESPN could provide better coverage together? I’m guessing that wouldn’t be feasible, especially on ESPN’s part, but I think it would be beneficial to the league.
So far, I’ve found all of the series very entertaining except for the ‘nucks, of course.
A repeat, but, does anybody know if there is any television or internet coverage available anywhere of the AHL playoffs
So far, I’ve found all of the series very entertaining except for the ‘nucks, of course.
Well, duh. When you’re so good that you blow your opponent out of the water in a 4-0 sweep, of course it’s going to be a bit boring.
I recall hearing that Versus is in more American households than HNiC is Canadian households.
“Bigger market channel” is bunk.
Yeah, but Canada only has one channel. I saw it on South Park when they canceled the Terrance & Philip Show to be replaced by the Queef Sisters.
Did anyone see Toronto wants another franchise but Bettman told them to basically “get bent” (just paraphrasing)?
Apologies if this was already posted:
“Seperated at birth, NHL-style”
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/gallery/featured/GAL1154532/1/32/index.htm
There’s some truth to the VS complaint. I think it’s not quite a fair comparison with HNIC. CBC is, what? The only Canadian network channel? I think that’s correct. VS is in the 600s on my Direcv tuner. ESPN (and all of it’s flavors) are in the low-200s, which is where the cable channels begin. I think that needs to be considered. Also, the U.S. population is roughly 10x that of Canada.
That said, so what? I don’t really understand why we keep having this hand-wringing over the NHL’s television ratings. Who cares if it’s not as popular as NASCAR or golf? Who cares if it even dips below soccer someday? That’s the part I don’t really understand. Why does it matter?
Hello all. Just wanted to share a little something.
1)Last night while watching that Devils/Canes game my 18 yr. old daugters boyfriend was over. I said with 3 mins. left “if the Canes beat the Devils it’s going to be quite the upset”. The boyfreind says “Why”
Daughter, “Because these are the Stanley Cup Playoffs”
Boyfriend, “What’s the Stanley Cup?”
2) Thrilled that the Hawks are still in it. Would love, love, love an Original 6 Stanley Cup playoff with Chicago and Detroit.
SS6, castrate the boyfriend, his DNA must be cleansed from the gene pool.
Band, I know, right. The daughter damn near fell out of her chair. Needless to say he got an impromptu hockey education…..besides other than his hockey ignorance he’s a really nice kid.
I really don’t think anyone outside of the BC Lower Mainland thinks Vancouver will win it all. Some may say other teams, but until (and unless) someone can actually prove otherwise, it’s still Detroit’s cup to lose. The rest of them are pretenders.
It pains me to say, but I really do think the Nucks have a chance to win the cup. I would still favor Boston and Detroit slightly more, but the way Vancouver has played the last couple of months, how does one not take them seriously? I think Detroit’s goaltending will eventually doom them.
I don’t really understand why we keep having this hand-wringing over the NHL’s television ratings. Who cares if it’s not as popular as NASCAR or golf? Who cares if it even dips below soccer someday? That’s the part I don’t really understand. Why does it matter
It matters a lot because the NHL is a business. First and foremost, above all else, the NHL is a business. And Gary Bettman is concerned about money, 100x times more than he is concerned about the sport.
And who brings in the bigger bucks? Big networks like ESPN and NBC. Not smaller cable stations like Versus.
Yeah, but Canada only has one channel. I saw it on South Park when they canceled the Terrance & Philip Show to be replaced by the Queef Sisters.
Hmmm. Do I bother even re-educating you people on that one?
(Rounds 1 and 2 of the playoffs are currently split between CBC and TSN, which is Canada’s biggest sports network and a far bigger source for hockey coverage than ESPN or VS.)
I would not count the Canucks out as much as it pains me to say that. They have been playing well and they have one key but necessary ingredient–a hot goalie. Likewise the Ducks could upset the Wings–they are playing well and Osgood is always a question mark.
I can’t wait to see Shane O’Brien knock out Ben Eager. I dislike him so much. Other than that, I hope the Nuks lose in 4. I bet they win in 7 though. I think this series has the most potential.
OV>STK Period. Oh yeah… Matt Cooke sucks.
I hope the Bruins lose. I can’t stand their bandwagon, or Chicago’s for that matter.
It would be pretty impressive if the Ducks took out the Wings. I can’t help but think they should run and hit them out of the building. The Wings are soft enough that it could happen again… A Pronger elbow perhaps…
All this marketing talk makes me wonder what the league would look like if Bettman had his way. I think it would look like an elite Euro league except with Sid reading the talking points.
Yeah, but Canada only has one channel.
And only one road which, yet again, will not lead to the Stanley Cup
I can never quite understand the apparent hatred for Bettman. He was hired to try to get the NHL a bigger national following and better TV contracts. He has been trying to do that. We can argue about whether he has been successful but why the hatred.
+39–make that +40, SGS.
“According to Montreal’s La Presse, Carbonneau’s goal is to coach again next season and it’s believed Minnesota is interested in his services.” - http://www.thefourthperiod.com/news/min090428.html
Bettman is a douchebag. Sorry. He’s a lawyer, and comes across very lawyer-ly in his manners and delivery. He shows no enthusiasm for the game only for the money. He pushed expansion into places like Phoenix which are bleeding money and is blocking the move of any money-losing US teams into Canada. And he won’t admit any failures in that area and still spins the idea that those cities are making money. He won’t tell the truth. He made that ridiculous deal with Versus and allowed the NHL to vanish from any major network. He’s just really slimy. Have you ever seen interviews with him?
