The NHL is fine outside of Phoenix, Florida, Atlanta ,Nashville....scrap those teams and move on...those were Gary Bettmans mistakes trying to jam hockey down the throats of people who dont care about anything except nascar, country music and bass fishing.
The rinks are full in Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh, NY Rangers etc
The sport that is dying is Major league baseball.....Watch a Washington Nationals game and you will see 2,500 people at the park
The seats are empty just about everywhere and kids aren't interested in the game anymore...baseball is becoming like horse racing..a pass time for bored old men who have nothing better to do.
The rinks are full in Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh, NY Rangers etc
The sport that is dying is Major league baseball.....Watch a Washington Nationals game and you will see 2,500 people at the park
The seats are empty just about everywhere and kids aren't interested in the game anymore...baseball is becoming like horse racing..a pass time for bored old men who have nothing better to do.
I disagree 100%.
Why are the teams in Dallas, Carolina and Anaheim not having problems?
It's because winning fixes EVERYTHING. What do all those 4 teams that you mentioned all have in common? They have poor management or poor ownership or poor coaching. All of those teams together have only a handful of playoff appearances.
And why are the other 4 teams you mentioned doing well? Because they are all in the playoffs most years and have good management.
Your a typical Canadian looking to blame Bettman because of your countries inability to keep teams in todays world. Basillie's an ass with a lot of money who thinks he can bully his way into the NHL. He'll find out this time around just like the previous attempts that is doesn't work that way. There's rules and bylaws he needs to follow. He's pissed off most every owner today and he needs a 2/3's vote to not only buy the Coyotes but move the team as well. He's just wasting everyones money. No to mention polls have been taken proving he doesn't represent how Canadians feel. They just want another team to root for after blowing the 2 they lost. And I don't blame them one bit. He's just going about it completely wrong.
The thuggery I have have seen in the playoffs has been next to nothing. The cheap-shots and bitch-slapping I have seen in the NBA playoffs has been off the charts. I can respect hard fouls, thats part of the game. The other crap (that includes Howard's throwing elbows) has no place. At least after they beat the crap out of each other for seven games, they respect each other enough to shake hands - unlike LeBron James, and his LAME excuse.
GTC08 - if your friends are turned off by the thuggery in hockey, then they are pussies. And since you are concerned about ratings, they were up for Game 2: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/2009-06-01-2224316267_x.htm
Viewership up for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals <!--startclickprintexclude--> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" height="25" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="datestamp">Posted <script type="text/javascript">document.write(niceDate('6/1/2009 1:50 PM'));</script>31m ago | Comment | Recommend </td> <td align="right"><!-- EdSysObj ID="SSI-B" FRAGMENTID="13417811" rberthol -->E-mail | Save | Print | <script type="text/javascript"> <!-- var tempshowReprintSSI = ""; if(window.showReprintSSI) { tempshowReprintSSI = showReprintSSI; } if ((navigator.os.indexOf("Mac")==1) && (navigator.type==2)) { // macIE if((document.forms.hiddenValForm.hiddenMacPrintValue.value == "0") || (document.forms.hiddenValForm.hiddenMacPrintValue.value=="2")) { if(document.forms.hiddenValForm.hiddenMacPrintValue.value == "2"){ document.forms.hiddenValForm.hiddenMacPrintValue.value = "0"; } else{ document.forms.hiddenValForm.hiddenMacPrintValue.value = "1"; } if(tempshowReprintSSI == 'showReprintSSI'){ writeReprintLink(); } writeSubscribeToLink(); } else { document.forms.hiddenValForm.hiddenMacPrintValue.value = "2"; } } else {// non macIE - write top and bottom if(tempshowReprintSSI == 'showReprintSSI'){ writeReprintLink(); } writeSubscribeToLink(); } function writeReprintLink(){ document.write('Reprints & Permissions | '); } function writeSubscribeToLink(){ var url = document.location.toString(); var urlArray = url.split("/") var nurl = ""; for (i = 3; i < urlArray.length - 1; i++) { if(i<urlArray.length-2){ nurl += urlArray + "|"; } else { nurl += urlArray; } } document.write('
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DETROIT (AP) — Television ratings for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals are up from the first game.
The NBC telecast drew a 3.4 rating and a 6 share. That's up from the 2.6 rating and 5 share of Saturday's Game 1. Detroit beat Pittsburgh 3-1 in Sunday night's game to take a 2-0 lead in the series. The Red Wings won the Cup over the Penguins in six games in 2008.
