Versus Lead-in to WCF game 1

[Jamaica Jon 1]

At 7:00, when FSN (if it were showing the Wings game) would have been airing a Wings pre-game show... Versus decides to air a show entitled "Holy @#%*!" (in the Detroit area at least). The show was a copy of a bunch of other "Oh my god did he just do that!?" clip shows that have been popping up in the last 5 years or so.

My question: why do they decide to air a show like this instead of a pre-game... or at the very LEAST a hockey-related show? In a recent interview, which someone here linked to less than a week ago, Bettman DEFENDED Versus. He said that no other network would provide as complete of a "hockey package" than Versus. He claimed that they show a bunch of hockey and NHL related programming before and after games... I just find this utterly ridiculous.

Is there some kind of rule that says they aren't allowed to have a pre-game? I mean... every other sport and every other network has SOME sort of pre-game show before the games... FOX NFL Sunday, Baseball Tonight, even Hockey Night in Canada... why can't Versus do the same?

Edited May 12, 2007 by Jamaica Jon

[Izzy24 44]

It all comes down to the fact that VERSUS sucks.

[This Is Bida 0]

At 7:00, when FSN (if it were showing the Wings game) would have been airing a Wings pre-game show... Versus decides to air a show entitled "Holy @#%*!" (in the Detroit area at least). The show was a copy of a bunch of other "Oh my god did he just do that!?" clip shows that have been popping up in the last 5 years or so.

My question: why do they decide to air a show like this instead of a pre-game... or at the very LEAST a hockey-related show? In a recent interview, which someone here linked to less than a week ago, Bettman DEFENDED Versus. He said that no other network would provide as complete of a "hockey package" than Versus. He claimed that they show a bunch of hockey and NHL related programming before and after games... I just find this utterly ridiculous.

Is there some kind of rule that says they aren't allowed to have a pre-game? I mean... every other sport and every other network has SOME sort of pre-game show before the games... FOX NFL Sunday, Baseball Tonight, even Hockey Night in Canada... why can't Versus do the same?

i totally agree with you on this... but first off, i gotta say, Bettman is a TOTAL idiot.

of course he's gonna defend VERSUS, they bid the highest of any other network to be getting these games, more money in Bettman's pocket. Stupid jack-ass.

But back to VERSUS... While I would obviously watch FSN, I can't complain about VERSUS. Its much better than watching CBC and the people on NBC are complete idiots, afterall they hired Brett Hull. Just to prove how stupid Hull is:

Hull - "where do you think they get those octupese (should be octopi)? The Detroit River?

wow, i mean... just WOW!

In order for VERSUS to be the "complete package" as Bettman said, they need a pregame and postgame show. I mean, this isnt regular season anymore, its the Western Conference Finals. Sometimes I've seen them go straight from the end of a game right to the Rodeo? Personally, they just need to be more "hockey oriented" to be a 'complete package'

[timothy1997 0]

get used to it. During the Stanley Cup Finals, NBC will probably show My Name is Earl before the game.

[Zion 93]

"It all comes down to the fact that VERSUS sucks."

Keep this in mind, and it won't bother you so much. It's how I got over it.

[Izzy24 44]

"It all comes down to the fact that VERSUS sucks."

Keep this in mind, and it won't bother you so much. It's how I got over it.

Thanks for the tip!

[Elshupacabra 0]

40% of Vs programming is Holy @#!%, 40% is Bull Riding, 15% is commercials and 5% has anything to do with Hockey.

[edicius 3,269]

get used to it. During the Stanley Cup Finals, NBC will probably show My Name is Earl before the game.

Hey, at least I could connect "My Name Is Earl" to hockey.

Jason Lee stars in "My Name Is Earl".

Jason Lee also starred in "Mallrats" and "Chasing Amy".

In both films, Jason Lee's characters were playing video game hockey at some point or another.

Therefore, "My Name Is Earl" is more connected to hockey than Versus.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

Versus could not be showing any hockey right now you know. I'll live with the "painful inconvenience" of little or no pre-game show as long as a game is being shown.