Alan says:
—Well, duh. When you’re so good that you blow your opponent out of the water in a 4-0 sweep, of course it’s going to be a bit boring.—
And it gives the team’s fans too much time to sober up, shower & shave (well at least some of the women; everybody knows guys don’t shave during the playoffs), pick up the dog droppings around the house, swap spouses for the next series, and if there is still time left, troll message boards.
Honestly Alan, you’re trying to tinkle up a rope here. We’ve all moved on from the “gut wrenching” season. The responsible parties have been drawn and quartered. Time to move on.
I could see the Nux making their way to the cup. That’s what’s great about TV. The closer they get, the more I will be switching over to that Mandalay/Rangoon tilt. I could more easily watch the clubbing of baby harp seals than see Kesler and Burrows, et al humping the SC.
Mikko Koivu noted a few times that the best thing Rolston ever taught him was “Never too high. Never too low.” Hope that’s working for Brian today.
Yeah I have seen interviews with him and fail to understand the “slimy” comment. Just because he’s not an old-time hockey guy? He’s a business exec and comes across as one and one who is trying to make the game more popular. He pushed expansion into new areas because that is what the owners wanted to attempt to make the game more national and to attempt to get better TV contracts. What is the truth he won’t tell? And, if you remember teams moved out of Canada because of money problems. And they left smaller US markets like Hartford as well. He hasn’t yet succeeded but he is trying. Also, if you remember major networks did not want anything to do with the NHL. I did not like the move to VS but they at least are trying to promote hockey and certainly have more playoff games on TV than any major network would.
Ducks win in 7
Hawks win in 6
Bruins win in 6
Caps win in 5
Ducks are goin down……
It matters a lot because the NHL is a business.
Again, so what? What would having a better national TV contract in the US really mean for the NHL? It’s not like the league is about to fold up or vanish off of television because their ratings aren’t high enough. I get it that some people don’t get VS, but that’s really not that big of an issue for most. It’s far easier to watch way more hockey on TV than it was 20 years ago. We have the Center Ice package and the NHL Network now. We can watch pretty much any NHL game all season long and into the playoffs these days. Life is good!
So I really don’t understand it. Is it a desire for the prestige or validation that having hockey on ESPN would give to the sport? What am I missing here?
I was just kidding
If you want to grow your sport, the easy way is to hitch your wagon to a star that transcends the game. Hockey had it in Gretzky, Jordan grew BB, Tiger in golf. Hockey thought they saw it coming again in STK, but pulled the trigger too quickly. Ovechkin has something, but he’s not North American and he’s a little too rough around the edges to be a real spokesman to the masses.
It’s hard to teach somebody to like a sport as an adult if they didn’t play it growing up. I think hockey would be better served if they reined in expansion, culled the weaker teams from the flock and refocused their efforts on worthy targets.
“According to Montreal’s La Presse, Carbonneau’s goal is to coach again next season and it’s believed Minnesota is interested in his services.”
Before there’s even a new GM? I think this one could be filed under “Making stuff up to fill up the required word count.”
—-Again, so what? What would having a better national TV contract in the US really mean for the NHL?—
Broader viewership leading to more advertising dollars leading to a more lucrative TV contract leading to more team revenue leading to a higher salary cap. More money for everyone.
Rinse and repeat.
Life may be good for dedicated hockey fans, but there aren’t enough of them to get the owners the type of return on investment they want. They need more fans.
I like Carbonneau, but am beginning to wonder if the Montreal Mystique and System has seen its best days.
What is the truth he won’t tell?
As of just a few months ago, he was still not admitting that the teams in places like Phoenix, Miami and Nashville were losing money. He was spinning it a million ways and would not simply say it. I haven’t heard him being asked recently, but I would bet you that if you asked him point blank: “Was the move to Phoenix a mistake”? or “Is Phoenix bleeding money”? I am almost certain he would twist and squirm and would not admit the truth.
When you have cities that can’t even half-fill an 18,000 person arena and offer 2 lower bowl hockey tickets, parking and snacks at the arena for $40, you’ve got a huge problem.
That’s just me, but I don’t think he’s had much success. And his unelected, Lifetime Guarantee tenure bothers me too.
Why would long, unelected reigns bother you my loyal subject?
lol
I’m a republican.
(but not a Republican, if you know what I mean)
“Was the move to Phoenix a mistake”?
Maybe they should have stayed in Winnipeg. Losing money is much less painful when its in Canadian dollars?
I won’t argue that some of the expansion franchises weren’t mistakes, but they had to try.
More money for everyone.
Where’s my cut?
Ducks (Hate’m) over the Red Wings in 6. Quacks will goon it up and Hossa will disappear.
CaSucks (Hate’m even more) over the Blackhawks in 5. The Hawks are a great young team, but just too young at this point to beat a cheap, chippy Nucks team that will make Kane & Toews afraid to touch the puck.
Bruins over Carolina in 6 - Canes blew their wad in NJ.
Washington over Pittsburg in 7. Ovie will finally start to light it up, and Varmalov stays hot.
Canucks over Ducks in 6. THe Ducks old legs will be too tired by this time.
