Okay, I'm officially sick of it

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

'That product' feels less and less like the NHL and more and more like the Pittsburgh Penguins. Great for them, not so great for everyone else trying to tell people that hey, there's more than one team in the NHL.

True, but again it all comes back down to promoting the hell out of your MAIN product. Sydney Crosby is that main product. The NHL is trying to attract new viewers. Sydney Crosby is a way to hammer that into people's brains. People would easily remember him. People like you and me, the NHL has already got us in because we are big fans to begin with from the start and probably aren't leaving watching the game anytime soon.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

Well the main thing is to promote the main product, but isn't the main product of the NHL the Hockey teams and not an individual of one of the 30 teams out there? I think they need to promote the sport itself and not one person on one team.

They can certainly do that, but like the last post, it all comes back down to promoting your bread and butter that new peopl can first remember.

[Hank 0]

Just to play Devils Advocate, I don't blame NBC for doing this.

Sidney Crosby is the face of the NHL. He's 20 years old and already, arguably, the best offensive player in the league.

NBC is trying to hang their hat on a recognizable and marketable face to draw in more non-fans.

As Wings fans it's upsetting that he gets a lot more air time than the Wings stars, but from a marketing stand-point, it has to be done.

We can't take it so personally. This is a business and Crosby is going to be the face of the NHL for the next 15 years.

It's no different than the NBA promoting Lebron James over Chance Billup or Rip Hamilton. Flash brings the cash.

They can certainly do that, but like the last post, it all comes back down to promoting your bread and butter that new peopl can first remember.

Exactly. And in my opinion, the one reason why the NHL isn't as popular as it should be is because it promotes teams more than individual players.

There's a lot of non-sports watching people in my life and yet every one of them knows who Peytan Manning, Kobe Bryant and Alex Rodriguez are.

And back in the day, when a team rolled into the Joe, most fans knew that Quebec meant Sakic, Buffalo meant Lafontaine, Chicago meant Denis Savard, etc.

Now it's such a team concept to the point that an opponent is faceless. That's murder for marketing.

The NHL needs to get back to face branding. Where everyone in the US knows who Ovechkin, Crosby and Lecavailer are. It's a shame that most people in the US have no clue who Jerome Iginla is. This guy is basically Kevin Garnett of the NBA and yet the NHL does such a sickening job with promoting it's stars, he's unknown south of the border.

I like that NBC is promoting the crap out of Crosby. If that means more fans are drawn to this awesome sport we all win. Especially if that translates into the NHL getting a better TV deal with big names like ESPN - which is something 90% of the people here ***** about. You can't have it both ways.

Edited May 29, 2008 by Hank

[Viperar 16]

Just to play Devils Advocate, I don't blame NBC for doing this.

Sidney Crosby is the face of the NHL. He's 20 years old and already, arguably, the best offensive player in the league.

NBC is trying to hang their hat on a recognizable and marketable face to draw in more non-fans.

As Wings fans it's upsetting that he gets a lot more air time than the Wings stars, but from a marketing stand-point, it has to be done.

We can't take it so personally. This is a business and Crosby is going to be the face of the NHL for the next 15 years.

It's no different than the NBA promoting Lebron James over Chance Billup or Rip Hamilton. Flash brings the cash.

QFT

[Drimo 0]

What they fail to mention while stroking off Crosby is that last night was the first time in the series that he was an effective player.

The other thing that is killing me right now about the media is that Detroit is portrayed as the bad guy with the "stifling, suffocating defense that sucks the joy out of the game." Since when is having a skilled, talented, and excellent team a bad thing? I don't think the media will be satisfied with the finals unless Crosby wins, otherwise, Detroit remains to be portrayed as the big bad killers of hockey. Total bulls***.

[Nightfall 871]

Ok, I am a Wings fan, and I didn't detect any bias coming from Versus or NBC through these playoffs. There are a lot of people on this forum that have selective hearing or something.

Now I will say that whenever they talk about the Penguins, they are talking about Crosby. Crosby is the face of the Penguins and the poster boy for the NHL. The rest of the cast there really gets no recognition. On the Detroit side of things, they have Dats, Zets, Lindstrom, Osgood, Holmstrom, etc. Both sides are getting equal time for the most part.

The real issue is that Detroit fans want to hear a Detroit feed. They don't want to hear about how the other team is doing. They want to hear only how their team is doing and what needs to be done to get back into the game or to seal the victory. They want Ken Kal and Paul Woods or Mickey and Ken Daniels.

Just my observation.

Edited May 29, 2008 by Nightfall

[Nightfall 871]

Just to play Devils Advocate, I don't blame NBC for doing this.

Sidney Crosby is the face of the NHL. He's 20 years old and already, arguably, the best offensive player in the league.