The rating is the percentage watching a program among homes with televisions, and the share is the percentage tuned into the broadcast among those households with TVs on at the time
GTC08 - if your friends are turned off by the thuggery in hockey, then they are pussies. And since you are concerned about ratings, they were up for Game 2: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/2009-06-01-2224316267_x.htm
Viewership up for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals <!--startclickprintexclude--> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" height="25" width="100%"> <tbody><tr> <td class="datestamp">Posted <script type="text/javascript">document.write(niceDate('6/1/2009 1:50 PM'));</script>31m ago | Comment | Recommend </td> <td align="right"><!-- EdSysObj ID="SSI-B" FRAGMENTID="13417811" rberthol -->E-mail | Save | Print | <script type="text/javascript"> <!-- var tempshowReprintSSI = ""; if(window.showReprintSSI) { tempshowReprintSSI = showReprintSSI; } if ((navigator.os.indexOf("Mac")==1) && (navigator.type==2)) { // macIE if((document.forms.hiddenValForm.hiddenMacPrintValue.value == "0") || (document.forms.hiddenValForm.hiddenMacPrintValue.value=="2")) { if(document.forms.hiddenValForm.hiddenMacPrintValue.value == "2"){ document.forms.hiddenValForm.hiddenMacPrintValue.value = "0"; } else{ document.forms.hiddenValForm.hiddenMacPrintValue.value = "1"; } if(tempshowReprintSSI == 'showReprintSSI'){ writeReprintLink(); } writeSubscribeToLink(); } else { document.forms.hiddenValForm.hiddenMacPrintValue.value = "2"; } } else {// non macIE - write top and bottom if(tempshowReprintSSI == 'showReprintSSI'){ writeReprintLink(); } writeSubscribeToLink(); } function writeReprintLink(){ document.write('Reprints & Permissions | '); } function writeSubscribeToLink(){ var url = document.location.toString(); var urlArray = url.split("/") var nurl = ""; for (i = 3; i < urlArray.length - 1; i++) { if(i<urlArray.length-2){ nurl += urlArray + "|"; } else { nurl += urlArray; } } document.write('
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DETROIT (AP) — Television ratings for Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals are up from the first game.
The NBC telecast drew a 3.4 rating and a 6 share. That's up from the 2.6 rating and 5 share of Saturday's Game 1. Detroit beat Pittsburgh 3-1 in Sunday night's game to take a 2-0 lead in the series. The Red Wings won the Cup over the Penguins in six games in 2008.
The rating is the percentage watching a program among homes with televisions, and the share is the percentage tuned into the broadcast among those households with TVs on at the time
Speak for yourself. I've been telling my buddies since January that ORL would be in the finals and I finally put my money where my mouth was 2 months ago.
As for the topic at hand....Playoff Hockey is a MUCH better product than Playoff basketball. Live AND broadcast. And that is coming from a life long SoCal resident. Admittedly, I'm a bigger Lakers fan than I am a Ducks or Kings fan. But that doesn't change the fact that there is no more exciting sport to watch come playoff time than the NHL.
The NBA will always be more popular than the NHL in the States because because it's a sport that kids play more growing up and in high school and beyond. People are familiar with the rules and strategy from a young age. The people who take the time to learn the game of hockey from a fan's point of view, usually remain hockey fans for life. It's just that simpletons like gtc write it off because they can't grasp the inticacies of the game. :think2:
The bottom line is gtc is just stirring up sh!t for reactions. gtc is to hockey what Whormoan is to USC.
hno:
NBC Earns 3.4 Overnight Nielsen For Red Wings-Penguins Game Two
Red Wings-Penguins Game Two Earns 3.4
Overnight Nielsen Rating On NBC NBC earned a 3.4/6 overnight Nielsen rating for last night's Penguins-Red Wings Game Two of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. Last year, Penguins-Red Wings Game Two aired on a Monday night on Versus, finishing with a 1.3 U.S. rating and 2.608 million viewers. NBC was the top-rated broadcast network last night among adults in the 18-49 demo. Penguins-Red Wings Game One on Saturday night, which aired opposite TNT's coverage of the Magic-Cavaliers Eastern Conference Finals Game Six, earned a 2.6/5 overnight rating. Game One of the Cup Finals in '08, also on a Saturday, earned a 1.2 U.S. rating and 2.608 viewers on Versus. The last time the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals were televised on broadcast TV was in ’99, when Fox aired Stars-Sabres (THE DAILY).
