American hockey fans watching Game Five of the 2007 Eastern Conference Finals between the Ottawa Senators and Buffalo Sabres on NBC this past Saturday afternoon got a rude surprise at the end of regulation time.
With the game set to go into overtime, NBC without warning abruptly cut to coverage of The Preakness, the second jewel in American horseracing’s Triple Crown. The only heads-up was NBC informing viewers who had Versus that they could switch to that channel to watch the OT.
Fine if you have Versus, but not for those who don’t.
That generated justifiable outrage, even some calls from American hockey fans and some bloggers and pundits that the NHL should dump NBC when the current contract with the network expires.
Don’t count on it. The NHL needs NBC much more than the network needs the NHL.
“(T)he NHL won't do this because they're desperate to keep their product on a major US network, despite shoddy ratings or mistreatment by said network.
Right now NBC is the only major network willing to broadcast their product due to the sweetheart deal they have with the NHL. That's why it was willing to extend the deal recently by another two years. They're not losing any money in the deal, they only have to provide minimal coverage, and they can influence both the NHL's regular season and post-season schedule to determine the best matchups.
Can you imagine NBC have that kind of sway over the NFL, NBA or MLB? They've got the NHL by the short and curlies and they know it, so they're obviously not gonna lose any sleep over any outrage from NHL hockey fans over switching unannounced to coverage of the Preakness.
And they certainly won't care how much Bettman stamps his little feet in protest. In fact, Bettman was probably outraged but didn't say a word to the good folks at NBC, because he needs them more than they need him.”
There was probably considerably more outrage at NHL headquarters than their tepid response that was published in The Globe & Mail. Bottom line, there's nothing the NHL can do about it.
Don't be surprised if the league points out how accommodating NBC has been in their playoff coverage by pre-empting shows (such as the documentary on Barbero).
A horserace like the Preakness trumps coverage of an NHL playoff game for any of the American networks.
In other words, folks, your complaints and outrage will fall on deaf ears.
All of this is merely reflective of how far the NHL's value has declined in the all-important American sports market.
Fortunately, I was not affected by this, since I'm in Canada, but I am very surprised NBC was allowed to do this. It really shows the weakness of the league in the U.S. Up here, they don't even have to think about a clause like that because no Canadian network would even think of switching, the games produce too high of ratings for it.
However, when the game was being scheduled NBC forced the NHL to move it out of Saturday night into the afternoon. CBC wanted it at night. You'd think they'd finish the game when they had already forced the league to alter the schedule. The NHL got hit twice here by NBC.
I was not surprised when this happened on NBC. For those of you who may not remember or have not heard of this, NBC once cut from an exciting Oakland Raiders vs New York Jets playoff game to show the film "Heidi". Its one of the most infamous "oops" in American Sport TV history. And it was on the Peacock Network. But then, the way league has messed up everything, the second oops would have to be any NHL TV deal under the Bettmen era. I wonder if they will even show any Stanley Cup games from Ottawa or pre-empt for a poker tournement like my local Fox SPorts Net did this year instead of a Sharks or Warriors game.
You know...it's just not worth it to get angry anymore. Nothing's gonna change. I really believ the NHL is on its last legs. The league has lost credibility, lost its exposure, and has done nothing to placate the true fans in its misguided attempts at gaining new ones.
What we really need now is a new WHA, something to move in and kickstart the sport with some drama, and some bad blood, get hockey back on the radar screens of Americans. The markets has got to be ripe for the plucking.
To be honest here, Americans SHOULD love hockey. It is so excitinig and fun to watch that the average fan should be hooked after watching a single good game. The problem is, the sport is under exposed and most fans have negative preconcieved notions about the. That is what the NHL should be focusing on, showing viewers that Hockey really is a more exciting sport than football, basketball, or baseball.
Personally, I didn't think it was such a big deal, but that's because I have Versus on my DISH Network plan. I feel bad for the hockey fans that don't have Versus available to them or don't want or can't afford cable.
The knuckleheads at NBC are going to tick off a ton of people if they pull those kind of shenanigans during the finals.
Why even telecast the game if your not going to go the distance?
I think this is being blown out of proportion. Frankly, all American fans are used to this sort of treatment, and I don't think it is a sign of anything, whether positive or negative. It just is what it is. It's not that big of a deal.
Sure, we all wanted to watch the rest of the game, and those of us that have Versus were able to. For us it was just a minor inconvieneice. For those that don't have the channel I'm sure it was more upsetting. However, in the scheme of the American sports media, a major race like the Preakness is a really big deal. Now of course I would disagree and rather watch overtime of the Eastern Conference Finals, but that is because I'm a hockey fan. So clearly, NBC feels that they'll get better ratings for the Preakness.
But so what? This isn't a death nell for the NHL. I don't even think it is that outrageous. It's just they way things have been for quite some time now. It isn't surprising, and frankly, I've accepted the role of hockey in the US enough to know that when a major event like the Preakness is on television, it is going to take priority over the NHL. Lets not make a huge deal about it, it is the same as it always has been.
Spector, with all due respect, were you actually effected by this or are you just blogging about it because of what you heard? I thought you lived in PEI.
I live in Chicago where the Blackhawks have fallen off the sports map due to the last several years having a crappy team and the intense hatred fans have for Dollar Bill Wirtz!
If the Hawks left Chicago, I doubt a lot of sports fans would notice!
