Ratings...

[Cush]

Hockey & Football are my favorite sports. What the NHL really needs to do is open the game up, its too "defensive" right now. They really need to do something so the "skill players" can really show their stuff.

Make it more exciting (increase the scoring) and more people will watch. Although to be honest, hockey is much better in person.

And like Big C said, it is a regional sport. I guess I got kind of lucky, growing up there was a guy in our neighborhood who was really into hockey. He had his own nets, sticks and everything...so we played alot (street hockey). That's pretty much how I got into the sport.

[sportscurmudgeon]

Daseal:

Here is one more data point for you. I think this will show you that the NHL will not compete seriously with the NFL or the NBA or MLB or even NASCAR for TV ratings any time soon.


Last year the Stanley Cup FINAL SERIES averaged a 2.2 rating on ESPN and ABC. (Those networks each did games; they're both owned by Disney so some games were on network and others were on cable.) That is the average for the whole series. The highest rated game was 2.8.


Last year - and then again this year - the Westminster Dog Show on cable (USA Network) averaged a 2.9 rating for its programs.


When the FINALS can't draw more people than a dog show, it will be a LOONG time before you can get revenues and popularity anywhere near the other major sports.

[saden1]

Originally Posted by Cush

Hockey & Football are my favorite sports. What the NHL really needs to do is open the game up, its too "defensive" right now. They really need to do something so the "skill players" can really show their stuff.

Make it more exciting (increase the scoring) and more people will watch. Although to be honest, hockey is much better in person.

And like Big C said, it is a regional sport. I guess I got kind of lucky, growing up there was a guy in our neighborhood who was really into hockey. He had his own nets, sticks and everything...so we played alot (street hockey). That's pretty much how I got into the sport.

Eliminate the whole offside/ ICING thing and have a free-for-all perhaps?

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by Cush

Hockey & Football are my favorite sports. What the NHL really needs to do is open the game up, its too "defensive" right now. They really need to do something so the "skill players" can really show their stuff.

Make it more exciting (increase the scoring) and more people will watch. Although to be honest, hockey is much better in person.

And like Big C said, it is a regional sport. I guess I got kind of lucky, growing up there was a guy in our neighborhood who was really into hockey. He had his own nets, sticks and everything...so we played alot (street hockey). That's pretty much how I got into the sport.

With the Tampa Bay Lightning being the defending Stanley Cup champs, and the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers having had been there the past few years you'd think hockey might be a bit more popular in the southeast.

But yeah, everybody wants to follow the New Jersey Devils' defense-first model. That style of hockey isn't really going to draw in the casual fan. So if the NHL comes back maybe things like widening the blue zone and limiting the goalies ability to play the puck (especially behind the net) need to be implemented.

I love playing hockey, I've played and coached street hockey for most of my life. But it's just not the same watching it on tv as it live. Watching the line shifts, etc. You just can't capture that on television. Before the lockout, NBC had agreed to a tv deal with the NHL that didn't require NBC to pay a dime, they just split the revenues with the NHL. That's the same deal NBC has with Arena Football.

And speaking of Arena Football, former Skins WR Justin Skaggs is tearin' it up with the Orlando Predators....see how I tied it all back to the Redskins?