Bruins over Capitals in 7. This will be a series full of 1 goal/OT games. Really is a “Pick em” series.
Vancouver losses to Bruins in 5. Casucks will continue to embarrass their family names for generations to come. Burrows is a tool.
DEEP BREATHE:
GO to the AHL website, you will find links for game audio (free) and video (for a fee) feeds
Hey, I didn’t play hockey growing up, I didn’t watch hockey growing up, I have no fond North Stars memories, & don’t even really remember their move all though I was in my teens at the time. I wasn’t a hockey fan yet when I we got the Wild. I am now a huge fan of the Wild & hockey in general. I discovered the Wild & became a hockey fan in my mid-twenties, so you can most certainly start liking hockey without ever having played as child or without ever watching it until you are an adult.
kgopher: —so you can most certainly start liking hockey without ever having played as child or without ever watching it until you are an adult.—
Nobody said you couldn’t. You are the exception however and not the rule. If there were a few million more of you running around, the NHL would be very happy.
The Mr. never played hockey as kid but is a fan of the game as well. He has been a fan for longer then I have though. Not trying to sound cranky or trolly, just stating an opinion on the hard for someone to like a sport they didn’t play as a kid thing.
I’m not expecting to grow flowers in a desert, but I can live and breathe and see the sun in wintertime
Just saw two Canucks, Bieksa, then 5 minutes later Bernier, while walking home from the dog park (many of them live in my neighbourhood). And I saw Willie Mitchell on the weekend at a different park.
I know this doesn’t count as deep analysis, SGS, but I’m saying it because I want to.
Alan,
Have you met the Love Guru Dan? You guys should meet. MKiA can chaperon.
I know this doesn’t count as deep analysis
Nope - that counts as stalking in a Big Country.
SOTB makes some excellent points. I usually agree with 95% of what he says. As for his having ‘had to play the game’ argument, I think it should be obvious to everyone that a parent/grandparent/uncle/aunt is much more likely to bring there son/daughter/etc..to a hockey game if the parent was involved with the game. Or the kid gets involved and wants to go with mom or dad who were never involved. Hockey is one of those sports that if you played it, you are much more LIKELY to follow it as opposed to if you didn’t play it. LIKELY being the key word here, which was SOTB’s point.
Just saw two Canucks, Bieksa, then 5 minutes later Bernier, while walking home from the dog park (many of them live in my neighbourhood). And I saw Willie Mitchell on the weekend at a different park.
Did they stick to the hydrant?
Nope - that counts as stalking in a Big Country.
I heard dreams stay with you.
ss6 & bg: thanks for the SCP humor.
greenstar: so, does the hot chick supersede Marney?
Detroit will be as good as the goalie. Otherwise I got nothing for predictions, but would like to see CHI do well just to reward some good draft choices and the patient hockey fans in Chicagoland.
KGopher, we align again! I grew up in NE MN and SHOULD have liked hockey (girls couldn’t play it yet), but didn’t get the bug until my son started playing and we went to Wild games. Now I plan my life away from work around Center Ice, sad to say. My husband, who’s a soccer fiend from Mexico, finally had no choice but to become a fan himself, albeit sans the intense passion.
Letting the Ducks take out SJ was fine, but I fully expect the Wings to take care of that upset, although Hiller is quite the goalie at the moment. Hawks take out the Canucks — Luongo is great, I know, but the Chicago kids are better. The Bruins are the most amazing team this year — depth in all areas. It’ll be the Bruins and the Wings, Bruins win it.
My daughter’s boyfriend is from New Jersey. Wasn’t sure if I should text condolances or let him find his way back off the ledge by himself. Those Jersey fans — and players — thought they had that series wrapped up.
I’ve never seen you look like this without a reason.
BTW Russo, while I might not agree with everything you say, I will tell you your blog is by far among the best in the hockey world. Your write about more interesting things, provide more in-depth coverage and attract a following that is second to none. I’m always shocked when I check out other online newspaper sports blogs. I expect much and see litte. Keep it up. May your job be secure.
Let’s clear up some other mis-information here while we are at it (Alan). Gary Bettman was not the driving force in expansion. He was only a part of it. It was the other owners, who stood to gain multi millions of dollars for each new team added. Bettman certainly went along with it, but it was the owners (and soon to be new owners) that drove that bus out of the station. You only heard Bettman because he was the commish, and as such he’s the spokesperson for the owners. As was pointed out above, everyone hoped that expanding into the south was the best method for league growth (and a national TV contract). Didn’t work out so well. I agree. I’m sure Gary agrees, although you have to be the village idiot to think the commish of ANY league would come out and say “Hey! The fans in Phoenix suck”! while still playing games there. Not gonna happen.
One more thing. I love to hear people whine about Bettmans ‘decision’ to go with the Versus contract instead of ESPN or NBC. Here’s a suggestion; Try reading up on a subject just a little bit if you want others to take you seriously. Anyone care to guess what ESPN offered the NHL?… Alan?… Bueller?… Anyone? They offered squat. They offered the league a percentage of the profits deal that was set up so skewed that the NHL might end up having to pay for the air time. Well, it wasn’t quite that bad, but it was close. The league would have gotten next to nothing. Which Gary might have taken, just to get the exposure, but another part of that ESPN deal stated that the network did not have to focus on hockey during the intermissions! Wouldn’t that have been lovely, Alan, watching your beloved team and when the second period ended you might as well turn the channel for the next 15 minutes or you’ll be watching NBA/MLB/NASCAR highlights. No thank you. I’ll take a network, albeit one that’s hard to get, that will focus on the game. I get Versus. If I didn’t get Versus, I would get the Center Ice Package.