NBC is trying to hang their hat on a recognizable and marketable face to draw in more non-fans.

As Wings fans it's upsetting that he gets a lot more air time than the Wings stars, but from a marketing stand-point, it has to be done.

We can't take it so personally. This is a business and Crosby is going to be the face of the NHL for the next 15 years.

It's no different than the NBA promoting Lebron James over Chance Billup or Rip Hamilton. Flash brings the cash.

Exactly. And in my opinion, the one reason why the NHL isn't as popular as it should be is because it promotes teams more than individual players.

There's a lot of non-sports watching people in my life and yet every one of them knows who Peytan Manning, Kobe Bryant and Alex Rodriguez are.

And back in the day, when a team rolled into the Joe, most fans knew that Quebec meant Sakic, Buffalo meant Lafontaine, Chicago meant Denis Savard, etc.

Now it's such a team concept to the point that an opponent is faceless. That's murder for marketing.

The NHL needs to get back to face branding. Where everyone in the US knows who Ovechkin, Crosby and Lecavailer are. It's a shame that most people in the US have no clue who Jerome Iginla is. This guy is basically Kevin Garnett of the NBA and yet the NHL does such a sickening job with promoting it's stars, he's unknown south of the border.

I like that NBC is promoting the crap out of Crosby. If that means more fans are drawn to this awesome sport we all win. Especially if that translates into the NHL getting a better TV deal with big names like ESPN - which is something 90% of the people here ***** about. You can't have it both ways.

This is the best post in this thread. Just took 3 pages for someone to come out and word it right.

QFT

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

What they fail to mention while stroking off Crosby is that last night was the first time in the series that he was an effective player.

The other thing that is killing me right now about the media is that Detroit is portrayed as the bad guy with the "stifling, suffocating defense that sucks the joy out of the game." Since when is having a skilled, talented, and excellent team a bad thing? I don't think the media will be satisfied with the finals unless Crosby wins, otherwise, Detroit remains to be portrayed as the big bad killers of hockey. Total bulls***.

And it still comes down to pimping and promoting the heck out of your main product. Crosby is that product, and he is on the Penguins. It may not be as "sexy" to us because we are fans of the other team obviously, but it would be more of a feelgood story to more people in this country if the Penguins win, because the league hammers home their main marketing ploy who happens to play on the Penguins. More people would identify with the Penguins winning first, than they would the Red Wings...for this season at least.

And Hank and Nightfall, you both hit homeruns with your posts. Finally a few other people understand that it is an NHL thing, not just something only about the Red Wings.

Edited May 29, 2008 by SouthernWingsFan

[CUJO#31 0]

Let's try to cry more about it.

That will help.

[mtuhockey7 23]

Another reason I like going to the bar to watch the game with the fellas

[Mooker 0]

After the first goal I said out loud "great, now we'll have to watch a Crosby montage between periods." Anyone who watched the game on NBC knows what they showed between periods. The big question on my mind right now is will the Avalanche retire his number before their season opener next year or will they wait a little longer?

[b.shanafan14 733]

I was upset further when Franzen's great individual effort goal got nearly no mention after the fact and replayed only once or twice.

Thats what I thought too, Crosby could touch a puck already trickling across the goalline to claim the goal and it would be replayed without tire. But Franzen takes on the entire Pens' team and a second later you would never know it happened.

60 terrible hours of Crosby hype remaining before the Wings have a second crack at it. They better play much better.

[Taylorov 37]

I lol'd after his first goal he was instantly nominated as an "Impact player of the series".

[BigWinston 15]

Yes, I agree the Crosby coverage is getting a little too much. He's certainly a good player, and seems to handle himself well off the ice at such a young age.... but:

As a fan of hockey, I would like to see coverage not only about the red wings, but about the OTHER players on the Penguins team. Malkin and Hossa have had a (very) small amount of coverage, and other than that, apart from a couple of post-game interviews everything is Crosby Crosby Crosby.

NBC needs to start providing information on other players on the Penguins team also.... I'd like to know more about them!

I'm sure Hockey fans over at Pittsburgh feel the same way too... Would like to know more about our players (and probably theirs too) as it looks like finally we now have a terrific series lining up.

[C-TownWing 0]

It's just too bad Ovechkin isn't North American. He plays a more exciting style and actually has a personality, a point driven home by the 2nd intermission on NBC (compare/contrast with any Crosby interview you've ever seen).

I agree with SWF and others as far as how the league needs to market stars. Honestly, I'm so intense during Wings games that I actually hear very little of what the announcers say just because I'm constantly analyzing in my own head. So it doesn't bother me that much. Anyway, it's just unfortunate that Crosby has to be it, pretty much solely because he's from this side of the world and has talent.

