running NHL TV coverage thread

It's all network coverage from now on. NBC and Versus or CBC and TSN. Detroiters get a choice thanks to CBC 9.

 

Probably has something to do with the fact that nobody outside of Carolina -- and a lot of people even there -- just aren't that interested in tuning in and watching that team or any team from a non-hockey market, play.

 

The way NBC schedules things, nobody wants to see any team not named the Rangers, Penguins or Red Wings play. The Flyers have seemed to replace the Avs as the fourth "core" team in their coverage.

The expansion teams have heavily localized fan bases, so they're not going to get a lot of national coverage. I live 3 hours from Columbus, but I've not met a single Blue Jackets fan (although there are a ton of Red Wings, Blackhawks and a smattering of Blues fans here). What's puzzling from the NBC standpoint, at least, is that the Bruins & Blackhawks are Original Six teams with large followings outside their home cities -- and certainly have as much of a national following as the Rangers or Flyers -- yet they get pretty much ignored by the network in favor of their preferred teams.

The obsession the U.S. nets (both NBC and ABC/ESPN) have had with the Rangers since about 1994 has been somewhat comical at times, especially given the Rangers really haven't been a contender for quite a while, and have even been the second-best team in the NY Metro Area for the better part of the last 15 years.

 

WFW. Of course the Blackhawks weren't worth watching until recently, but the Bruins have contended on and off for years, and you'd think with all the bandwagon Sox, Pats and Celts fans across the country, you'd think they'd put Boston on the air more. And yeah, the overstating of the Rangers' significance, in general, has been a bit forced.

 

Bruins have won two playoff series in 15 years, so I wouldn't say they've been much of a contender, unfortunately. But if they can string together the kind of success they had in the late 80s and early 90s, they'll get more air time from Versus and NBC.

 

That does have something to do with it. But what are sports fans who don't have anything else at this time of year now watching? Many fans of the Atlantic Coast Conference couldn't care less about the NBA. They're not making college baseball a massive revenue-producing sport the way many of those fans do for football or basketball.

 

Not quite sure about that. The Bruins get a lot of air from Versus, but it's largely because Versus preaches to the converted -- the Sabres, who get great local ratings, also get a lot of Versus games.

ABC/ESPN and NBC like to "create" the news, and therefore like to focus on favored teams.

Case in point: 1994, the Bruins had been to the Cup finals twice and the conference finals four times in the previous six years. They had exactly two of their 13 playoff games on ESPN, as they were opposite the Rangers every night. In every other series, ESPN rotated its coverage (e.g., Games 1 & 3 of one series, Games 2 & 4 of another). When it came to the Rangers, every game was on national TV, and it has pretty much remained that way ever since.

I can probably go back to some rant column I wrote in the college paper at the time (which I'm sure about four people actually were interested in reading) where I said ESPN stood for "Exclusively shows Pittsburgh and New York."

Fast-forward to this year: Sharks win President's Trophy. Bruins finish one point behind them. They were clearly the two best teams in the league record-wise. They were playing on a Sunday, in NBC's window. NBC showed a Rangers game instead.

 

Just thought I'd throw something out here

Times on Versus this season (reg. season)
8: Boston, Buffalo, Minnesota, NY Rangers, Pittsburgh
7: Detroit, Philadelphia, Washington
6: New Jersey
5: Colorado, St. Louis
4: Dallas, NY Islanders, Tampa Bay
3: Chicago, Montreal, San Jose, Toronto
2: Atlanta, Ottawa
1: Anaheim, Carolina, Columbus, Florida, Los Angeles, Nashville, Phoenix, Vancouver

Times on NBC
4: Detroit, NY Rangers, Pittsburgh
3: Philadelphia
2: Chicago
1: Boston, Minnesota, Washington

Most U.S. national TV games
12: NY Rangers, Pittsburgh (4x NBC)
11: Detroit (4x NBC)
10: Philadelphia (3x NBC)
9: Minnesota, Boston (1x NBC each)
8: Washington (1x NBC)
8: Buffalo (0x NBC)

 

It's absolutely obscene that San Jose was on national TV less than Tampa Bay and the New York Islanders this season, let alone Carolina, Anaheim, Columbus and Vancouver.

Of course, Versus having only four doubleheaders will create that.

 

Isn't it preferable for teams to make their own best deals with their regional sports networks, including internet feeds so fans outside the region can still tune in when they can't access a particular channel on TV?

I mean, it's a regional sport anyway in the U.S., and it's time the NHL realized this and accepted it for what it is. Every individual team should do what it can to ensure it gets as much exposure as it can negotiate for itself, at the best possible price.

 

If you allow local networks to stream games online for free, the local TV contracts are going to have to go way up, so the NHL gets its money from the Center Ice TV package, and the Gamecenter online package.

 

Not really knowing jack about it, since hockey on TV to my heart's content is my birthright, would that necessarily be a bad thing?

I really think the NHL and its teams could cash in big with those packages, local networks offering online streaming, and the NHL Network itself stepping up.