Michael Russo - thanks for the link to the Shawn Roarke article. The additional links within posted article were well done, esp. 7 questions with the captains from NJ & CAR.
I don’t sound bitter just because my boys missed the playoffs, do I? I need a vacation. I hear one can a great deal right now on a vacation to Mexico.
RET: yeah Cinco de Mayo will be way different this year. Nah you don’t sound bitter. One wonders what the Don thinks about the television coverage for the league. Anyhow, I could offer up some colt 45 or boone’s farm cherry smash to swill away your misery, but NiNY can offer a better beverage selection.
RET — you’re right about the ESPN cost. I remember hearing the NHL would have to cough up WAAAY too much. I, too, prefer a channel whose focus is hockey. It’s bad enough to have to see the rodeo and Xboxing promos on Vs. The bottom line is attendance at games, and Phoenix aside, most everyone saw an increase this past season. At least league-wide there was a 1 percent increase. Given today’s eocnomy, that’s pretty decent.
Stoned, Russo’s Evil Twin and others have ably made the argument while I was stuck elsewhere. This is not NCAA hockey where they are playing for a scholarship. The owners and the players want to make as much money as they can. After all it is a business. So, how do you do that? Full arenas, sell luxury suites, lots of apparel and most importantly a good TV contract. Now, you don’t get that with franchises in Hamilton, Winnipeg, Saskatoon (remember that attempt) or Hartford. Not that those places don’t have avid hockey fans but you do not get a national TV contract that way. So, the owners and Bettman tried to expand the appeal of the sport by expanding geographically. It has worked in some places and not in others. I don’t have to repeat the Versus argument because that was their only real option at the time. Maybe a number of loyal hockey folks are happy to have this as a cult sport one step above lacrosse–but the owners and players don’t. They want to make money and who can blame them. And, the TV folks naturally want to ride marquee personalities to sell the sport and STK and Alex O are a wonderful opportunity to try to do so just as the outdoor hockey games have been.
How can Mikko not be a Selke finalist?
By far the best Defensive Forward on the team with the NHL’s #2 GAA and #2 PK.
Well, being from Canada from every single hockey game for all 6 teams is broadcast on either the biggest network TV channel (CBC) or a major cable sports channel that comes with the most basic ofc cable packages (TSN, Sportsnet), Bettman’s TV deal doesn’t really affect me. But the viewing numbers on Versus are pretty low, you have to admit. And when TV numbers are low, interest in the sport in the USA drops too.
sorry let me rephrase my first sentence…
“Well, being from Canada WHERE every single hockey game…”
- I thought there were some Pay-Per-View games in Canada.
- To borrow a Brian Rolston phrase, I think the NHL’s popularity “is what it is” in the US. To grow incrimentally, the league needs well run franchises to maintain fanbases and be in position to grow significantly in the good years to slowly add to that base.
OK, so I’ve posted WAY too much on this board today.
These 9 days in between play off series are killing me. Anything to kill the time I guess.
With regards to Gary Bettman, I can only sum up by saying that he is absolutely LOATHED here in Canada. I didn’t know he was so loved by you Yanks. But any arena he steps into here (like for a jersey retirement ceremony or something), the boos are so loud they are defeaning. He even gets booed at fancy events like the NHL Awards gala. He has to be by far the most hated Commish in sports.
Secondly, seeing hockey in the US sink below Nascar, NCAA sports and golf on the sports radar really sucks. And I hope it changes.
Over and out. Everyone will be glad to see.
Bettman might not be hated down here but I don’t see much love either. You must have missed Deep Breath’s posts Alan
Well, being from Canada from every single hockey game for all 6 teams is broadcast on either the biggest network TV channel (CBC) or a major cable sports channel that comes with the most basic ofc cable packages (TSN, Sportsnet),
I call BS, Alan. I know for a fact that some Flames games were only available to THEIR fans via pay-per-view. I *think* the Grease had something similar.
With regards to Gary Bettman, I can only sum up by saying that he is absolutely LOATHED here in Canada. I didn’t know he was so loved by you Yanks. But any arena he steps into here (like for a jersey retirement ceremony or something), the boos are so loud they are defeaning. He even gets booed at fancy events like the NHL Awards gala. He has to be by far the most hated Commish in sports.
While Alan Thicke is a national hero. Really, you want us to think that Canadians hating Bettman makes him a bad Commish? How many Canadians have been the Commissioner of a major pro sports league.
Alan, you just showed your butt, in spectacular fashion. Can you go try to scare up some Hawks fans, or maybe find a Canucks fan that’s willing to bounce with you?
The problem is Bettman is from NY and not a puckhead from Alberta so the Canadian fans boo him. Bettman did a good job with the NBA and that is why he was hired. Hockey is a slow go in the US even here in MN where a number are passionate but where many still aren’t fans and will watch basketball on TV over hockey even if they might not buy a ticket to a basketball game. I talk to them all them and am told “gee, hockey is such a violent sport and there’s all that fighting”. But they will watch football where half the guys will either be crippled or suffer from dementia by age 50. Also, it is a tough sport to watch on TV for the casual fan as the puck is somewhat hard to follow for them. But if you revert to a regional sport you forfeit all chance for a decent TV contract, the money stays low and the cap goes down.