ALWAYS THE PLAN: ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun noted NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman Saturday revealed that the decision to play Games One and Two of the Stanley Cup Finals on back-to-back nights "had been agreed upon several months ago by all 30 NHL GMs." Bettman: "The back-to-backs was planned a year ago, it was something that I discussed with the [GMs] and something that they unanimously blessed. We wanted to try something different, we wanted to try and build an intense start to the series. Unlike the Super Bowl, where you know a year in advance where you're going to be and when you're going to be there, we felt that we needed to do something a little bit different to see if we can really get the final off to a fast start and an intense start." An NHL source Saturday confirmed that the 30 GMs "gave the back-to-back start their blessing," but "part of that agreement was to have the road team in town three days ahead of the Game 1 start to allow for two days of media buzz." LeBrun noted that did not take place, which is "part of the reason the Red Wings aren't happy" (ESPN.com, 5/30).
DOES END JUSTIFY THE MEANS? In Detroit, Lynn Henning wrote it is indefensible to ask the Red Wings and Penguins to "play three games in four nights." But the objective "was TV exposure," and the skills and stars on display during the Finals are what the NHL is, "at all costs, attempting to inject into the living rooms and minds of a sports culture it desperately wants to impress." Henning: "While the players have a right to wonder if they're more than cannon fodder in this mating ritual between the league and TV, the quality of a Red Wings-Penguins finale should be enough to lasso a whole new package of fans" (DETROIT NEWS, 5/30). Seton Hall Sports Poll Dir Rick Gentile said that the NHL "can't turn down the opportunity to switch to NBC." Gentile: "Is it perfect, no? But I don't see how they turn down increasing their potential viewership by 50[%]" (Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 5/30). Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan said, "Having the games on NBC, no matter what the ratings are, has got a certain cachet, and (Bettman) says it’s worth whatever attendant problems there are." ESPN’s Michael Wilbon said, "I realize that NBC has a profit margin to worry about, and they prefer their nighttime programming during the week to any NHL appearances." But he added, "The NHL has a decision: Do you want your Finals contested this way with four games in six days ... or do you want to have the games on with more reasonable scheduling on a cable outlet?" ("PTI," ESPN, 5/29). FanHouse.com’s Jay Mariotti: "You never compromise the competitive integrity of a Stanley Cup Finals so you can be on NBC" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 5/29). Meanwhile, in Toronto, Chris Zelkovich writes playing Games One and Two on back-to-back nights "was strange enough," but holding off on announcing the start time for last night's game until Saturday "made it worse." Zelkovich: "Tractor pulls know when their finals are earlier than that" (TORONTO STAR, 6/1).
Malkin (l) To Play In Game Three Despite Picking
Up Instigator Penalty Late In Game Two SPECIAL TREATMENT? In L.A., Helene Elliott notes Penguins C Evgeni Malkin received a fighting instigator penalty late in Game Two and writes, "When is a supposedly automatic suspension not automatic or a suspension?" Elliott: "When the NHL is involved and it's an act committed by a marquee player whose absence from Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals might have pushed the league's showcase event further toward a rout that would have cut the already miniscule TV ratings" (L.A. TIMES, 6/1).
CHANGING OF THE GUARD: The TORONTO STAR's Zelkovich noted CBC play-by-play announcer Bob Cole, who "has been a part of every Stanley Cup final on CBC for more than a quarter of a century," has been replaced by Jim Hughson for this year's finals. Hughson's call is "less blow-by-blow than Cole's and he throws in more analysis," as throughout the first two games Hughson "pointed out when teams had bad match-ups on the ice and talked about who was checking who" (TORONTO STAR, 6/1).
NICE PICK UP: In St. Petersburg, Tom Jones noted Sun Sports "agreed to pick up NBC's feed" for Saturday's Game One. WFLA-NBC could not show the game due to its broadcast of the All Children's Hospital telethon, and Lightning officials, "in conjunction with the NHL, contacted Sun Sports and helped negotiate the deal" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 5/30).
Red Wings-Penguins Game Two Earns 3.4
Overnight Nielsen Rating On NBC NBC earned a 3.4/6 overnight Nielsen rating for last night's Penguins-Red Wings Game Two of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals. Last year, Penguins-Red Wings Game Two aired on a Monday night on Versus, finishing with a 1.3 U.S. rating and 2.608 million viewers. NBC was the top-rated broadcast network last night among adults in the 18-49 demo. Penguins-Red Wings Game One on Saturday night, which aired opposite TNT's coverage of the Magic-Cavaliers Eastern Conference Finals Game Six, earned a 2.6/5 overnight rating. Game One of the Cup Finals in '08, also on a Saturday, earned a 1.2 U.S. rating and 2.608 viewers on Versus. The last time the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals were televised on broadcast TV was in ’99, when Fox aired Stars-Sabres (THE DAILY).
