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Americans Do in Fact Like Hockey
by Patrick Hoffman on 06/08/09 at 01:14 PM ET
Comments (4)
From James Mirtle at From the Rink:
It’s a point that doesn’t get made often enough here in Canada, but for all the talk of U.S. television ratings for hockey, there are a lot of people watching the games – more than four million a night for these finals, anyway. The difference is that, in this country, somewhere around 7 or 8 per cent of people are watching the game, a figure that’s only around 1.5 per cent in the U.S.
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Comments
The idea that rivalries breed interest flies in the face of so many people stating that a re-match is boring. Isn’t the unbalanced schedule all about creating rivalries? I never bought the idea that regular season games meant that much, but that it was the playoffs that created rivals. The old Divisional playoff system ensured you met the same teams in the playoffs every year and it didn’t make the games boring, it made you hate those teams even more.
So what the ratings seem to be saying is that Canadians are as provincial as everyone else and only care when their team is involved regardless of how good the match up is. The fact that Detroit is right across the corridor seems to have escaped a lot of people , since they have always drawn well from Ontario. And with the excuse that the weather is good, wouldn’t that eliminate every team from the Carolinas down to Florida from ever showing interest in professional sports?
Posted by Hockey1919 from Montreal on 06/08/09 at 03:19 PM ET
So how would putting teams in Winnipeg or Saskatoon help matters? Montreal and Toronto fans would not watch that either. I remember reading when the Senators were in the Final that Maple Leaf fans would not watch because they hate Ottawa so much…that’s a great way too support your “favorite” sport….......There is no growth for the NHL in Canada. This is what Canadians can’t admit…..
Posted by kevin from boston on 06/08/09 at 03:47 PM ET
I would bet that the chance of the NHL getting 10 million viewers for a game in the US are alot better than ever seeing 5 million watch in Canada
Flames-Lightning Game 7 had 5.560 million viewers in Canada back in 2004. And that’s not the only one.
It’s really all about local interest. Frankly it’s amazing that 7 per cent of the country is watching two American teams play for the Cup.
There is no growth for the NHL in Canada.
The growth factor would be in getting more fans in the seats. A Hamilton franchise would have far, far higher attendance than the club in Phoenix, regardless of on-ice performance, so there’s growth right there.
Posted by James Mirtle from Toronto on 06/08/09 at 08:10 PM ET
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I’m kinda shocked that a Canadian actually admitted that there are more hockey fans in the USA than Canada….maybe this is why there are more NHL teams in the US…..maybe this is why the NHL is trying to grow in the US….yeah think? Canada has had hockey since the beginiing of time and they can only produce 2 million viewers for the SCF. There is absolutely no growth for the sport in Canada. In the US we see total viewers of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7+ million fans for some games. I would bet that the chance of the NHL getting 10 million viewers for a game in the US are alot better than ever seeing 5 million watch in Canada
Posted by kevin from boston on 06/08/09 at 01:46 PM ET