So, if the driving force behind televising games is to grow the fan base and as such make more money, why try to get a TV deal with a ‘national network’ which doesn’t reach everyone? It seems to me that the best way to increase exposure would be to get the games on TV stations that people are likely to ’stumble across’. I’m thinking local stations broadcasting the games locally. For instance, I know 99% of you hate the 45 broadcasts, but might the fan base be larger if all the games were on 45? Everyone gets 45. Not everyone gets FSN. Scheduling might also play a part. As it is, the games are all 7:00 or 7:30 starts. I understand this during the week to give the fans time to get to the game after work. But 7:00 can be a little late for a kid who has school the next day. A kid that is a ‘future fan’. Why the evening games on the weekends? Why not schedule a 1:30 PM game on Saturdays and Sundays - times when most of what’s on TV is infomercials. And while we’re on the topic of the schedule, why not attempt to make a ‘regular’ schedule? As it is, unless you look at the schedule you can’t guess when a game will be on. Why not try to ’standardize’ it? If I knew that every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday at 7:00 there’d be a game on… And if I knew every Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 there’d be a game on… There’s a little of that with the Tuesday VS thing.
greenstar: so, does the hot chick supersede Marney?
blasphme
saying all hockey needs to do to cure it’s ratings ills is to move back to “the leader” seems like a crock to me.
Look at the very successful UFC. what is it’s media outlet? Spike and PPV. Poker on TV was basically born on the travel channel. MLB has shifted games to TBS and FX channels. TNT is the exclusive home to one of the conference finals in the NBA.
versus isn’t the problem.
Isn’t the NHL paying NBC to carry it’s 8 games a year but the NHL get’s to sell all the advertising?
Everyone gets 45. Not everyone gets FSN
if you are outside the cities, you don’t get 45
There’s nothing like the smell of Zamboni exhaust in the morning.
Oh wait…Xcel Energy Center is dark.
I guess I’ll just have to watch hockey on Versus.
BTW…ratings for the NHL Winter Classic:
2008 2.6 rating and a 5 share
2009 2.9 rating and a 6 share
The NHL has finally done something right.
Point taken G*.
When the games are on 45 the team changes from the Minnesota Wild to the Minneapolis/St. Paul Metro Wild. It’s lame.
So is 45 not available through cable and satellite providers?
“if you are outside the cities, you don’t get 45″
Not true. I get 45 in Owatonna. The picture quality and overall broadcast sucks though.
Becky:
While attendance overall was up slightly from last year to this year, most teams did not see an increase. 13 saw an increase, 11 saw a drcrease and 6 remained the same in terms of average home attendance figures. No big deal, really, but the the breakdown was about 50/50.
Chicago/Washington/Boston had the largest increases while TB/Buff/Col/Atl had the biggest drops.
I was spoiled by the ’80s. When you wanted to watch hockey, you could watch hockey because it was on TV. Network TV carried many playoff matches. We got ESPN and hockey was on all the time.
Of course, back then it was mostly the Oilers with Gretzky, Coffee, Messier, Fuhr, et al. Still, good times. Of course, back then the MN State hockey tournament was an event too.
I get 45 in St. Cloud area but realize that it doesn’t have the range of some of the other channels.
Becky: good to see you post again.
people have complained here when games were on 45 because they don’t get that channel. most were from northern minny.
for a stretch in the 80s the national contract was given to sportschannel which was a regional cable network. IIRC. i’ll see if i can find some proof of that.
if you ask me, all games should be free on the internet. or like itunes, 99 cents a game or 5 dollars a day when there are more than 5 games.
I’m not sure about this season, but I know last season you could buy a day pass on nhl.com to watch the games online. I don’t remember pricing, and I don’t think it was on a one-game basis…but I’m not sure about that.
Bettman tried to basketballize the NHL while overseeing a time when Canada lost two of its teams to US markets. His tenure has seen 2 teams leaving places where they bleed hockey (Quebec, Winnipeg)for the US plus expanding to sun belt sites that could care less about the game. I don’t think its a mystery why Canadians hate Bettman. He didn’t stop the North Star move to Dallas either. Hockey is a regional sport - the region is the northern half of North America.
His tenure has seen 2 teams leaving places where they bleed hockey (Quebec, Winnipeg)for the US plus expanding to sun belt sites that could care less about the game
quebec city has issues beyond a strong fan base that hinder it’s ability to support an NHL franchise.
I get 45 in Bemidji.
BTW I think Eric Staal is my new favorite player not named Koivu or Burns. That guy is a beast.
RET @ 9:48….
Don’t dispair. Trying to wrestle Alan’s head out into the daylight is a taxing ordeal. A vacation may be in order, or maybe just another night down at Reid’s. That was fun last Sat, we should do that again soon.
Hey Alan, I’m trying to catch up on all your blabbing….oops, I mean posting, and it’s giving me a headache. What are you trying to say @ 7:50? Canucks players live in dog parks? You live in a dog park? Willie Mitchel lives in a different dog park? Your neighborhood (note the spelling in this Country) is in a dog park? What? I’m confused.
