Hockey?!

[RickySlade]

What's the deal with Hockey nowadays? It used to be a popular sport in the mid 90's but now it seems like it's losing more and more fans. I myself am still a moderate hockey fan ( Go Hawks!) But it seems like no one seems to pay attention to it anymore. On ESPN, Bowling was getting a higher rating then hockey. Am I the only one who feels this way?

[bob]

You're preaching to the choir. Hockey is my favorite sport, and one of my favorite things in general, and it pisses the hell out of me that it gets almost 0 air time on ESPN. I wouldn't see any Avs games at all if FSN didn't play them regionally.

[Indiana Sev]

The people in charge of marketing for the NHL are doing a lousy job.

It's gonna take more than an odd game every Saturday or Sunday on ABC to win over the American fans, it's a fast and exciting game and it'll never have great success in the U.S. if the sports networks there keep showing the fuckin' WNBA (??????) every goddamn day instead of focusing on the NHL.

Also maybe move the NHL teams to cities in the midwest rather than the deep south where they don't give a shit about hockey pucks or hockey players!

[PapaJupe2k]

Yeah, I've never been much of a hockey fan, I do like to go check it out live however. We used to have a junior league team in the town where I live, it was kids just out of high school, but it was still fun and exciting to go watch. I'm probably the exception though as it does have a pretty big following up here in northern Iowa. I know alot of die hards that were pissed off when the North Stars left Minnesota for Dallas.

I agree that the NHL does a piss poor job of promotion and all these southern teams leaves me scratching my head as well. With it hardly ever on television it's just too hard for the casual fan to follow and keep up with.

[loner]

I'm as big a hockey fan as can be. I attend 80 plus NHL and AHL games every year. But I think TV is part of the problem for the sport's popularity in the US. Hockey is too fast; and television just doesn't do the sport justice. So I think maybe it's hard for new or casual fans to get into hockey when first introduced to it on TV. It's a game you must see live first and then it becomes easier to appreciate on the tube.

I've taken quite a few people who said they didn't like hockey to a Flyers game. And after seeing the game in person, they become hooked.

[Grebdron]

Originally posted by loner
I'm as big a hockey fan as can be. I attend 80 plus NHL and AHL games every year. But I think TV is part of the problem for the sport's popularity in the US. Hockey is too fast; and television just doesn't do the sport justice. So I think maybe it's hard for new or casual fans to get into hockey when first introduced to it on TV. It's a game you must see live first and then it becomes easier to appreciate on the tube.

I've taken quite a few people who said they didn't like hockey to a Flyers game. And after seeing the game in person, they become hooked.

I just came in here to post that. Hockey doesn't transfer as well to TV as say football. It really is a sport you must see live to become hooked.

[MarkItZero]

Any other hockey fans out there have their home games blacked out on TV?

Billfold Wirtz, the cheep bastard who owns the Chicago Blackhawks will not allow home games to be broadcasr in Chicago. What utter bullshit, he thinks that by not showing the games on TV, it will force people to buy tickets to the game. But if he pulled his head out of his ass, he would realize that it is seeing the team on TV that would get people interested. The BlackHawks were one of the original NHL franchises, it is a disgrace the way they are managed.