[Wingsfan1988 0]

"It all comes down to the fact that VERSUS sucks."

Keep this in mind, and it won't bother you so much. It's how I got over it.

What? Huh?!?!?!? You guys ar ecrazy. Versus has the most comphrehensive pre and post game coverage anywhere...if you are comparing it to the other coverage the NHL gets in Kenya.

Clement, Emmerick and Olcyck are pretty good, Engblom is alright until you see his Mullet. I miss ESPN's coverage, and ESPN actually uses HD technology.

[06TJSport 0]

What? Huh?!?!?!? You guys ar ecrazy. Versus has the most comphrehensive pre and post game coverage anywhere...if you are comparing it to the other coverage the NHL gets in Kenya.

Clement, Emmerick and Olcyck are pretty good, Engblom is alright until you see his Mullet. I miss ESPN's coverage, and ESPN actually uses HD technology.

I get Vs. in HD

[Aeothe Kaear 0]

Hull - "where do you think they get those octupese (should be octopi)?

Actually, as a marine biologist who does at least occasionally work with cephalopods, I feel obligated to point out that most scientists in this field take "octopuses" to be the correct plural. "Octopi" assumes that the root word octopus is a proper 2nd declension masculine Latin noun, which seems not to be the case.

[/pointy-headedness]

[Wild Wing 0]

^LOL!

I vote for Fox's NHL coverage to come back so we can get FoxTrax again (read: Fox's terrible idea to make the puck turn into a comet when it was shot.)

I don't mind Versus, but I hope their contract expires so I can actually watch the damn WCF finals on my limited channels.

Edited May 13, 2007 by Wild Wing

[RedWingedKitten 9]

Actually, as a marine biologist who does at least occasionally work with cephalopods, I feel obligated to point out that most scientists in this field take "octopuses" to be the correct plural. "Octopi" assumes that the root word octopus is a proper 2nd declension masculine Latin noun, which seems not to be the case.

[/pointy-headedness]

Damn, you know your stuff.

[Draperfan 104]

"It all comes down to the fact that VERSUS sucks."

Keep this in mind, and it won't bother you so much. It's how I got over it.

[cadmonkey 0]

Hey, at least I could connect "My Name Is Earl" to hockey.

Jason Lee stars in "My Name Is Earl".

Jason Lee also starred in "Mallrats" and "Chasing Amy".

In both films, Jason Lee's characters were playing video game hockey at some point or another.

Therefore, "My Name Is Earl" is more connected to hockey than Versus.

You forgot the Clerks linkup - he was in Clerks 2, the sequel to Clerks where they of course played hockey atop the Quik Stop roof

[Icteria virens 11]

40% of Vs programming is Holy @#!%, 40% is Bull Riding, 15% is commercials and 5% has anything to do with Hockey.

and 40% of ESPN's programming is Poker, they also show Bull Riding and Fishing on ESPN so what's your point?

ESPN didn't have a half hour pre-game, just the same lame commentary without the starting lineup and commercials during the anthems. What really is the difference?

[Guest jaytan]

Didn't they at least do a 10-minute breakdown or something before the game started? I ran out of work about two minutes before the game was supposed to start, and I didn't get to the nearest sports bar until about half an hour after it was supposed to have started, and somehow I only missed about five minutes of hockey (good thing we're in Anaheim for games three and four - sensible start times ).

Anyway, I don't think Versus' hockey coverage is all that lacking, for an American network at least. Their play-by-play isn't that bad, and the commentary between periods and before and after the game is pretty good. They show that NHL on the Fly program at night, and have profile shows about guys like Messier and Lemieux. They let OT games cut into their other programming, no matter what it is.... I like NBC's commentary better (Brett Hull's been great), but that's the only other option unless you live in a market with an NHL team and get FSN or something,

The biggest problem is that they're a minor cable network - and that during the regular season, they only show games on Monday and Tuesday at like four in the afternoon. I had to buy Dish Network with DVR and their second level of programming, just to be able to watch any hockey at all this season!

Edited May 13, 2007 by jaytan