And hey, if you’re already bored of painting fire hydrants in your neighborhood, or is the the dog park…argh, I just can’t keep those two straight…might I suggest trying some blabbling on a Nucks blog for a time. They might all have their facts and figures just as screwed up as you do regarding TV, Bettman, relocation and expansion, money-losing teams, etc, etc, etc. Just a thought…..
maybe i am wrong about 45.
just noticed this gem was awaiting moderation.
greenstar: so, does the hot chick supersede Marney?
blasphme
saying all hockey needs to do to cure it’s ratings ills is to move back to “the leader” seems like a crock to me.
Look at the very successful UFC. what is it’s media outlet? Spike and PPV. P-o-k-e-r on TV was basically born on the travel channel. MLB has shifted games to TBS and FX channels. TNT is the exclusive home to one of the conference finals in the NBA.
versus isn’t the problem.
Isn’t the NHL paying NBC to carry it’s 8 games a year but the NHL get’s to sell all the advertising?
Both the Flames and Oilers have Pay-Per-View games. Vancouver also has pay-per-view, plus showing PPV games at some movie theatres on the BC Lower Mainland. The Maple Leafs have ‘Leafs TV’ which is their PPV scheme, as well. The Senators have a PPV outlet as well.
RDS shows all Habs games, albeit in French.
Geez, Deep: Which 3 teams had some of the best records this past season? (and the largest increases in attendance?)
Chicago, Washington, Boston…
Which proves again: the best promotion your team can have:
Winning.
Which proves again: the best promotion your team can have:
Winning.
Alert DR - winning is easier than managing expectations.
I stand corrected, DB. Hockey News (I think that’s where I saw the 1 percent stat) didn’t expand on that info.
Even so, I’m amazed the NHL didn’t see a bigger hit. I’ve noticed a lot of empty seats as I watch games from around the league and not just in southern, non-playoff markets.
Yes, Boston has finally rediscovered its Bruins. Used to be easy to get tickets for not a lot of money. Now ticket prices are out of sight and they price them according to the popularity of the opponent.
Thanks, kgopher!
and a google search confirmed that the NHL gets zero in rights fees from NBC. the NHL and NBC share revenue after production expenses.
this was when NHL jumped from ABC to NBC in 04. the did sign a deal with espn for one year worth $60mil. ESPN did cut it’s televised games from about 100 to 50 per year.
at that time the NFL received and average of 1.6 billion from broadcast TV, 600 million from cable. MLB gets 417 million from broadcast and 142 million from cable. the NBA had joint agreement with ABC and ESPN for $400 million with TNT chipping in 366 million.
What a shame Fozzie wasn’t even a finalist for the Masterston. I’m so disappointed for him.
Since the Nucks-Hawks game is the only show in town tonight, is anyone thinking of going down to Reid’s to watch it there? I’m sure Tom will have the sound up for the game, especially since there is no Twins game tonight.
Might be fun to get as many Nuck-haters as possible together and have a little pre-weekend hockey party.
It’s my “Friday” at work, so I do believe a libation or two post-work is in order. And with the 2nd Round getting underway, it’s almost a no-brainer.
Yep - I know the stories behind Zednik and Steve Sullivan off the top of my head but I don’t know why Chelios is a finalist other than longevity. When you consider how Kurtis went beyond his own expereince and reached out to other and younger non-NHL hockey players it is hard to understand it. If anyone has the details on why Chelios, please post it.
MsC @12:25: agreed! Foster. Chelios. What were they thinking? Okay I will moderate my own thoughts….
Speaking of hockey tonight, Aeros start round 2 so send some good hockey mojo in the direction of Milwaukee.
In fact, take a roadie and go to game 2 Saturday and neutralize the home ice advantage for the Admirals!
OK, forgot about the fractured tibia for Chelios. Here is what NHL.com has:
Chelios was extremely excited to return for this season, which made him only the third player, in addition to Gordie Howe and Mark Messier, to play 25 NHL seasons. But he suffered a fractured tibia when he blocked a shot in a Sept. 30 preseason game against his old team, the Montreal Canadiens, and missed the first 28 games of the season.
He played only 28 games after returning Dec. 13 and did not register a point. But Chelios was available for injury replacements and played an important leadership role behind the scenes.
GO AEROS!!! Keep us posted ms. c!
—SOTB makes some excellent points. I usually agree with 95% of what he says.—
Thanks RET. This will aggravate the heck out of Mrs. SotB when I show it to her.
—Also, it is a tough sport to watch on TV for the casual fan as the puck is somewhat hard to follow for them.—
This is probably the biggest deterrent to hockey acceptance and why playing the game is of value. You anticipate the flow and transition better. Watching in person helps, but that is capacity limited. HD is also beneficial, but to what extent is hard to determine.
From personal experience, I raised a handful of soccer players. Like hockey, it is not wildly popular from a spectator standpoint in the US. The more time you spent around it, the more you understood and appreciated it. It also became engrained into the fiber of the kid’s being and they will always have an interest in the sport to some extent.
I’m not a Bettman fan, but mostly because he doesn’t come across as a likable guy.
I agree with the comment that life has never been better for the hockey fan. The NHL draws the top players from all over the world and virtually every game is available for viewing. Clearly there are some teams struggling, but that doesn’t affect me. If the best I could expect was watching a 24 team league on Versus with CI and NHL on the Fly, I’d be satisfied. Goes without saying that I’d also need access to The Don and his entourage of Ranters.
