That’s the claim of the Globe & Mail’s respected hockey pundit Eric Duhatschek:
“The league stumbled badly this week when it set the television schedule for the first round of the playoffs and gave CBC the chance to televise the second game of that highly anticipated New Jersey Devils-Tampa Bay Lightning playoff series in its primetime Hockey Night In Canada slot. It's not that anyone minds watching Vinnie Lecavalier or Martin Brodeur, two great Canadian talents; it's just that there's little rooting interest for either the Devils or Lightning among the vast majority of Canadian hockey fans. If the Stanley Cup final eventually produces an all-American match-up, so be it; people will still tune in.
But with three Canadian teams alive and Saturday night telecasts on Hockey Night In Canada such a long-standing tradition, what in the name of Ralph Mellanby were they thinking by giving the biggest game of the day — the Pittsburgh Penguins against the Ottawa Senators — to NBC? It can only mean they thought Sidney Crosby's presence, live across the network, on the second Saturday of April, would resonate so greatly with American hockey viewers that there'd be a stampede to the television sets and help to create the sort of genuine excitement about the game that's been lacking oh these many decades. As if.”
“The last thing the NHL needs now is to see this growing northern alienation take root. Canadians have threatened to walk away before — usually after lockouts or strikes - but always flocked back when the game returned. There was a massive uproar against the decision to show the Pens-Sens' game in the afternoon, a demonstration of the passion that NHL fans have in Canada for playoff hockey and the institution of Hockey Night In Canada. One of these days, the league is going to make a similar sort of call and find the response far more muted. That'll be the day they have something to worry about.”
Sorry, Eric, but as a fellow Canadian, I disagree.
“Massive uproar”? Hmm, must’ve missed it here on Prince Edward Island, but of course we Islanders - hockey mad as any Canadians - tend to promote the calming influence of our province so perhaps we’re not as overly excited as mainlanders.
Yes, there was some noise made on the mainland over this. Nova Scotia’s provincial legislature issued a formal complaint that -–horror of horrors – the Penguins-Senators game would be televised at 3 PM eastern rather than during prime time on Saturday night, blathering about how it would interfere with folks’ usual Saturday afternoon routines. They complained it would make it difficult for Nova Scotians to watch home-grown hero Sidney Crosby.
The legislature embarrassed itself with this trivial nonsense, but speaking as someone who was raised in Nova Scotia and whose family has lived in Nova Scotia for decades, we’re pretty much used to Nova Scotia politicians embarrassing themselves and the province with trivial nonsense.
Most of the uproar probably originated in Ontario, particularly in the Ottawa region where the Senators are king.
I could understand if CBC wasn't covering Saturday’s Penguins-Senators tilt. Yes, that would definitely be upsetting.
But the game’s being shown in the afternoon!
Sorry, but that's just not worth getting wrapped around the axle.
It’s not the first time playoff games have been televised on Saturday afternoon’s in Canada. Heck, I remember watching the New York Islanders win their first Stanley Cup on a steamy Saturday afternoon in mid-May after spending the morning and early afternoon cutting pulpwood with my cousins.
I don't ever recall Canadians feeling "alienated" over previous afternoon playoff telecasts involving Canada's best players, and I doubt they'll be alienated or driven away from the game now.
Duhatschek is right that Canadians will flock back to the game regardless of real and imagined problems. I don’t need to explain why.
However, the NHL is trying to re-establish itself as a big league sport in the United States after a stupidly short-sighted, season-killing lockout all but wiped it out of the consciousness of American sports fans.
That’s why it’s showcasing its top talent – Penguins wunderkind Sidney Crosby – on a Saturday afternoon in hopes of improving its American audience.
Canadian hockey pundits almost constantly decry how the NHL is struggling in the United States. Yet, when the league attempts to improve its visibility in the all-important American sports market, some Canadian pundits are grumbling about “Canadian alienation”.
Look, nobody expects American sports fans to "stampede" to their TV sets to watch Crosby, but if this move attracts even a handful of American sports fans who wouldn't normally watch the NHL to check it out regularly in the future, it's a positive step.
I agree with Duhatschek that league commissioner Gary Bettman hasn’t been the enemy of the Canadian game as his critics claim. I can and have found fault with Bettman’s stewardship, but he’s not the evil boogeyman out to destroy or “Americanize” the game.
