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 ...
What? Seriously? Why are they doing a dumb thing like that? I'm disappointed! Really!
(and you're on the list!)
18-0! That’s a serious drubbing! How humiliating for Latvia.
I was watching moguls, (Yay...USA gets a gold!), speedskating and the luge (with some trepidation.. )
Plus the Bears are having a great season, aren’t they?
I turned the channel just in time to catch the winning mogul run!
0.06 second difference between gold and silver!
USA gets gold and bronze! Sweet!
Ice dancing a sport? Chainsaw ice sculpture carving would be more of a sport. Use one of the NBC sub channels for the artsy stuff and let real sports be on the main channel. Or visa vera, I don’t care.
If they were promised by the network that ifthey shifted their schedule it would be aired in primtime I'll take their side. Oetherwise I won't.
Let's be honest here. Many players in their league were going to ditch to play in the Olympics so they had no choice but to change the schedule. The game is better suited for cable because it can be shown without interrution there. Perhaps NBC can throw in updates of the game but blocking off 3 hours wouldn't ork. Plus I like the other events better that they are carrying instead. Yes including ice dancing butI'm a woan and suppose I fit in that demographic behind the decision.
It’s been lots of fun to be a Bears fan this year! They look better than they did last year, and the won the Calder Cup last year!
Give me Ice Dancing any day over Ice Hockey. Hockey fans have professional teams that are fun to watch. Ice Dancing fans really only have the olympics.
Oh, sure. Blame the chicks. It’s bush’s fault.
I imagine it was so they could use GM Place without the effort and expense of converting the ice to international dimensions and back again in the middle of the Canucks’ season.
It’s interesting, because I’m pretty sure the ‘88 Olympics were played on international ice even though they were also played in an NHL arena - this year is only the second time the Winter Olympics have been in an NHL town. Of course, the Saddledome was specifically built as an Olympic venue, but I still wonder what the Flames did during and around the time of the Olympics, since I’m pretty sure there was no Olympic break in those days and converting between international and NHL ice can’t be easy even in a rink built with that in mind.
Also, as a side note, I think they’re renaming GM Place something like “the Canada Hockey Center” for the duration of the Olympics because the IOC doesn’t allow sponsor names on venues.
Thanks for the ping. I have never watched MSNBC. This is a difficult decision. Where is MSNBC on DirectTV?
You might have the best ofbboth worlds...those luxury boxes usually have cable feed (once every baseball season we get to go to a corporate box @ PNC...amazing!)
Enjoy your game next Sunday night...and your Bears are having a great season :)
PS, the openning ceremony, the multiple torch lightings...all things Canadian (rightfully so...)BUT...I feel dissed for Mario. No Lemieux!?! Or do the powers that be, North of the border, see him as a yinzer now? I kinda hoped he would have been spotlighted in some way.
You got everything just right! ;^)
Cost could have also figured into the reason for using existing ice rinks, and for leaving the size the way it is. Plus, most (if not all) of the players are NHL or AHL players.
No matter, it's going to be fun watching Crosby play against Malkin!
dont think that is necessary. usually a name calling is saved for the people on the left. just not necessary
MSNBC is on 356, and it’s marked ‘mnbc’ (in lower case letters)
Comcast in my area doesn’t even carry MSNBC. Take that, Olberfool!
I watch ice dancing and I don’t watch hockey.
As for Mario, I doubt he cares about the publicity, but Gretzky has been the Executive Director for Team Canada since 2002.
He may have been born in Canada, but Mario loves Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh loves Lemieux!
Good to hear from you. Thanks for the info. This will be a first.
I haven’t seen an NHL game on NBC in years. Probably 95% of the Dallas Stars’ games are on FSN (Fox Sports Network) and the rest are on Versus or a local channel in the DFW area.
That being said, it was CNBC that showed the Canada vs. Slovakia women’s hockey game Saturday night.
Guess NBC is trying like hell to get some TV watchers to tune in to MSNBC, since it is going down the tube.
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.