PS. This isn't really meant to say that Ovechkin doesn't get his share of attention, because he obviously does, but it's clear to me that the marketing people elevate Crosby a couple steps ahead.

[MonkeyGoalie 14]

I'm sorry but pimping Crosby is not trying to sell the main product of hockey it trying to get people to watch this one person playing playing for one team. Last time I knew the NHL stood for National Hockey League, so the main product for the NHL would be hockey, period. Hockey is not an individual sport but a team sport. So they should promote teams and not just one individual.

The problem I have with stating that Crosby is the main product of the NHL is that it will only get people interested in watching to see what Crosby will do or what he will whine about. This does not give the NHL a good face.

[reggiedunlop 0]

Really? I know alot of players who have scored 2 goals in one game.. reguardless.. you missed the point.

Anyways samuleson has the same amount of goals as the entire penguins team this series, yet we don't get a close up on his face after every commerical break.

and the versus guys lived in your players pants for games one and two......... they play up the home team, or whatever team is winning that game........ get used to it, quit crying, move on............ the way we hear it here is lidstom is only playing hockey because the job of jesus was taken..... so its all about perception.

[reggiedunlop 0]

What they fail to mention while stroking off Crosby is that last night was the first time in the series that he was an effective player.

The other thing that is killing me right now about the media is that Detroit is portrayed as the bad guy with the "stifling, suffocating defense that sucks the joy out of the game." Since when is having a skilled, talented, and excellent team a bad thing? I don't think the media will be satisfied with the finals unless Crosby wins, otherwise, Detroit remains to be portrayed as the big bad killers of hockey. Total bulls***.

let me get you a tissue

[Torless 0]

I find it rather humorous because the announcers seem to be reading right off of Bettman's prompter. Whoever the speed addict was on the left side of the desk (not even going to look it up because he doesn't deserve that much attention) would not stop going on about how Crosby was the best player in the NHL and challenging the others to come up with a better player.

Let's forget the fact that Crosby was completely impotent in games 1 and 2 thanks to Detroit defense - all shots turned aside with relative ease. He did a good job in the 3rd game for sure - was in a good position for the 2nd goal and lucky as it was did get a floater through the pads to get the first score on the board. What about Franzen? Here's a guy that has gained some attention as of late for putting a lot of pucks in net - but is still being treated as a "hot player" rather than a superb puck handler and playmaker. Where's the highlight Pitts goal where their star player dekes past 3 defensemen and a goalie to make a point blank goal? Oh yeah... that's right, their 3rd goal was a lucky bounce off of Osgood's ass.

It's a shame that Bettman's cronies treat this game as a game of individual efforts. Sure Crosby is great! Do you think Gretzsky would have found a way to get points in games 1 and 2? I do. They're grasping at straws here...

It's insulting that Bettman cares only about the superstars as a way to break into new markets.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

I find it rather humorous because the announcers seem to be reading right off of Bettman's prompter. Whoever the speed addict was on the left side of the desk (not even going to look it up because he doesn't deserve that much attention) would not stop going on about how Crosby was the best player in the NHL and challenging the others to come up with a better player.

Let's forget the fact that Crosby was completely impotent in games 1 and 2 thanks to Detroit defense - all shots turned aside with relative ease. He did a good job in the 3rd game for sure - was in a good position for the 2nd goal and lucky as it was did get a floater through the pads to get the first score on the board. What about Franzen? Here's a guy that has gained some attention as of late for putting a lot of pucks in net - but is still being treated as a "hot player" rather than a superb puck handler and playmaker. Where's the highlight Pitts goal where their star player dekes past 3 defensemen and a goalie to make a point blank goal? Oh yeah... that's right, their 3rd goal was a lucky bounce off of Osgood's ass.

It's a shame that Bettman's cronies treat this game as a game of individual efforts. Sure Crosby is great! Do you think Gretzsky would have found a way to get points in games 1 and 2? I do. They're grasping at straws here...

It's insulting that Bettman cares only about the superstars as a way to break into new markets.

New markets/people probably identify with superstars/well-known players first, hence promoting them to the fullest extent. It's not insulting at all, that's basic marketing. Coke and Pepsi are good examples of this.

