Posted on 02/13/2010 7:51:28 PM PST by The Pack Knight
VANCOUVER – From horse-racing conflicts to shuttering the big screen at Mellon Arena, NBC has given hockey fans as much anxiety and anger as watching Jay Leno sit in Conan's chair.
The latest affront to puckheads: The U.S. vs. Canada men's preliminary-round showdown Feb. 21 won't be shown on NBC, but on cable's MSNBC at 7 p.m. EST. Instead, the Peacock will bring fans an exhilarating night of ice dancing, women's speedskating, men's freestyle skiing and men's giant slalom – rather than what amounts to an NHL all-star game on an international stage.
To the surprise of no one, NBC's getting torched for this: Outspoken player agent Allan Walsh tweeted that it was "disgraceful, and Chicago Now called it inexcusable: How can the NHL cancel their all star game and postpone their season for two weeks to accommodate the Olympics without getting any major network attention during the Winter Olympiad?
(Excerpt) Read more at sports.yahoo.com ...
Even then he’ll still be a selfish cheap-shot artist with no respect for the game or his fellow players.
Well, it’s our faults for spinelessly handing over the tv remotes.
You certainly aren’t alone in that. The thing is, this isn’t figure skating. It’s ice dancing.
If it was figure skating, this wouldn’t even be a discussion, since figure skating is easily the number one draw of the Winter Olympics and is the whole reason the Winter Olympics draw more female viewership than male.
Ice dancing, on the other hand, is a) an event Americans never medal in and b) a sport that’s too boring for even most figure skaters I know to watch (yes, I know a few figure skaters).
To be fair, though, the hockey game is going to be on MSNBC, and the earlier Russia vs. Slovakia game is going to be on NBC. The problem I have is the squandering of a great opportunity to get a wider audience interested in NHL hockey, which NBC has a pecuniary interest in.
Forget hockey. Tell me when Curling is on. I am serious. It’s relaxing to watch and it’s just darn fun.
That’s why God gave us multiple TVs.
And the Military Channel.
That applies to all of primetime network TV, including advertising ( commercials where all men, especially husbands and fathers are buffoons.)
Oh, and check out the auto business, where a majority of cars are marketed to females.
Uh...NO. Especially on the 30th anniversary of The Miracle on Ice.
That's a fact. Bettman is as bad as it gets.
Curling has been a rating’s hit for NBC but it’s been shoved to its sister networks. With the weather disaster and setbacks, GIVE US CURLING!!!
I have never cared for hockey. I live in the south, and hockey just doesn't catch on in areas devoid of snow and ice. That said, I used to like Olympic hockey. But like Olympic basketball and its NBA stars, I lost interest when Olympic hockey became NHL stars. The exhilaration of the "Miracle on Ice" Olympics was that it was amateurs who whupped the commies.
I agree that ice dancing is not really a sport. But you do get a chance to see some beautiful women on occasion. Doesn't hold a candle to fifgure skating, though.
Run that thought past the people of Boston, Detroit, New York, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Denver, Philadelphia and Washington and get back to me...
I see you’re from Texas. Big state. But hockey does well in Dallas, as do ice and snow this weekend ;-)
I certainly can’t argue with that. Bettman has been an absolute disaster, particularly when it comes to television.
Bettman and the NHL sure seem to be getting bent over here, too - they’re stopping their season for two weeks, cancelling their own All-Star Game, and risking injury to their marquee players, but can’t get the most important (for the NHL) game in the preliminary rounds on national television. Isn’t getting a wider audience interested in hockey the only good reason for the NHL to cooperate with the Olympics? That cause certainly seems to have been hurt by NBC’s decision.
Also, while I agree that NBC doesn’t seem to have any cash directly invested in the NHL, they still have an interest in getting as many people as possible to watch the NHL games they do carry. Putting one of the biggest hockey events of the year on national television would seem to be a good way to do that. That said, I’m no expert in running a major TV network, but, from what I’ve seen over the last few years, neither are the people at NBC.
>It might also be that Hockey is a sport that most Americans just don’t care for.
I understand..but I love hockey. Just like one poster, I would rather slit my wrists than watch MSNBC. Please God, dont make Olbermann or that liberal midget Costas even fn attempt to call the game between canada and the USA.
My Gf loves ice dancing, but I’ll be suffering. Well, not exactly I’ll be heading to the next room and watch CBC online.
Hockey lovers unite! I detest the CBC but if you want to watch the US-canada game, head to the online streams.
One thing that drives me crazy is that no one seems to know that hockey exists until football season is over. As for myself, football just doesn’t do it for me. My grandmother was a hockey nut, and so I was introduced to it when I was 3. I *can’t stand* basketball, I’m nonplussed by football, but I ***love*** watching hockey.
Hey, Hockey has certainly caught on here in Raleigh, which was in the south last I checked. The Hurricanes have built up a great fan base.
I grew up in Saskatchewan at an early age and only knew hockey. There’s nothing close than having your parents wake you up at 5 in the morning, in the dead of winter to bring you to peewee hockey.
There was a thread on FR when the US Junior team beat the Canadian team IN Canada just this Dec 26 and only around 7 Freepers were even aware of it.
My guess is it will be Mike Emrick and Eddie Olcyk in the booth on MSNBC, since they do NBC’s NHL games.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.