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The Table Is Set - Will The Public Join In
by Paul on 05/23/08 at 04:53 AM ET
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from Helene Elliott of the LA Times,
Declared dead after the lockout of 2004-05, the league is now being hyped as prime for the mass-market breakthrough it has yearned for since Commissioner Gary Bettman was in short pants.
Its showcase event, the Stanley Cup finals, will begin Saturday in Detroit with Crosby and Fleury’s whiz-kid Pittsburgh Penguins facing Lidstrom’s savvy Red Wings. The games should be entertaining, with clear storylines:
Filed in: NHL Teams, Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, NHL Media | KK Hockey | Permalink
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I think the problem is that time is so committed for everyone. I don’t see this series drawing in fans who don’t already care at least a little bit about hockey, but I don’t see a really good World Series matchup drawing in people who don’t already care about baseball or a promising basketball matchup drawing in many non-basketball fans.
What is more likely to happen is hockey fans who follow teams other than Detroit or Pittsburgh tuning in when they wouldn’t have otherwise because their team isn’t involved.
It’s a more competitive media environment for all sports and all television shows, and there just isn’t much room for growth.
I’d love to think that non-hockey fans would hear about it and make a point to watch and immediately fall in love with the sport - but I’m not delusional, so I know that’s rare. A fan is more likely to be converted by going to a local team, especially with a friend who has been nagging them for ages to join them and have a good time, even if the hockey is something like college or minor league level.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 05/23/08 at 08:30 AM ET
Shouldn’t hockey be more popular in Canada? The Superbowl is watched by 100 million people ever year. That’s 30% of the USA. Shouldn’t the NHL Finals approach that figure in Canada? I don’t think it does. It’s Canada’s only sport afterall. I would like to know how many Canadians can actually skate. I bet the number would be surprising….
Posted by kevin on 05/23/08 at 10:48 AM ET
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First of all, these games will be played at 5 pm in LA. Even if they watched hockey in LA and they don’t they would still be on the freeway driving home from work while the games are being played. I’m tired of hearing how no one watches hockey in the USA. People that know hockey watch hockey. No one is ever going to watch the sport in Alabama or places that have never seen a sheet of ice since the last ice age. If hockey viewers are going to increase it will come from Canada or northern US cities where they actually understand that water freezes. No one is ever going to watch in LA or Fla other than northern transplants.
Posted by kevin on 05/23/08 at 08:05 AM ET