[96Homer 0]

how many times are we gunna have to watch the crap about crosby and what he thinks about playing in the SCF and how "good" he is? he's young and "good" SO WHAT???? i'm so sick of him and all the hype

i'd take Hank or Pavel anyday over that diving piece of garbage

Yes me also, it was even like that on CBC. The wings were struggling and they barely acknowledged it. They kept on and on about Pitt and everybody especially Gary Roberts. Gawd I'm so sick of Detroit not getting any credit from these announcers. They LOVED it when the bodies were flying everywhere in third i think it was. That's not Obstruction? (sarcasm) Maybe Babs needs to start whining some. I'm so sick if these teams whining about every little thing. And how can someone whine about cross checking Homer not once but twice and getting caught? geez the Pittsburgh whiners! Of course it's like this every year because we are always in the playoffs.They didn't show any wings post game, they interview Sydney and Fluery and I think that was it grrrr. Least channel 4 interviewed DMac and Sammy. I went to bed after that.

[motorcitykid 42]

It's simple really. Crosby is Canadian. Malkin, Zetterberg & Pavs are not.

I almost threw up last night after watching all these "experts" on every channel go from saying last week "The Wings are too strong. No-one can stop them. Top to bottom they are solid", to "Crosby and the Pens are back. And we have a series."

That's the best the Pens have to offer, while we played like crap and out of sync from puck drop to final horn, and the Pens are BACK? Hahahahahaha. Too funny. Good luck with that.

Edited May 29, 2008 by motorcitykid

[Graybeard 0]

I understand and agree with everyone defending the coverage of Crosby's coverage being good marketing to non-hockey fans. The problem I have with that is, I couldn't give a s*** less about attracting non-hockey fans. Let them watch baseball. Hockey doesn't need to be marketed to basketball watching ******* where it's a foul for touching a guys wrist. All this crap of trying to grow the NHL and draw in more fans blows goats.

Lets review what it's got us so far:

Suckass expansion teams. Which leads to salary caps to bring parity. Which leads to watered down teams. If you start a team in a "non-traditional" market and there is no fan base to support it, it can wither and die instead of dragging the rest of the league down to it's level.

Glowing pucks so tards that are used to watching slow games like baseball can keep up. (Thank god that's a thing of the past)

Fights taken out of the game so it can become just another ***** sport err I mean mainstream.

An emphasis on scoring so that it will attract more simpletons that think scoring is the only way to have a good game. I've seen some badass 1-0 hockey games. The best period of hockey in this series was the third period of game three and how much scoring went on there? What are they going to do next, award 6 points for a goal and give a guy a shootout chance after each one to attempt an extra point. That way we could be like football and just pretend it's a high scoring game.

Sidney freakin Crosby ad nauseum. (And not even him personally, anybody who is there poster child) The honest truth is, there would be a lot more love for this guy from real hockey fans if they didn't shove him down our throat so much and just let him impress us with his play instead of his press coverage.

As far as I'm concerned they can take their marketing to non-hockey fans and shove it before it destroys the game we love.

[VM1138 1,921]

Crosby is the face of the league. They are going to pimp him as much as they can. I don't get why this is so difficult for people to either understand or accept.

You pimp your most marketable players/well-known faces to grow the game.

And I can bet that most of you want hockey to be more popular overall in this country or for people in general to at least understand it. What's a way to do that? You pimp your most marketable players. You can't have it both ways to where you want people to stop talking about Sidney Crosby AND the game gets more popular overall. Doesn't work that way.

Sidney Crosby has that tag right now.

Get used to it, it's not that torturous.

I see your point, but it's overkill. No other league has ever pimped out a player this much.

Besides, focusing on one player is bad marketing. People all over the world react the same way when something or someone is shoved in their face at all times: they start to dislike the person, even if there is not legit reason.

Therefore it is always better to have a small core of players who symbolize the new league (i.e. Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Crosby, Malkin), and focus on all of them. It makes people think there are more than one player in the league in case they come to hate the sickening devotion to said single player.

So no, we don't have to accept the Crosby love, but we do understand why they are doing it: They are horrible at marketing.

[Wingman 0]

True, but again it all comes back down to promoting the hell out of your MAIN product. Sydney Crosby is that main product. The NHL is trying to attract new viewers. Sydney Crosby is a way to hammer that into people's brains. People would easily remember him. People like you and me, the NHL has already got us in because we are big fans to begin with from the start and probably aren't leaving watching the game anytime soon.

Yeah, but Sidney isn't the only product. He's the main product that makes people get to "the store", but they won't make any profit unless people "buy" other stuff aswell.

Getting people to watch and keeping them to watch is different phases of promotion. Call it marketing 102 if you like. The first one should involve Crosby, Ovechkin or anyone that possess promotable attributes eg youth, looks and talent. But once people watch, a more balanced promotion that include other players, the team-aspects and so on seem more reasonable. Homer might not be a poster-boy but who doesn't appreciate his gritty, self-sacrificing play?

Also, I don't see why you can't be fair and balanced, and promotional at the same time. Fans aren't as stupid and simple-minded as the NHL PR-division might think, they know when credit's due or not.

Edited May 29, 2008 by Wingman