Wings fans should tune out to protest Versus, officiating

[NKYWingsFan 4]

Actually, I think the Super Bowl on Comedy Central would work well. So long as Eric Cartman and Butters do the play-by-play. Maybe have the cast of Reno 911! as the officials.

[Guest Shoreline]

DRIIIIIIIVE!!!! to Seattle and watch it.

Doc reminds me of that old NES Punch Out! character Don Flamenco, but with glasses:

Anyways, the only people that can get me not to watch Game 4 are the Wings if they don't show up. Anyone who asks me not to watch due to the conspiracy crap can f*** off.

[sdogg1m 3]

This article is retarded (ACG's words not mine) for two reasons:

1) If nobody watches the finals then you can all but guarentee that future finals will be broadcasted on the Lifetime channel.

2) If more Americans watch the finals then one of the major networks will pickup the whole series, PERIOD!

I said this in the chat on Thursday and the response I got was bitter. The average American cares more about Dancing with the Stars and American Idol than hockey. As long as the major networks get higher ratings for those shows then they WILL NOT PAY TO BROADCAST the Stanley Cup finals. Someone mentioned that Bettman has failed to promote the game but that is absolutely bull crap. The NHL has expanded greatly since he became commissioner but it still not mainstream enough. Pinning the lack of league viewership on a lack of promotion is over-simplification of the problem. Unfortunately, I think our fans fail to realize the reason why they are different (and absolutely are crazy about the sport); is because hockey has been apart of our culture for nearly 100 years now. The rest of the country has to catch-up and it will take time.

I propose three solutions:

1) Get the NHL to continue to promote individual stars for maximum exposure. I know that Red Wings fans HATE this idea as they are sick of hearing about Crosby. However, it works!

2) Let the league continue its slow growth into mainstream America and eventually every major network will be fighting to broadcast the Stanley Cup Finals

3) Help to explain your love of the sport to other people, get them watching, and see viewership increase. That is one of the quickest ways to increase viewership and insure national broadcasts for all SCF games.

[b.shanafan14 733]

I would kill to have CBC

[Inultus 12]

I would kill to have CBC

Me too. And good post, sdogg.

As much as people whine on here it's no wonder that ratings are down although I just read the ESPN wants to pick up hockey again. That would be great.

[shanny is the man 0]

[Guest Shoreline]

[OsGOD 3]

cbc's reception blows here... although if they had HD then i might consider watching it... until then its 97.1 for listening and vsHD for viewing

::edit:: i see cbc had HD just Charter does not carry it...

Edited June 4, 2009 by OsGOD

[Datsyerberger 279]

CBC stream, tally ho

[skippy_kenn 0]

Its the frickin stanley cup finals and the wings are playing. I dont care if they are on the lifetime network, I will watch as much as I possibly can. We can't influence anything with the NHL or the Refs, so why the heck punish ourselves by not watching a Cup Finals game?

Lifetime toooooooooooo funny picture pregame by Valerie Bertinelli and player interviews by Nancy McKeon.

I would welcome it on comedy central though pregame by Eric Cartman and player interviews by Jon Stewart. Play by Play by Kenny

[Electrophile 3,554]

I'm curious, I saw someone here say they had both CBC and Vs, but not CBCHD so they were going to watch on Vs......the inferior network.

Is not having the CBC feed in HD that big of a loss that you'd watch the game on Vs instead? That makes no sense to me.

[Theophany 110]

I'm curious, I saw someone here say they had both CBC and Vs, but not CBCHD so they were going to watch on Vs......the inferior network.

Is not having the CBC feed in HD that big of a loss that you'd watch the game on Vs instead? That makes no sense to me.

Yeah, because I don't care about the commentary as much as I care about being able to see everything.

My eyes are pretty crap; trying to follow the puck on normal def TV is a lot harder than HD.

[Vincanni 1]

This would be the very definition of bitogn off one's nose to spite their face.