As much as I hate to say this, if I was a betting man, my money would go on the SC residing in Anaheim or Vancouver this year. The only thing that softens the blow is that one of them will have to lose.
Yikes. Went a little overboard on bandwidth consumption there. Probably used up my daily allotment of bytes. Sorry.
Bettman may not be a total failure, but I’m surprised to see so much support. The changes that he has made to the game neglect tradition and are detrimental to the integrity of the sport. I don’t care that Phoenix is now owned by the NHL. We could have 10 teams south of the Mason-Dixon line and I’d be cool.
The problem that I have with Bettman is that he is trying to change hockey into a sport that more closely resembles flag-football. Can you imagine his outrage when Getzlaf and Thornton dropped the gloves off the opening faceoff the other night? This blog was so upset with Colin Campbell when Boogie got five games for checking poor little Brandon Prust. Who’s lap does CC sit in on a cold night?
Bettman refuses to play to the sports strengths and instead insists that a Sid-centric marketing strategy can singlehandedly increase the sport’s popularity. Too bad Sid is a whiny douchebag better suited to playing a heel than a hero.
Bettman: $>Sport
That’s his job, but I don’t have to like him for it.
And with the 2nd Round getting underway, it’s almost a no-brainer.
Anything having to do with the Sedin twins is a no-brainer.
But I thought they were the Brain twins?
*high five* Nick. Nice zombie smack!
And to get back to the 45 thing since I haven’t had a chance to post.
The WILD does everything on the 45 broadcasts, and 45 just sends it out over the air. Meaning, the MN Wild does all the camera work, editing and producing, then send it to 45, and 45 sends it out to the masses.
So back in the beginning of the season, the wild was at TB and it was a HORRIBLE broadcast. So I send over a nice letter to the station manager (Susan Wenz), and just blasted them. Quite honestly, I would have read that and circle canned it. She responded and we kept chatting for about 2 weeks. She also said that anything that is broadcast on FSN, FSN does everything. From shooting it, to editing it, to producing it, to sending it over the airwaves. So that is why FSN has HD games (because FSN has HD equipment), and 45 does not (because MN Wild does not).
—Bettman refuses to play to the sports strengths—
Can you elaborate?
Good luck to the Aeros!
Russ: Living in Albert Lea I don’t even have the opportunity to criticize the camera work; I simply don’t get the games. I saw someone gets 45 in Owatonna but my co-worker in Faribault tells me that 45 comes in but it’s really fuzzy. I think the issue wasn’t so much the camera work but reception and who does and doesn’t get the station. I used to be really pizzed about it because the home games were blacked out on Center Ice but they started coming in for me around the 5th home game. Just need to snag a job in the cities…
Chicago-Vancouver tonite. I want Chicago to win. I really want Chicago to get out in front and take the crowd out of the Canucks’ home games. If that happens, we might see one (or several) Vancouver player self-destruct, ala Steve Avery.
Nick, I just saw your post from waaaaay above about hockey marketing or whatever. Luckily the subject didn’t interest me enough to figure out what you guys were on about with that. But I appreciate the consideration.
Honestly, my brain has two tracks right now: Aeros and Goaltending. It’s like, the inn is full until the Aeros’ playoff run ends. The only time I’m not thinking about the Aeros playoff run is when I’m in my gear and people are shooting pucks at me. And even then, I think, “Jesus, how does Anton do it?”
Damnit Chicago! Come on!
Huh… looks like they listened… now FINISH THEM!
canucks… unbelievable.
Woohoo! 3-3. Way to go Chicago! I had a feeling the Canucks would get tired in the 3rd. Now I’d like them to win it in regulation!
crazy
That sucks.
its over! the hawks made it very interesting
ugh… my distaste for the Nucks is growning… I really didn’t think I could hate them any more than I already did but it seems to be happening.
Der is no doubt. I tell da D to be careful wit da pinch because if you get caught, Bang its a sure goal. So dey pinch, dey get caught and Bang, its in da goal.
How the flock do you come back from 3 zip in their building against Luongo and then give it away with a 3 on 1 in the last minute? Didn’t Barker do that same thing against the Flames?
The Hawks do have Quenneville who brings as much knowledge of the Nux as anybody. They got that going for them; which is nice.
At least the Hawks now know they can score on these guys.
I’ve never liked the Canucks, but ever since Ohlund injuring Koivu with the slash, and Ohlund getting a gentle slap from the league, I’ve come to hate the Canucks more and more. Seeing them win tonite, I wanted to throw up.
Aeros won! 2-1 in Milwaukee!
Yeah! Go Aeros. No sweep. Yes!
Aeros won! 2-1 in Milwaukee!
Come on, SGS, please criticize her.
How is what Sunshine did any different from what I did?
Come on my little tiny friend, be consistent.
Giving scores are not allowed, right?
(Oh and by the way, CANUCKS WON, HA HA HA HA HA HA HA)
Hey Alan, did you see what I said several days ago about the majority of Canucks fans? Well, you’re quickly becoming part of the majority.
Alan,
If you are looking for validation, try your local parking garage.
2-1 Aeros? Great. Another step closer to TooL… 
Maybe the dog park has validation?
Alan:
Don’t poop where you eat.
Der is no doubt. I tell da D to be careful wit da pinch because if you get caught, Bang its a sure goal. So dey pinch, dey get caught and Bang, its in da goal.
