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scotzman

No NHL on ESPN?!? But this...

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Soccer isn't that bad of a sport. The real problem with ESPN is they would prefer to air an eating contest rather than another actual sport.

That being said though, I don't really want the NHL on ESPN. They wouldn't give it dick for coverage for one thing, so it'd basically in the same boat as it is now, which is relativly unnoticed by anyone who is not a hockey fan. While the Versus coverage is shotty at best during the regular season, I give them props for having at least one game on a night, which ESPN would never think of doing, even if they had a gun pointed at their head.

Hockey is better off on Versus then ESPN, because at least people who aren't hockey fans but who do have the channel might watch it. On ESPN, you'd have to fit hockey between a thrilling Orlando Magic - Utah Jazz game, auto racing, SportsCenter, and pretty much every other thing ESPN has. In all honesty, they'd never do it. Most of the guys on ESPN, with the exception of Barry Melrose and John Buccigross, are all anti-NHL and really want nothing to do with it.

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the national spelling bee, hot dog eating contest, chess championships.... IMO ESPN is desperate for programming so they show all that crap. They should have stuck with the NHL

Dont mistake creativity for desperation! These are niche events that do, believe it or not, generate some interest...even if in a joking manner. For example, i was in a room with about 10 people last Memorial Day all watching the Nathan's hotdog eating contest.

To think the ESPN needs the NHL in any way is far from the truth...the ratings were pathetic dont forget.

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Dont mistake creativity for desperation! These are niche events that do, believe it or not, generate some interest...even if in a joking manner. For example, i was in a room with about 10 people last Memorial Day all watching the Nathan's hotdog eating contest.

To think the ESPN needs the NHL in any way is far from the truth...the ratings were pathetic dont forget.

Agreed. If ESPN can survive with an eating contest or a spelling bee, what use do they even have for the NHL? If they had the NHL, it would get lost in translation in suprisingly more popular events.

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Agreed. If ESPN can survive with an eating contest or a spelling bee, what use do they even have for the NHL? If they had the NHL, it would get lost in translation in suprisingly more popular events.

I think alot of people are experiencing memory lapses. Theres a reason ESPN didnt want the NHL anymore, the ratings were abysmal. If you're ESPN, you're better off just showing more college basketball games or whatever instead...why not? They are a business afterall.

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I think alot of people are experiencing memory lapses. Theres a reason ESPN didnt want the NHL anymore, the ratings were abysmal. If you're ESPN, you're better off just showing more college basketball games or whatever instead...why not? They are a business afterall.

Yeah. And the funny thing is, most people try to blame Bettman on this one. :rolleyes:

I agree though. They honestly have no use for the NHL. Most people say how desperate they are for ratings for putting stuff like Soccer and eating contests on, but that really isn't true. Their mostly expanding the boundries a bit to see what gives the better ratings.

Most people don't want to admit it, but they know that the NHL is really not very popular beyond the true fans. It's a niche sport. It's not like, say, the NFL where people will watch it even if they aren't a true fan. That's just the way things work. The lockouts (2004-2005 and 1994-1995) really hurt the NHL on an overall scale.

Edited by Kp-Wings

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ESPN likes to market new things and kill old things. They killed the NHL when they lost the contract, and the same with poker once stations like FSN started airing their own versions. They're going to market the new things like MLS and the AFL because no one else has them. We'll see in 4 years where those two leagues are on ESPN and if they've been killed off by the station.

exactly, they've done the same thing with NASCAR, they secured the rights for all races in the Busch series and the second half of the season in Nextel Cup. They even have NASCAR Now a half hour show about it most days around 6.30pm EST. It's just what ESPN does, they're big at pushing what they have and ignoring what they don't. Makes sense from a business standpoint.

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The Stanley Cup Final ratings for the Edmonton-Carolina series were pathetic. Ditto for the Calgary-Tampa Bay series in 2004. The big reason is because Carolina and Tampa Bay were in the finals. Those teams have ZERO fan following outside of their respective cities. You can't say that about the Red Wings though. Edmonton and Calgary are from smaller Canadian cities and many American hockey fans will tune that out as well.

Both seven game series - but I couldn't muster much interest. No offense to the Canadian teams - I think it was that they were matched with Southern teams - which at this point I'm done with. Two Southern teams winning the Cup was just not what the NHL needed. One word: contraction. Should have happened during the lockout - Bettman didn't have the guts.

As far as ESPN, did they severe the contract after the lockout, or did the NHL not agree to their terms? The NHL should have offered to let ESPN air the games for free for a few years just to keep viewers. I got to see a Wings game every few weeks at the very least on ESPN. I biggest problem I have with versus is they don't carry very many games - I think once a week was hockey night - and the Wings were only on a few times - a team with a huge fan base. I'm sure next year when the schedule comes out, there will only be a handful of Wings games available...depressing. :(

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