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82 games, so few of them for me
by SENShobo on 10/01/08 at 12:51 PM ET
Comments (11)
Earlier today, Alanah pointed us to Paul’s NHL.com blog, where he shared a smidgen of his love of hockey with us. We were reminded of what a boost we get from hockey, and how it gives us such excitement, whether our team is set to clinch a playoff berth, or merely to win a well-played game from a lower position in the standings.
He even has Center Ice and NHL GameCenter Live ordered to light up his many, many screens. But how are we doing? How do we find our fix, considering not everyone has the same opportunity to enjoy the game?
One thousand two hundred and thirty (1230) games will fill our regular season from October through a bit of April, not to mention the pre-season and playoff games. As for me, it’s no secret which 82 games I’m most keen to watch, and yet the question that remains is will I have the opportunity to?
Tomorrow afternoon, the Ottawa Senators will take on the Frolunda Indians, following the path shared by Lightning, Rangers, and Penguins in taking on European squads in exhibition matches. I’ve heard that there are teams outside of North America, that some of our players came from those teams too. I find it interesting to watch the comparison, as the Rangers beat SC Bern 8 to 1, while the Lightning needed the shootout to eke out a 3-2 win over HC Slovan. Yet I won’t get to see how Alfredsson and the Senators fare against his old team, the Frolunda Indians; it isn’t being broadcast.
Last season wasn’t much different. Whether it was the Sens PPV cutting out snippets from games, the California road trip whose broadcasts didn’t stretch far enough, or merely my presence relatively close to the home of the Leafs, there was always something holding me back from watching the team whose colours I bleed play the game I love.
Even when it’s on tv, there will always be a host of channels who might carry it, figuring out whether I need to have the CBC or TSN or some subscription-based channel on a given night is a task unto itself. With my luck, just as I’d expect from Center Ice or GameCenter Live, my physical location will always be the ultimate barrier that prevents me from catching the Sens.
Yes, I realize that it must be much easier for a network to cover the 16 games of an NFL team, including all the games in their twelve-team, single-elimination playoffs, but isn’t that besides the point? I want to see my team, each and every game. I know there are a myriad of further explanations as to why I can’t see my team very much, or why even if I had season tickets and lived in Ottawa I would still be held down and forced to miss at least a few games, but is that the spirit in which the League wants to exist?
When will I get a chance to watch my team, every single game of glory? When will I have the opportunity, even if it isn’t absolutely free, to be a fan of and follow any team I want, regardless of where I live? Is my only recourse to try some complicated IP-masking scheme to watch games over the internet? I’m sure I’m not alone in this sentiment or facing this obstacle, simple and elegant opportunity that it is for the League to give a great gift to its fans. I know that someday, if I can ever find the answer to my troubles, I will be a much happier and correspondingly more intense fan of my team, and of the NHL.
I suppose there’s always radio waiting for me though.
Filed in: NHL General | SENShobo | Permalink
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Comments
Interesting ways to get around blackouts and unavailable or overly expensive options. I’ve seen some games at the Casino du Lac Leamy or in bars, I’ve listened to countless games on the Team 1200 over the internet, and I too have been frustrated by the slow refresh of the Real Time popup.
I wonder what other methods people have employed to get around this common problem so many of us seem to have.
Posted by SENShobo from Waterloo, ON on 10/01/08 at 01:14 PM ET
Obviously, NHL action at the sportsbooks in the casinos are some of the slowest while the other sports like NCAAF, NCAA Men’s basketball, NFL, and NBA get all the press and odds. There’s nothing like NCAAF action on Saturdays. Unreal…
That means the casinos, in spite of having all of the NHL channels, will broadcast the heaviest action games on their TVs so I’m forced to go to the smaller bars inside the casino to get NHL action on the TV. It’s *#$%@& lonely sometimes and I often get into shouting matches with the other patrons when my viewing time is rudely cut off.
Posted by SYF from a "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" on 10/01/08 at 01:22 PM ET
This is no doubt one of the things that annoys me the most about being a hockey fan.
We hear so much about what good and dedicated fans we are, and how important we are to the league and the profits of the owners, but they make it so damn difficult to be a fan. It shouldn’t require such extraordinary measures just to watch hockey games. Just once I’d like to not have to try so hard to follow my sport.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 10/01/08 at 10:34 PM ET
There are at least a couple of websites where many games can be downloaded on an ‘unofficial’ basis via bittorrent at a much higher quality than streaming.
Posted by Ste on 10/02/08 at 03:19 AM ET
There are at least a couple of websites where many games can be downloaded on an ‘unofficial’ basis via bittorrent at a much higher quality than streaming.
Posted by seyret on 10/15/08 at 12:45 PM ET
Oh I’m sure I could probably catch almost if not every game, but I want the League to want me to, I want them to realize it’s the fans that keep them in business, that its our needs that should be more closely examined and met, rather than forcing less-scrupulous (and less financially lucrative to the League) providers to step into the holes that currently exist.
Posted by SENShobo from Waterloo, ON on 10/15/08 at 12:55 PM ET
I have the same dilemma as you - I’m a Detroit Redwings fan out here in California. And yes, I have resorted to using a proxy with a Michigan IP to fool the internet. It’s a crude solution but it works!
And to the above poster, my next resort was to download the game, it’s just not as exciting watching a rerun, even if I don’t know the outcome. Oh well. Maybe one day an aspiring TV company will allow a complete and total customizable tv package, where you can pick the exact channels you want, down to the local listings of a channel.
Posted by Danny on 10/21/08 at 08:55 AM ET
I find in the last time for games but i like to playing games.
Posted by DIrk on 10/24/08 at 04:34 PM ET
I think this is a common problem for us sports fans. Danny (above) had a pretty clever workaround, though. Going through a proxy with a local IP is kind of a hassle but if it works it works, right? And there’s always the option of downloading the game after it airs.
Posted by Worcester Movers on 03/13/09 at 12:31 PM ET
Unfortunately I am in the same situation and I have been resorting to just downloading the games a couple days later. It’s not ideal, but at least I get to watch them whenever I want. At least that’s what I tell myself =]
Posted by Rotary Air Locks on 04/03/09 at 04:10 PM ET
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Other than being a Wings fan, I don’t know why this season is such great anticipation for me, Hobo. I have an extended cable package which includes Fox Sports Prime, FSW, and Versus. I’m actually trying to find ‘Hawks games on WGN now - if it ever happens. The only time I use ESPN for anything hockey-related are the collegiate games. THAT’S IT.
However, it’s really too expensive right now for me to get the digital package from Cox Communications to get all the other great NHL channels so therefore I’m relegated to going to the casinos to see the games. It’ll take some persuasion with the bartenders but that’s how I catch the games I can’t get on my cable package.
When I’m at work and the Wings game is going on, I use Real Time on NHL.com because it’s a small popup I can discreetly tuck away on the monitor while doing my normal work. The refresh time is pretty horrendous and it does get “stuck” once in a while but it’s serviceable and it’s enough for me at that time.
Posted by SYF from a "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" on 10/01/08 at 01:07 PM ET