I think in this instance Mr. Bettman and company have their priorities straight.
Canadian hockey fans aren’t going to feel “alienated” if the league continues to showcase their player on Saturday afternoons. They’re not going to be turned off from the game.
The NHL knows this. They’re not taking Canadians for granted, rather, they understand they can always count on Canadians to support their product.
It’s for that reason that they can focus on improving their visibility in America without worrying about killing their support in Canada.
All this talk of the NHL risking “Canadian alienation” is nonsense.
As Canadian hockey fan I have to admit...I would of much rather seen Ottawa vs Pittsburgh on a Saturday night. I watch as much hockey as I can during the regular season and when it comes to play-off time I would hope the NHL would give its faithful the big game on a Saturday night rather then an afternoon.
I don't think its right that the NHL does this to Canadians because we're the NHL's meal tickets at the moment and its not right to assume we'll be there no matter what. I know a bunch of friends who have stopped watching hockey all together after the lock-out. Its become increasingly easy to turn off the games too with the bad officiating, boring play styles (ala watching NJ), and just horrible paces to games.
I don't feel alienated I just feel bitterness towards the NHL but that could change down the road with the shabby treatment.
From what I've read, there actually is some wide-spread support among canadian fans for the Lightning, most notably in the form of Vinny Lecavalier. I read a good article on ESPN.com a while back about a little girl in Calgary who fell in love with the Lightning during the cup finals in 04. Added to that, you PEI-ers have got to love Richards and follow his team. And I dont buy that Canadian fans dont like watching Brodeur, the guy who has backstopped their national team to Olympic gold, junior gold and world championships.
In this day and age, its easier than ever to follow teams outside of your area.With webcasts, internet radio, and NHL.com, anybody with access to the net can keep track of their favorite teams.Besides, if Canadian fans are purists and love the game as much as they supposedy do, how could they cheer teams like the Canucks when the Lightning play a much more exciting and traditional form of hockey.
Spector- I, too, find this hard to believe that some think the NHL is alienating them. In fact, the way Mr. Duhatschek describes it sounds like the NHL is singling out Canadians.
wtfman-How do you figure that Canadians are the NHL's meal ticket? 24 out of 30 teams reside in the US. Clearly the United States, like it or not, is the NHL's meal ticket.
In my opinion, it would have made more sense to have the Devs/Bolts game at 3pm(NBC) and give the Sens/Pens to H.N.I.C. knowing the ratings value in Canada. On the other hand, as to what Boltsfans said, I agree.. + P.E.I., Canada is going to get the Lightning training camp next fall. Brodeur,LeCavalier,St. Louis has to have some interest in Canada. The many Canadians living in the Tampa/St.Pete has to be among the tops in U.S. The column to me is sensationalism, whats the quote the media lives by? ..... "Good news, is NO News!"
Spector, have you been watching the playoffs?
The US is single handedly raising the Canadian employment rates.
EVERY color commentator is Canadian.
An entire ESPN panel of commentators is Canadian.
They gave it away when they said, "aboot four goals total." These guys are cutting the mullets shorter and blending in, too. It's ####y.
I love the playoffs!
There may not be any "Canadian alienation" going on but there is a problem with the scheduling.
Why in all the world would the NHL schedule all three NY teams and NJ to play on the same days at almost the same times. Thats just rediculous. New York is one of, if not the top NHL market in the US. So why make fans decide which game to watch? Most fans would watch all the games if they were scheduled on different days and times.
Obviously the NHL was more concerned with showcasing Sid the kid then pleasing it's loyal fans, who obviously don't matter as much as "new fans".
This league gets more and more rediculous with each passing day. I predict the NHL will lose fans if they continue trying to force feed Crosby to everyone.
Must be terrible for easterners to get a taste of their own medicine . . . Canucks, Flames and Oil fans have had to put up with earlier game times for years, to accomodate all eastern TV schedules.
If anything they should complain about getting Bobbles (Kevin Beisssss-ka) Cole doing the play-by-play.
joepuckster: I'd agree with you normally on betman having to go. He does a good job of making hockey look like a joke.
But what's been said here really is hogwash. Do we need to see EVERY Sidney Crosby game? It's just a matter of opinion. At the same time the big 3(four if you count boyle) are all Canadians and they're exciting to watch and considered the best at what they do. At the same time you've got the EGG line, and Brodeur, who's just had his best regular season ever. It's a great match-up.
