tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post7647446440376628849..comments2023-10-10T03:21:23.580-04:00Comments on Motown Sports Revival: Memo to the NHLJakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-87344042318761300782008-05-16T19:18:00.000-04:002008-05-16T19:18:00.000-04:00thanks Jake. Hey Tony -- the VS thing is a sympto...thanks Jake. Hey Tony -- the VS thing is a symptom, not a cause. but you are right -- it's circular. bettman, with all the eloquence that his $6 million per year salary offers, will argue that it is a national network that gives him more households than he had available (since espn laughed at him two years ago). but the reality is that he is mortgaging the value of the real fans as 1/2 of detroit, for instance, can't watch the games on VS. my 75 year old parents with WOW who otherwise have not missed a wings game since all 82 started to be televised approx 20 years are not too happy about it. bettman is an idiot, for so so so many reasons. or maybe the owners are idiots. or maybe the fans. all i know is that that the one thing to correct the problem will never happen: admission that this is not a national sport in the united states and the termination of eight US franchises and giving back to the 22 legit franchises rather than taking from them.redhog1https://www.blogger.com/profile/02523002552458977581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-41476730869709452412008-05-16T10:53:00.000-04:002008-05-16T10:53:00.000-04:00Redhog1,Here is something that you need to know ab...Redhog1,<BR/><BR/>Here is something that you need to know about me…I have the worst memory ever and it gets worse every day. Both the “quarter” and “Draper” things were a result of that. I was watching the game when Datsyuk went through the crease but I forgot who it was and intended to look it up. In the meantime, I threw Draper’s name in just to have something written down. Well, I forgot to look it up. As for “quarter”, when I proof-read my post, I noticed “quarter” and laughed at myself and then forgot to change it. To be fair, I did manage to use “period” in the second paragraph. It’s too bad the game didn’t go to OT because I might have gotten away with “quarter”…or not.<BR/><BR/>Tony,<BR/><BR/>Agreed. The NHL is doing a horrible job of marketing itself. VS all but guarantees that there won’t be any new fans. Even worse, they’re losing the fans they already have. Also, the NHL should call ESPN and request that their hockey segments feature someone other than or in addition to Barry Melrose. Their football, basketball, and baseball coverage is littered with recent players. Heck, their football coverage has some of the greatest players in NFL history (Steve Young, Emmitt Smith etc.). And then there’s Melrose and Melrose only for hockey.Jakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16208921021297172480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-14393979257855466262008-05-16T08:43:00.000-04:002008-05-16T08:43:00.000-04:00your premse is spot on, but a couple points: 1) i...your premse is spot on, but a couple points: 1) it was datsyuk, not draper, that dove for the loose puck and drove turco and the puck over the goal line. i have ref'd hockey for 20 years...there is a word for that play, it is called "goal"; 2) "second quarter" ... c'mon jake....at least say "second stanza" like ray lane used to say on TV50.redhog1https://www.blogger.com/profile/02523002552458977581noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13718554.post-14066957632041519612008-05-15T21:50:00.000-04:002008-05-15T21:50:00.000-04:00One of the worst things for the NHL has to be the ...One of the worst things for the NHL has to be the network they are on. I know there was some issues with ESPN feeling like they needed to go in another direction (for the price the NHL wanted) but going to OLN/VS. The channel, which is owned by Comcast would be great if they were in more households. Living in Detroit I used to be able to get a lot of hockey on several channels. Now that I live just outside Washington DC the only hockey I get to watch is the Capitals or an occassional weekend game on NBC as VS is not part of my basic cable package. VS is also part of a tier of a whole bunch of other channels that I would have no interest in. At the additional cost of that tier, it would essentially be the same cost over the course of the year to get the NHL Open Ice package! How can I be in one of the largest markets in the country, home to a team (and player) the league would love to market more, and not get to see more Wings or Penguins games. I'm still a fan and will follow the NHL but for potential fans, the NHL is missing out. (I don't have Comcast Cable as one of their competitors is the provider in the area. It's hilarious that with the competition I have to pay extra for a Comcast owned channel, yet get the lame Comcast Sports Channel as part of my basic cable - the channel that broadcasts the Caps. So I get one Comcast channel but not the other). The league needs to get it's products into more households and the current tv deal is incredibly limiting.<BR/><BR/>The hole issue of the Butt over the crease or clutching and grabbing and left wing locks are only important if there are fans watching the game!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com