This is an absolute disgrace - how can Vs. be the home of hockey and not have the conf finals in HD? Please, NHL, go back to ESPN asap! Even if the NHL was relegated to ESPN2, it would still be covered in HD!

Posted by Jeff on 05/07/08 at 03:29 PM ET

That’s unbelievable.  A NHL semi-final playoff game is going to be shown in SD only so they can show a 2 hour recap show, that won’t be in HD, on the 2nd round of a 4 round golf tournament and then the begining of a replay of the golf from earlier in the day.  I don’t understand why Friday is different from Thursday.  On Thursday the live golf goes off at 7, they show the NHL game, and then go back to the golf replay in progress.

Posted by RemyM on 05/07/08 at 03:37 PM ET

Will never watch Vs. again if true

Posted by Will never watch Vs. again if true from refuses to watch SD playoff hockey land on 05/07/08 at 03:46 PM ET

What a disgrace.  The NHL is a joke for letting this happen.

Posted by Disngruntled Fan from Cancelling his Vs./Golf channel subscription on 05/07/08 at 08:10 PM ET

Why can’t they use an NHL Center Ice channel...unused until October...to dedicate to the VS HD games not on the shared channel?  I’m sure it wouldn’t be simple but they have time to work it out.  This is a complete disgrace to the NHL.

Posted by BK from Detroit 144mi.;Columbus 142; Pitts. 144; Buff. 219 on 05/08/08 at 12:04 AM ET

BS

Posted by DrW on 05/08/08 at 05:28 AM ET

I love the HD as much as anyone, and agree that the league/Verses ought to push to have every game in HD, particularly during the playoffs, but come on, aren’t we blowing this out of proportion a bit? I’m going to watch the game regardless because I love hockey.

Also, do we have a concrete reason for why they’re not showing it in HD? It may not be as simple as them choosing golf over hockey.

Posted by penguinsfan on 05/08/08 at 07:59 AM ET

penguinsfan, you’re absolutely correct.  But as a Cleveland hockey fan who had the NHL stripped away by the local “powers that be” thirty years ago I have learned that if we hockey fans don’t speak up loud and often they think we don’t exist.  Within 15 years Cleveland went from a city that had the reputation as the best US hockey town outside the NHL to one where no one likes hockey. 

I’ll watch it in SD, even listen to it on XM or nhl.com.  I love the game.  But we have to keep their feet to the fire.

As for the “concrete reason,” that to me is the most frustrating thing.  If the NHL and Versus would simply make a joint or separate statement as to what the deal is, we would feel that they are listening to us.  Instead, there is silence.  VS keeps saying they “produce” every game in HD, as if that matters if you can’t get it and the NHL keeps telling fans who complain to call their cable and satellite carrier.

This is obviously a big weekend for golf.  The Cleveland NBC affiliate shows Indians games on Sunday....but not this week.  Given the Tribe’s popularity and extremely high TV ratings locally I don’t think they make that decision lightly.  They’ve bumped the NHL every Sunday for the Tribe.  But they didn’t schedule a Tribecast this Sunday. 

Remember what would have happened to the Pens if it wasn’t for Mario.  We had no Mario in Cleveland.

Thanks for reading...now off to work and the “real world!”

Posted by BK from Detroit 144mi.;Columbus 142; Pitts. 144; Buff. 219 on 05/08/08 at 08:15 AM ET

Also, remember the late ‘70’s when there was virtually no NHL coverage except a syndicated joke of a network and the early 90’s when we endured the SportsChannel America nightmare!

Posted by BK from Detroit 144mi.;Columbus 142; Pitts. 144; Buff. 219 on 05/08/08 at 08:18 AM ET

BK, good post—I agree with what you’re saying.

Posted by penguinsfan on 05/08/08 at 11:59 AM ET