Erik Duh-Imnotevengoingtotrytospellthatn ame is either
1. A Senators fan who wants to watch all the games without paying to actually go to a game.
2. A die hard Sidney Crosby fan who wouldn't have written this if Crosby and Ovechkin were on oposite teams.
3. Doesn't want to watch New Jersey trap because he can't apreciate the way that New Jersey wins games.
I don't know if it is alienating... and of course you can count on Canadians watching hockey anytime of day... but it is certainly the talk of the town... there are certain traditions that are hard to break... I was barely awake at 10am to watch the opening face-off of the Flames game... more awake than the Flames, I suppose
Actually, I don't know why people are trying to blow this out of proportion. My only complaint about the 3pm game on saturday is that in order to accomodate NBC the NHL is making OTT and PIT play PLAYOFF games on back to back nights. No rest, no day off....play in OTT on Saturday and then fly to PIT and play Sunday. That is what I think is unacceptable about the situation. If they wanted the game on saturday afternoon then they should have made Game 3 on Monday night not Sunday.
**LETSGOBUFFALO**
the other poster was correct in saying that Canada is currently the NHL's meal ticket. Despite the fact that you are right 24 of the 30 teams are US based....the 6 CANADIAN teams make up a significant amount of the leagues revenue. Quite simply put, the league would fold and declare bankruptcy if the 6 CDN teams were not in the picture.
sens4life-You are wrong. When 24 of your 30 teams reside in the US, thats 80%, then OBVIOUSLY the US is the meal ticket. Its just simple logistics.
You know I'm all for bringing another team to Canada but the truth of the matter is, the reason Canada lost two teams is because it couldn't make ends meet.
Canadians need to get out of their heads that they are the only ones who understand hockey and that they are the only ones who care about hockey.
first off ... I don't buy Eric D's argument. They would have to go a hell of a long way to turn Canadian's off hockey.
LGB ... you are partially right ... but mostly wrong. Yes ... if you look at gate receipts only then indeed the proportion of revenue earned in the States is going to be roughly the same proportion as the number of teams. Gate reciepts will be a little higher in Canada because more games sell out. The associated promotional revenue for each team will be roughly balance out as well because the smaller size of our population centres is balanced by the higher percentage of hte population who is interested.
But you're mostly wrong because this discussion is based on TV rights and revenue and whether the NHL is treating Canadians as a cash cow and catering to US fans to try and draw a larger audience. YOu said that more revenue comes from the US.
wrong ... and this post is too long so wait one second here ...
the Versus/OLN deal is worth (according to the Washington Post) about $2 million per team per season.
HOckey NIght IN Canada (the CBC show) alone is $65 million per season this year and although the figures are confidential the new contract is supposed to be $100 million.
There are two cable sports networks on top of that. TSN's contract is $15 to $20 million per season and Roger's Sportsnet would likely be similar but I couldn't find any figures for it with a brief online search.
NOw there are some pockets of tv revenue in the states (MSG Network springs to mind) but my understanding is that it is mostly pay per view which would primarily be the team's revenue and not the leagues.
So don't get so defensive. I don't think anyone said Canadians were the only ones who cared or knew about hockey. But in spite of the passion of the US fan base it is still only a small porportion of the population and doesn't drive anywhere near as much as the league revenues as the canadian fans do.
Don't really notice the NHL alienating Canadians. Maybe that is because the Eastern sports networks have been alienating western canadaians for years. Found it funny that as soon as Vancouver and Dallas went to 4 OTs that all the panelists were jumping all over the NHL for allowing games to go so late. I bet if it were Ottawa and Pittsburgh going that late that there wouldn't of been a problem.
**LetsGoBuffalo**
I never once was claiming or taking a pro Canada stance or in anyway elevating Canadian fans above American fans. I think people who do that are clueless and are ignorant. The point that I was making is that on gate revenue alone 6 of the 12 top teams are the 6 Canadian teams. Add on top of that the 100+ million in TV revenue deals, plus merchandise and corporate sponsorship.....it's the Canadian market that is at this point the major supporter and financial backer of the NHL.I don't think that entitles Canada or Canadian fans any kind of special treatment, which is why I thought the ariticle about the afternoon game was ridiculous. The only thing that bothered me about the afternoon NBC game is that the NHL in all it's wisdom didn't think of pushing game 3 back to monday so the 2 teams would have a day off between games. But back to you. Despite the the fact that 80% of the teams are american based the majority of the leagues revenue is created by the 20% of the teams north of the american border. That means that without the 6 Canadian teams the NHL would become financially unstable and simply not viable, which means no more NHL.