The big problem with hockey on TV is, and any player should agree, it doesn't translate well to a TV screen. Fitting 12 guys on the screen, plus the bench, plus four officials isn't really practical. So, we usually get 4, 5, or 6 guys on a screen in any given moment. There are exceptions, but it seems to be the norm.
From a player's point of view, we keep tabs on everyone on the ice, especially those in an opposing jersey. As a player, you tend to see what the TV doesn't show you. But would a casual fan know Lidstrom's wide open at the point just off the screen? Maybe some, but I'd put my money on probably not.
It's these little things that make watching hockey as an uninitiated fan frustrating. Really, the games don't translate well to television. Maybe a picture-in-picture somewhere, with x's and o's representing players while we watch the game ... or maybe not. I don't really have the answer.
I would like to thank NBC for aggravating me slightly to the point of apathy. Thanks, fellas. Makes me think you really care. *sniff*
Hi Lyle:
I too was outraged when the OT wasn't shown, as I don't get the other Network. foxsports.com here had an assoc press writeup of the game and at the bottom was this
"... The Red Wings played in front of pockets of empty seats after numerous rows were stood out at Joe Louis Arena in previous playoff games this year".
If we think the NHL is in dire straits now, wait until the Stock Market comes back down to earth and Corporate America quits buying blocks of seats.
There may just be more NHL teams in Canada than there are in the US.
Personally, I would rather watch a game on TV than at the rink.
There are excellant commentators for the most part, I get the scoops before and during the games, when a big play occurs, we are shown all aspects of it on replay, I get to see just how girlish a lot of the penalties called toady are.
A tangent:
New penalties to further ruin the game of hockey.
1. Sneeze on an opponent..2 minutes for attempting to make him sick.If he does get sick, banishment for 2x as long as he feels ill.
2. Spitting on the ice, same as above punishment, for someone may fall in your spit and get ill.
3. Laughing at an opponent if he trips over a blue line as it may hurt his feelings and he may need therapy...5 minutes
4. Not helping an opponent to his feet if he falls on his butt...10 minutes Unsportsmanlike conduct.
5. Not giving an opponent your stick if his breaks, same punishment as rule 4 above.
6. Making lewd or remarks about an opposing players wife or mother, Life time ban from hockey.
I was stunned. Now I know what the feeling was back in that NFL Jets-Raiders "Heidi" game.
This is not the behavior of a self-proclaimed sports network. They cut away from an ongoing OT game determining one half of the Stanley Cup Finals so that we wouldn't miss coverage of some horses WARMING UP!!! Nuff said.
The Wings problems at the gate are tied to a downturn in the local economy as well as the Wings decision to jack ticket prices for the playoffs.
Even with the anticipated downturn in the US economy I don't think it'll hit the NHL adversely in term of corporate ticket sales and luxury boxes.
Where the NHL should start getting concerned is when a majority of teams, even successful ones or those with a long-time history of strong attendance, start struggling to meet or exceed their season ticket quotas. That's when it'll be scary time for the league, and the players too, since their salaries are tied to revenue fluctuations.
Well this doesn't surprise me at all. I've been talking all season about how bad the coverage is in the States.
What really surprises me is that people keep saying there is nothing we as fans can do about it. We have to be the most passive of all sports fans. When the "Heidi" game happened did NFL fans say well there is nothing we can do about it? Hell no, they ####ed up a storm just like any true hockey fan should be doing right now.
These networks even the big ones like NBC get there money from viewers like us. Write to them and tell them you're not happy. Better yet write to their sponsors and let them know. I've said it before BOYCOT, tell the networks and their sponsors you're not buying their product because of the lake of respect. Money talks and in America the consumers are the ones with all the power. We seem to forget that, if you don't buy it they can't survive. It's well past time for all hockey fans to stand up and be heard.
I don't see how here in the US how BASEBALL is more popular than Hockey. However I did come down to the conclusion that baseball is a pretty damn good excuse to go out and get drunk.
I just still it's sad how something so BORING could do so well here.
And what's up with the horse racing??? If you aren't at the track betting on the horses why the hell would you even want to watch it then???
I am shocked NBC went to VS for the overtime period. Why not expand the NHL package and use CNBC and MSNBC. Those are both Bissness channels and we all know the markets are closed on the weekends.
They could use that and show up to 5 games on the weekends.
And almost all Cable companys carry one or both stations on the Basic package
Not that I side with NBC here but why not have someone in the NHL remind NBC that Hockey games sometimes don't last 3 hours and do go to overtime.
So either schedule the game for a 12 to 1 Oclock start or move the game to 7pm. The NHL needs to assert themselves a lot more here. Yes NBC will ignore them but if enough people stop watching deal or no deal then maybe NBC might equate that with the bad press their NHL policies create.
my dad and I managed to get some pretty good seats for game 1 against the ducks (5th row from the ice, home goal, and 4 seats from Igor Larionov!) from my dad's boss, who got them from someone else (a business partner I think), and while I don't pretend to know what a regular season price down there was, these tickets said $275.00!
granted, they were pretty fantastic seats, but 275 bucks?! who can afford those?!
but then I suppose you have to pay the price if you want to sit close enough to see corey perry punch dominik hasek in the face 3 times after running him over in the crease.... and apparently those seats had a better view than the refs since there was no call =P
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.
