Maybe NBC will now get the clue (then again probably not). There is more to the NHL then Pittsburgh and the Rangers every single Sunday. Cross conference matchups with good teams will always beat regional battles in terms of ratings.

Posted by CrosbyStillSucks on 02/12/09 at 12:01 PM ET

They might want to show Boston more. I really don’t think there is a huge San Jose hidden fanbase out there…...if the Bruins are winning they have alot of fans

Posted by kevin from boston on 02/12/09 at 01:12 PM ET

I think you need to look at more then just one particular region of the country when you state what you are trying to say. Its not about a hidden fan base its about showing two teams in different conferences. When the games outcome is important to fans of other teams.

Example

Fans from markets such as Dallas, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Phoenix and Detriot. Are going to watch the game because a Sharks win or lose has a direction impact upon there team. Same can be said for Boston, and teams in the East.  What made this the highest rating is not just the Bruin and Sharks fans, but fans watching from other cities.

Now what Versus understands and NBC doesn’t is this. Why would fans from Detroit, Dallas, LA, Phoenix, Anaheim, Denver, or the SF Bay Area (6 huge markets) be interested in watching a Philadelphia vs New York Rangers matchup? Okay so yes some true hockey fans might watch and yes there are some transplanted Flyer and Ranger fans throughout the country but most fans outside of that 90 mile radius and outside of the NE Division could really care less about this type of matchup.

The reason the Bruins - Sharks matchup was so highly rated was because not only don’t these teams play each other 20 times a year, but also because it was an East vs West Tilt that interested more opposing team fans.

As for the hidden fan base, looked like the Sharks had a heck of a lot of fans at the game, and least we forget that the Sharks minor league team is near Boston.

Posted by CrosbyStillSucks on 02/12/09 at 02:06 PM ET

I was at the game and other than a few Joe Thornton lovers I didn’t see alot of Sharks fans…. As for your argument I really don’t think people in Dallas are tuning in because San Jose is playing. Nobody is catching San Jose in the West except maybe Detroit….People watched because it was #1 vs #2…it just happened to be East vs West. If it was Minn vs Philly that would be an even more important game as far as the playoffs are concerned but the ratings would be half as good….Teams like Boston and Detroit have large fan bases. That is where the ratings come from…San Jose may have alot of fans but a 7 pm east coast start is 4 pm out there. I don’t think alot of people were watching out there even if they wanted to

Posted by kevin from boston on 02/12/09 at 02:23 PM ET

Your argument doesn’t really make sense..they should show more Western teams? The reason the ratings were higher was due to a major East coast city being involved and the fact that most people in the East (myself included) have not seen the Sharks play this year. This was the novelty factor. If they had seen the Shark many times the ratings would be much less. I’d be willing to bet 75% of all the hockey fans in the US live east of the Mississippi and I’m sure that is where 90% of viewers for that game live. There is probably alot more interest in seeing the Sharks in NY as opposed to Dallas where they see them 6 times a year…...The fact remains that historically teams like Detroit, NYR, Philly, Boston deliver the best ratings for hockey. That is why you see those teams all the time. On the flip side no one wants to see Phoenix, Columbus, Minn, Colorado or Nashville no matter where they live

Posted by kevin from boston on 02/12/09 at 03:17 PM ET

What an idiot you make an assumption that more fans watched because the game invovled a “major east coast team”. Yet why would that explain the all time high number of viewer in places like Dallas and Los Angeles.
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If I told you the Versus numbers were the same as last weeks game in the Boston area, and that the increase in audience was not from the East but from the West then what would you say.

It funny how everyone that lives in Boston thinks the world revolves around them. Trust me when I say it doesn’t. Look at the normal regional numbers vs the regional numbers when the Sharks play then get back to me.

You sound like the typical boston idiot, who thinks he is better then everyone else.

Posted by crosbystillsucks on 02/12/09 at 06:51 PM ET

Don’t worry Crosby Kevin is your typical beanhead with no clue and no idea how ratings work. Boston has a big following now thats funny. Where were all those so-called bruin fans the last two years?

Posted by AnotherBostonIdiot on 02/12/09 at 07:27 PM ET