To me that's a problem, a business model that relies on 20% of it's product to generate enough profits to keep the league a float...that's a big problem. I want the game to grow, I want the american fan base to grow and if that means some afternoon games then so be it. I mean attendance to games is an issue, it takes more than a winning team to get the fans out to the arena...
Last edited by sens4life on April 16th at 12:18 PM.
look at NJ or for that matter Detroit. Detroit didn't sell out for Game 1 in their playoff series vs the Flames. One of the biggest american teams couldn't sell out a playoff game? that's a problem.
My point is that there is no reason to get so defensive and trying to make this a Canadian vs American thing, because that's not what this is. On the surface your stance is correct...the logical assumption is that if 24 of the 30 teams are US teams than the US is where the money is coming from. However if you look just past the surface, you'll see the numbers do not support your assumption. The fact of the matter is that the 6 teams in Canada is where the money is coming from that supports the league, and the numbers support that. I wish it were the other way around, I wish the american franchises were more financially viable and the fan base was stronger. For the moment however the league needs the Canadian market to keep it running while it grows its presence in the US markets. The CBA was a good first step. The cap in particular is helping to strengthen the league and making the season more exciting. The parity is phenominal and puts it more in the same scenario that the NFL created, where legitimately just about every team has a shot at the playoffs.
So look, logically yes your stance should be correct, but this is the NHL that is run by an NBA executive so things aren't as straight forward as they should be and there is little logic involved.
As a Sens fan living in the Toronto area, I actually didnt mind the 3pm start time, especially when having tickets to the game. We left in the morning, went to the game in the afternoon and still had the whole evening and night to do what whatever we wanted to (more time at the casino in Hull lol)
If anything the NHL did the right thing for the good of the game by showing Sidney Crosby on national television in the US (no matter what the current viewership size is)
Sens4life: you are right, the back to back games in different cities should have people more outraged than the 3pm start.
What shocked and disappointed me, and is a better example of NHL alienating Canadians was when I heard that the Penguins made tickets available only to those who had a zip code, making it extremely difficult for Canadians to buy tickets. WTF is that all about???? Everytime the Sens scored, the camera only showed the same 2 people in red jerseys, probably the only 2 in the whole building.
Is this type of business practice even aloud to take place inside of an international corporation like the NHL, where there are seperate entities that have bases of operations in 2 different countries??? How would the people in Buffalo feel if Toronto made a rule that you needed a postal code to buy tixs?
Guys show me where you get your numbers and I'll admit I'm wrong.
When 80% of your league comes from the States, its quite obvious what is your meal ticket.
If it was as straight forward as you guys would try to have me believe, those 2 teams would've never left Canada and there would be even more teams(including those 2) in Canada.
LGB - I understand that they want a home field advantage but it just shocks me that teams would do that. I've been to Toronto/Buffalo games in both cities and it is way way way more exciting when the building has close to a 50/50 split of fans yelling back and forth (the games in Buffalo are top notch for fan excitement). Exact opposite of the quiet as a mouse atmosphere in the ACC in Toronto for the 50+ games that dont involve Ottawa, Buffalo, or Montreal.
BTW, I love your new profile picture, I'm a huge Liverpool fan myself. I hope they kill Chelsea and win the Champions league title again. Victory over AC Milan again would be great but a win over Man U would be huge.
LGB: You'll have to trust my word on this as I'm very busy at the moment prepping coverage for tonight's games and tomorrow's previews, but I read reports in the Globe and Mail last month reporting over 35% of league revenues come from the six Canadian teams.
That may not seem substantial, but those claiming the NHL would fold without the Canadians teams are accurate. 35% is a very large amount to be generated by only 6 teams in a 30 team league. Lose those, and your league folds.
Ok I believe that. But still thats 65% that comes from the US.