[flip 5]

Comcast cut my Versus access in Oregon, so I'll be watching on hockeystreams, which may air CBC instead.

[Guest Shoreline]

I'm curious, I saw someone here say they had both CBC and Vs, but not CBCHD so they were going to watch on Vs......the inferior network.

Is not having the CBC feed in HD that big of a loss that you'd watch the game on Vs instead? That makes no sense to me.

Let's just say watching a 4:3 broadcast on a 16:9 TV looks like crap.

[Carp 0]

Better solution than not watching, but similar results on the ratings/message to the league....

Invite a bunch of friends over to watch. They then do not have their TVs tuned in, but no one misses out. Plus high fives abound when Wings win and if the refs give it away again your angry mod is already assembled, simply add torches and pitchforks!

GO WINGS!

[Inultus 12]

If you really think that not watching the game on TV will help the NHL (which it won't) just watch it at a bar where it will be on anyway.

[ander2ta 1]

DRIIIIIIIVE!!!! to Seattle and watch it.

LOL.... DRIIIIVE!!!

yea... laughed out loud at work in Austin Texas about Hockey... that drew some attention.

[RyanK 1]

Watch CBC.

If you can.

Always do, VS can suck a fat hairy one. My life will be complete when CBC HD happens.

[Legendary D In 03 50]

I'm surprised that not a single person has mentioned that the only way that this will work is if you have a Nielsen box in your home.

[RyanK 1]

here's an Idea...one i did last game... turn off the sound and listen to 97.1 it works like a charm

Doc is a piece of s*** and so is Mcguire so i listen to the wings own broadcasting

OMFG THIS IS GENIUS!!

This is getting done.. for sure.

[Aeothe Kaear 0]

I'm curious, I saw someone here say they had both CBC and Vs, but not CBCHD so they were going to watch on Vs......the inferior network.

Is not having the CBC feed in HD that big of a loss that you'd watch the game on Vs instead? That makes no sense to me.

Yes, HD is actually that cool. Of course CBC's coverage is much better and it's painful to listen to those jokers on VS, but that big high res picture can't be beat.

[RedFX 48]

One problem: Boycotting the game will make viewing the game much more difficult

[stormboy 47]

First, it will send a message to the blinkered buffoons at league HQ that you can’t put a marquee event on a cable station most people have never heard of and maintain any kind of credibility.

um, no it won't. the only message it will send is that people aren't watching hockey, which is the opposite of what we want.

Second, it will raise a measurable protest at the way these playoffs have been (mis)handled almost from start to finish. Putting out officials who miss call after call (go back to review the Anaheim and Chicago series if you have any doubts) and then scheduling the first three games of the finals in four days is the kind of slap-in-the-face arrogance that only the immensely successful or terminally dumb can pull off.

it will not be seen as a measurable protest against anything. it will just be seen as people not caring about hockey.

Third and most important, it will prevent Wings fans from the kind of angst and anguish they had to suffer Tuesday night, witnessing yet another display of officiating incompetence that absolutely cost them the game (see also Game 3 against the Ducks and Game 3 against the Blackhawks).

no, it will just prevent us from watching our beloved wings. GREAT idea

It’s hard to suggest there was anything deliberate about a schedule that clearly penalizes the defending champs; about a league disciplinary process that waives its own procedure when it might have to suspend a star player (who just happens to be called Malkin or Crosby); and about officials who refuse to recognize when one team has an extra man on the ice for half a minute (perhaps they were waiting for a seven- or even eight-man front?).

please. homer, much?

So the only way to make your feelings known at 8 p.m. Thursday is to leave the TV set blank, switched off, somnolent. You know it makes sense.

um, no, it doesn't make sense. KTHXBAI!

[stormboy 47]

OMFG THIS IS GENIUS!!

This is getting done.. for sure.

i've tried this and there's always a few-second delay between the feeds. maybe it won't be the case for you, but it works almost well enough to watch...but not quite.