ALWAYS THE PLAN: ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun noted NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman Saturday revealed that the decision to play Games One and Two of the Stanley Cup Finals on back-to-back nights "had been agreed upon several months ago by all 30 NHL GMs." Bettman: "The back-to-backs was planned a year ago, it was something that I discussed with the [GMs] and something that they unanimously blessed. We wanted to try something different, we wanted to try and build an intense start to the series. Unlike the Super Bowl, where you know a year in advance where you're going to be and when you're going to be there, we felt that we needed to do something a little bit different to see if we can really get the final off to a fast start and an intense start." An NHL source Saturday confirmed that the 30 GMs "gave the back-to-back start their blessing," but "part of that agreement was to have the road team in town three days ahead of the Game 1 start to allow for two days of media buzz." LeBrun noted that did not take place, which is "part of the reason the Red Wings aren't happy" (ESPN.com, 5/30).
DOES END JUSTIFY THE MEANS? In Detroit, Lynn Henning wrote it is indefensible to ask the Red Wings and Penguins to "play three games in four nights." But the objective "was TV exposure," and the skills and stars on display during the Finals are what the NHL is, "at all costs, attempting to inject into the living rooms and minds of a sports culture it desperately wants to impress." Henning: "While the players have a right to wonder if they're more than cannon fodder in this mating ritual between the league and TV, the quality of a Red Wings-Penguins finale should be enough to lasso a whole new package of fans" (DETROIT NEWS, 5/30). Seton Hall Sports Poll Dir Rick Gentile said that the NHL "can't turn down the opportunity to switch to NBC." Gentile: "Is it perfect, no? But I don't see how they turn down increasing their potential viewership by 50[%]" (Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 5/30). Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan said, "Having the games on NBC, no matter what the ratings are, has got a certain cachet, and (Bettman) says it’s worth whatever attendant problems there are." ESPN’s Michael Wilbon said, "I realize that NBC has a profit margin to worry about, and they prefer their nighttime programming during the week to any NHL appearances." But he added, "The NHL has a decision: Do you want your Finals contested this way with four games in six days ... or do you want to have the games on with more reasonable scheduling on a cable outlet?" ("PTI," ESPN, 5/29). FanHouse.com’s Jay Mariotti: "You never compromise the competitive integrity of a Stanley Cup Finals so you can be on NBC" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 5/29). Meanwhile, in Toronto, Chris Zelkovich writes playing Games One and Two on back-to-back nights "was strange enough," but holding off on announcing the start time for last night's game until Saturday "made it worse." Zelkovich: "Tractor pulls know when their finals are earlier than that" (TORONTO STAR, 6/1).
Malkin (l) To Play In Game Three Despite Picking
Up Instigator Penalty Late In Game Two SPECIAL TREATMENT? In L.A., Helene Elliott notes Penguins C Evgeni Malkin received a fighting instigator penalty late in Game Two and writes, "When is a supposedly automatic suspension not automatic or a suspension?" Elliott: "When the NHL is involved and it's an act committed by a marquee player whose absence from Game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals might have pushed the league's showcase event further toward a rout that would have cut the already miniscule TV ratings" (L.A. TIMES, 6/1).
CHANGING OF THE GUARD: The TORONTO STAR's Zelkovich noted CBC play-by-play announcer Bob Cole, who "has been a part of every Stanley Cup final on CBC for more than a quarter of a century," has been replaced by Jim Hughson for this year's finals. Hughson's call is "less blow-by-blow than Cole's and he throws in more analysis," as throughout the first two games Hughson "pointed out when teams had bad match-ups on the ice and talked about who was checking who" (TORONTO STAR, 6/1).
NICE PICK UP: In St. Petersburg, Tom Jones noted Sun Sports "agreed to pick up NBC's feed" for Saturday's Game One. WFLA-NBC could not show the game due to its broadcast of the All Children's Hospital telethon, and Lightning officials, "in conjunction with the NHL, contacted Sun Sports and helped negotiate the deal" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 5/30).
I love Ray Allen. Sorry, race is not involved in this. I don't like the NBA but unfortunately (maybe fortunately) it is the sport that I handicap the best so I do watch it. It is a horrible product. I was so happy to see Cleveland lose because I couldn't stand the floppers (Varejao and Ilgauskas). Lets see Chris Anderson, last I checked is white. Plenty of other white guys that I am complaining about.
Hockey playoffs are great.
Hockey playoffs are great.
Hey GTC we here in Detroit and Pit are enjoying 2 great hockey teams playing the game with so much skill its sick.
Insult away GTC you have no clue what you are talking about. And your friends sound like queens to me. Geee who would have thought that. Also how do you make friends from your moms basement.
Insult away GTC you have no clue what you are talking about. And your friends sound like queens to me. Geee who would have thought that. Also how do you make friends from your moms basement.