I'm not saying the league is better off without Canadians I'm just saying by simple logisitics that the US has to have a significant contribution to the NHL revenue system. Therefore being its meal ticket.
It doesn't surprise me at all that its 35% from the Canadians team. In fact I thought it might have been a little bit more.
Rosa-I can't wait for April 25th and May 1st!!!! I agree a Milan rematch would be nice but if we could play and beat Man U that would make it sooooooo much sweeter!
Of course if we ended up losing to them, it would make it thattttttt much worse.
Two things that I'd prefer not to happen this time around: 1.)In the semifinals make sure the ball hits the back of the net instead of barely crossing the line and 2.) In the final not fall down 3-nil at halftime.
Thanks for the stat Spec. With 30 teams and Canadians having 6 out of 30, do the math and Canadians account for 20% of the league. It does not surprise me that 6 Canadian teams come up with 35% of the NHL's income...i agree with LGB, I figured it would have been a bit more, around 40% or so. All this supports my first comment saying that if the 6 Canadian teams moved to the states, the NHL would fold.
Just an interesting thought...how many players in the NHL are from Canada as opposed to other areas. Would i be a dink if i said that the percentage of Canadian's in the NHL is probably the same as the income..35%? Probably a bit high, I would like to hear your thoughts.
Sean ... its actually a lot higher than that. I think I read that it is slightly less than 60% Canadian players at the moment. The only confirmed fact I can find at the minute is that at the beginning of the 2002 season 383 of 700 players were Canadian.
I agree with Spect on this one. Being a west coast guy when ESPNhad the contract we got Philly Rangers Red Wings and Devils every stupid night. This year on VS witch only 1 out of 15 california homes carrys we had to watch Philly 9 times then 5 more on NBC. Thank God they can choose the games now.
Out here we call it the East coast Bias. Most east coasters are in bed when our games start.
Almost all the Kings games start at 730 but thats 1030 eastern.
Thats one of the reasons why I think the west coast based teams get no respect.
Espn dose the same thing with baseball to. If I got to see the Red Sox Yankees Mets Braves or Phillies again I think I am going to Hurl. Even sportscenter will give you 20 mins of Yankee Red Sox Highlights and at the end say oh by the way the Angels beat Seattle 2-1
Kinda what I said above, but ya I see what you mean about other sports. Even our Canadian Football league they do this and theres only 8 or 9 teams. A few years ago sportsnet had a location in Vancouver this was the best thing I ever seen. They focused on the western teams. I guess Truekingsfan we are lucking to been in the western side so that we can see what happens accross North America, even it means not having the best coverage on our teams.
why would the NHL choose a saturday afternoon game in mid april to showcase their exciting new product (i.e. crosby and the pens)?
it would seem more logical to do your showcasing in prime time, for the simple reason that it's freakin mid april, the weather has been nice, and who doesn't have hundreds of better things to do with their time on a nice saturday afternoon.
don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the pens/sens game is a waste of time. I'm saying that if you want to showcase something you don't air the game at a time when people are out de-winterizing their homes, getting their cars washed, going to the park with their kids, etc. these are things you do on saturday afternoons in the spring, and if it's a choice between spending time outdoors with my kid or watching a hockey game on tv, I'm sorry but I have to go with my kid on that one.
this time of year, playing a "showcase game" in the evening just makes more sense to me. if it was december of february, saturday afternoon might work, but not in april or may.
yes, Lacrosse is the national sport but i'm sure when someone thinks about Canadians, they pretty well think about Hockey in the same thought. So whatta think? lol, just jokin
Yes I agree that the times the Networks show games is bad. Out west the East coast games start at 430. I am Usually stuck in Bumper to Bumper on the 605 freeway. By the time I get home the game is in the early stages of the 3rd period. Thank god for my Sirius Radio.
The reason why the networks wait till late in the season is simple. A Sunday afternoon game in November would get killed by NFL football.
There is no way NBC could pick up any game until after the Super Bowl. But the Network who will televise the Super Bowl next season should use the Time to promo the hell out of the NHL. Mabey have Sid do a guest apperence on a NBC show anything to give the league some pub. Hell Even have Kelly Clarkson do a promo in her brothers jersey. Showing the NBC promo adds witch are great in the Arenas is weak. The people there are already going to watch the games. Showing them during the NFL Sunday night games would be a great start.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