SOTB, that is EXACTLY what I was thinking on that play! Sure, we’ve been indoctrinated over the last 9 years, but HOW DO you put yourself (and team) in that position at that point in the game.
I thought that the 3rd period last night exposed many of the Nucks weaknesses. The Hawks basically skated circles around VAN in the 3rd as the Nucks appeared to look tired and lose their legs a bit, whereas CHG with all those young kids seemed to gain an edge and a step, especially after getting the first marker only one minute in.
I still think that IF the Hawks take game 2, they will win the series in six, maybe seven, but I’ll stick by my initial prediction of six based on what I saw in the 3rd last night.
I was never a huge Willie Mitchell guy even when he was here and I’m still not. Have ya ever noticed how good and proficient he is at barking out the “Why I oughta” stuff at opposing players during a scrum whenever he has a linesman pushing him away from the other guy. Not so much though until the linesman gets in there and forms a barrier. Very lame, IMHO.
Detoilet-Quackers tonight. Game on!!
KJ, and also Constantine as your coach. Heh…
I haven’t been reading this place much as I’ve been busy with Aeros stuff, but… Alan, who the F are you?
morning musings: very glad about the Aeros. Yeah. The SCP should be fun. There are even games on the regular network so that might keep me distracted. Odd seeing Demitra’s photo in the newspaper celebrating a goal from last night’s game. A CO NHL beat writer offered up a reader’s forum for the coach Q bashers - pretty interesting stuff. Coach Q’s CHI team looks pretty good.
kj: great website for 100 watt jones.
Have ya ever noticed how good and proficient he is at barking out the “Why I oughta” stuff at opposing players during a scrum whenever he has a linesman pushing him away from the other guy. Not so much though until the linesman gets in there and forms a barrier. Very lame, IMHO.
willie thinks he’s a tough guy. has to be the water in vancouver. and it isn’t only when a linesman is in the way, he will do that when the guy is half his size. yup, tough guy.
Thanks M 03…I still need to get some flash animation on there…probably over the weekend.
Unless, of course, I just watch hockey all weekend.
kj: shoot me an email when you guys start booking for August.
yeah, willie’s definitely got “hide behind the linesman” muscles. It’s too bad because I didn’t have any issues with him when he was here, and he’s not a horrible defenseman.
NiNY…we’ve only got one date in August…the 15th at Arizonas in Shakopee.
Funny…Willie was a physical force in the ‘03 run.
One of those “little birdies on the window ledge” told me awhile back that Willie burned a lot of bridges during the final part of his stay here, and NOT just because of the lockout lawsuit deal either. I was told he did much the same prior to his departure from Dallas.
That was obviously told to me second-hand, and because of that take it for what it’s worth, but I trust the source that I heard it from, so……
I haven’t really respected him too much since then. And has been discussed, he is kind of a “weinie” now anyway.
Boy, after that late-in-the-game win for the Nucks last night there must not be a fire hydrant in Vancouver with any paint left on it today.
That should say…”And AS has been discussed…”
dang…I’m going to miss it by a week, kj…that’s too bad.
Geno…I think last night’s game was ‘lesson learned’ for the ‘Hawks. I was hoping for a sweep but they’ll just have to take ‘em out in 5.
NiNY…when it gets closer we should plan something…
Ah man, I wanna go. Next summer, Nick, I’m doing that thing. I’m thinking of taking a week of afternoons off before school is out and just going to S&P every day. I don’t see us having a real vacation anytime soon and that’s as close as I can think of to how I’d like to spend some time off.
So you guys think we should hear something about our new general manager within the next couple weeks?
Woot. Go Aeros. And please chicago… get it together so we dont have to suffer anymore of this Nuck garbage.
Willie Mitchell is dinner out on Thunder Island.
Russo, how about an update on the GM situation..??? Is CL keeping this that close to the vest?
Itch Itch, Scratch Scratch, Twitch Twitch… going through withdrawl.
Russo, any updates on the GM situation? We are officially under the two month window from the draft. I figured they needed to have a GM in place by the end of this week. That would allow the following:
May 3rd-13th: Interview & hire a coach
May 14th-23rd: Review the Organization and set staff
May 26th-June 6th: Go after Gabby, other UFA’s you want to keep
June 7th-20th: Study for draft and lay ground work for any trades you want to make
June 21st - 27th: Draft Week
July 1st: Free Agency Begins
Hockeydad,
I can see where the D is lettin’ it all hang out to try and come back from 3 zip. But once you tie it up on the road and you have them on the run, use a little discretion. Chicago was 4 on 2 deep and Bang! Off to the races in the other direction.
Brian Campbell. $7M per year for the spin-o-rama and 1 goal in his last 51 games. Then he lets the puck hop his stick down in the corner when they’re 6 on 5. Didn’t get their money’s worth on that one. He logs a lot of good minutes, but that one stung.
kj: watch hockey. the tv gurus were licking their .. chops .. to get the stk vs ao match up.
Only once did I see a hockey player hide behind a linesman, it was last year’s play off game vs CO. Bruno, the smart guy, put it in neutral for a few seconds. Then he broke into the offensive zone to accenuate the flow of the play. The father-son combo sitting next to me saw that unfold… ‘Dad, what’s Bruno doing behind the linesman?’
hockey withdrawl….
FOOD!
