69 replies to this topic

[b.shanafan14]

http://bleacherrepor...from-the-owners

This would be astounding. The NHL blows its deal with ESPN in the last lockout, now the KHL looks willing to fill the void during this lockout. Priceless, Gary.

Do they bring back Gary Thorne (please yes) and Bill Clement (meh)?

[BottleOfSmoke]

Hockey? On ESPN? Now that's a blast from the past!

I actually used to hate when the games were aired on ESPN because I couldn't get my Ken and Mickey fix...wasn't it on UPN50 back then? God I'm getting old!

[chances14]

keep bill clement away. to this day, i still can't stand his lovefest he had with peter forsberg every time the avs would play the wings.

KHL will never be relevant on North America tv because of the 8 hour time zone difference. hardly anyone over here would be able to watch any of the games live

[Marty Barry]

keep bill clement away. to this day, i still can't stand his lovefest he had with peter forsberg every time the avs would play the wings.

KHL will never be relevant on North America tv because of the 8 hour time zone difference. hardly anyone over here would be able to watch any of the games live

I don't know. When ESPN lost the NHL they filled the time slots with lumberjack games and poker. Both enjoyed huge boosts in their fanbases. Especially poker.

[Gordie Howe hat trick]

Well even if there is a time difference, and the games aren't live I would still watch it. Think of it as watching a season of World Championship hockey.

[chances14]

I don't know. When ESPN lost the NHL they filled the time slots with lumberjack games and poker. Both enjoyed huge boosts in their fanbases. Especially poker.

can't really compare poker to hockey. poker is best shown only in highlights because of the extremely slow pace of the game. besides, way more people play poker than play ice hockey.

so while it might increase the interest level of the KHL for a while, that will soon vanish once the NHL starts up and you can start watching live games again during normal hours of the day.

the only way i see the NHL start worrying about the KHL is if the top players like ovechkin and crosby stay over there even when the NHL starts back up, which will never happen.

[haroldsnepsts]

The KHL makes it sound like a done deal. Here's the info posted on the KHL website:

The Kontinental Hockey League has reached an agreement with the US sports TV channel ESPN to broadcast games in the 2012/2013 KHL Championship. The games will be shown on the ESPN3 channel in the United States, Territories of the United States, and also in Great Britain.
ESPN3 reaches 73 million American households and devotes most of its output to live broadcasts of events, including college football, college basketball, the NBA, MLB, ICC (International Cricket Council) competitions and qualifying matches of FIFA tournaments.
During the first ten days of October, the channel will broadcast five KHL games. The planned schedule includes:
Dynamo Moscow vs Ak Bars on Oct. 3rd;
Lev vs SKA on Oct. 6th;
Slovan vs Dynamo Moscow on Oct. 7th;
CSKA vs SKA on Oct. 8th;
Lev vs Dynamo Moscow on Oct. 9th.

http://en.khl.ru/news/2012/10/02/24756.html

Honestly I'd probably tape some games and watch, just to see some of the NHL players and get my hockey fix.

[rrasco]

I'll watch. I've been trying to watch games here at work in the morning but I keep forgetting until around noon...when they are all over.

[akustyk]

funny thing is that living in Europe (+2 hours from Moscow time which the game are mostly scheduled to) KHL games are now in much better time to stomach for me (normally starting like 5.00 PM except for Lev/Slovan home games) but due to working hours it actually is less convenient than NHL games that normally start deep in the night here (1AM). I still try to catch my share of KHL and it is really a decent level of game.

having said that... I miss living in Poland and having Czech TV with live broadcast of 4-5 games a week. in normal working hours and with Czech commentary (which I understand much better than Russian)...


oh well... good for you guys to get a chance to watch a game of decent KHL hockey once in a while. and if it puts extra pressure on greedy NHL owners - even better!

on the side note: http://www.laola1.tv.../224-2451-.html broadcats 1-2 KHL games a day. and it's normally 11 AM for people on the East Coast - not bad to turn on the broadcast and follow a piece of it while working (at least if you're an office sl* like me )

[cusimano_brothers]

Not just ESPN; ESPN3. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Best of luck.

[Pskov Wings Fan]

Not just ESPN; ESPN3. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Best of luck.

I did not know ESPN3 existed, but now thanks to KHL I found a place to watch Premier League football in good quality. And maybe some KHL hockey on top of that.

[chances14]

I did not know ESPN3 existed

that's because espn3 is about as mainstream as versus was. espn3 is not even a cable channel, only an online channel available to people who happen to subscribe to an isp or tv provider that subscribes to espn3

so whils this is certainly a good start for the KHL, this is going to do nothing to put pressure on the owners to end the lockout

[Seraph]

It's happening. Now the KHL needs to somehow slip out of its agreement on limiting the number of NHL players that can join in, and the NHL will be on it's way to committing suicide with this lockout. Not really , but I'll take whatever imagined leverage I can gain to make me think the dispute is ending soon.

[irishock]

I'm predicting ESPN and TSN work a deal to bring guys like Cuthbert over.

[kylee]

will this be tape delayed so we can actually watch the games at a normal time? I approve of this. If the NHLPA and the owners are going to do short of nothing over a long weekend and a discussion on Tuesday, this is the next best resort for me. I've watched KHL games in the past online, it's good hockey--and stands to be better with so many players from the NHL over there.

Edited by kylee, 02 October 2012 - 08:23 PM.

[sleepwalker]

I got excited for a minute, until I read the part about it being on ESPN3, which is apparantly an online only streaming site that most people don't even have access to. (nor are even aware exists)

[toby91_ca]

I have heard some discussing this as being a "screw you" to Bettman.

[evilmrt]

Not just ESPN; ESPN3. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Best of luck.

This is actually pretty cool. ESPN3 is free to many US ISPs, including mine. So you make a free account at home, then download the app for your smartphone, and you watch it wherever you want.

It also helps get around the 8 hour difference. Yeah, it will be 9:30am out here in the West, but I can watch it mobile, or watch the replay later. It beats paying for Gamecenter.

[cusimano_brothers]

According to an article in today's Toronto Star , ESPN3 is "a digital network available in 73 million homes".
This is kind of a deal announcement is like the League's deal with NBC; a high level of excitement until you find out...

[StormJH1]

First of all, ESPN3 carried KHL games last year, yet nobody seems to know/remember that. I don't think the interest level in this country is a Russian hockey league (which would probably also have to be tape delayed) could justify putting it on even the ancillary ESPN TV channels, let alone ESPN or ESPN2. There's no way.

Second, ESPN3 is not a "premium" service. It's basically the same as HBO Go, which is HBO's excellent web/tablet/smartphone portal to on-demand content. If you already have ESPN through one of the major service providers (including Comcast), you literally put your account login information online and you can stream it. I think this concept is pretty alien to a lot of people, but became pretty familiar during the 2012 London Olympics. Download the WatchESPN app for iOS, or its also carried on streaming devices like an XBox 360. I've used it to watch on-demand MLS games, IndyCar races, etc., but they have TONS of obscure European stuff. If you're already paying for these services, you might as well get your money's worth!