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Houston: Cup generates very little buzz

WILLIAM HOUSTON

From Friday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 11:21 AM EDT 28/05/07

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  1. Anne Dickinson from writes: So, after casting it all in the most negative light possible, the upshot is that there will be more coverage this year than last year.

    Surely that's a step in the right direction.

    What I would like to see from Mr Houston is the figures from RDS, Versus and NBC as well as CBC.

    It would be interesting to see how these figures measure up to last year.

    In Ottawa a lot of people prefer to watch RDS and NBC rather than the CBC as they feel the coverage is more balanced and less biased against the Sens.

    I will say it is strange to be watching hockey when its 30 degrees out. Maybe they should do something about having the playoffs finished by the end of May.
  2. Matthew Townsend from Brooklyn, United States writes: Anne... if you say it is strange to be watching hockey when its 30 degrees out try watching hockey on Memorial Day weekend when Americans treaditionally start their summer outdoor activities.

    "Maybe they should do something about having the playoffs finished by the end of May."

    Now there is an EXCELLENT idiea! Unfortunately no one at the NHL will listen to logic like that.

    Honestly, the only way for the NHL to increase it's TV ratings is to have their games broadcast as commercials during American Idol.
  3. R.T. Elder from Montréal, Canada writes: so, since when is anaheim a small market? anaheim is a suburb of los angeles, the 2nd largest city in the us of a. anaheim is also the heart of orange county, which has a population larger than toronto. so explain that one to me again, s'il te plait?
  4. Canuck Expat from United States writes: This is another reason why Nashville should be permitted to move to a Canadian city. The interest in the NHL is miniscule down here and it is never going to come back to any decent level. The NHL needs to start focusing on areas where the NHL does do well instead of pretending they can drum up interest in Raleigh in June when their team isn't in it. I also agree with above posters that the season is way too long. It used to end before the end of May with an 80 game season and the same number of playoff rounds so I don't understand how 2 extra regular season games adds 3 weeks to the season?
  5. Mike Berezin from London, Ontario, writes: So let me get this straight. Mr. Houston calls the Stanley Cup final a who cares event because the Americans aren't interested. ?

    While the NFL coming to CTV with its marginal interest nation wide is seen as completing a "long bomb"? And trumpeted as the greatest thing to ever hit CAnadian TV by this same writer? Huh?

    Why we like to throw cold water on our popular Canadian sports, and pump up these who cares American sports is something I don't get.

    So what the Americans don't care about the Stanely Cup finals? When did they ever? Like, who in CAnada cared about the RAptors playoff run? Or the NBA playoffs? Hardly anybody. Yet that is never mentioned. Its only our popular sports we ridicule.

    I and probably close to 3 million Canadians will be watching the finals. I know it won't be exciting as the Blue Jays game or the NFL draft according to our media. But really, who cares what they think? I think its time we get more "Canadians" in the CAnadian media.
  6. Ziggy . from Canada writes: I don't understand why it's so hard for the NHL owners to get a grip on shortening the season. A 25% reduction across the board would reduce the season by 10 weeks(62 instead of 82 games) playoffs begin in February, right after the Superbowl, and end as baseball starts, what a huge window to showcase the best part of the game. Instead they continue to go head to head with baseball and basketball as well as primetime season wrap ups. Then they fret over poor ratings and blame teams good teams for eliminating the large markets.
  7. Rich Thorpe from Canada writes: Mr. Berezin. Mr. Houston trumpeting the arrival of the NFL on CTV is nothing more than an informercial shill for his corporate employers. Ditto the fact that the Maple Leafs aren't in the final, a good reason to dump on Ottawa as they are not owned by MLSE, which itself is a shareholder in the Globe and Mail.
    There's no objectivity in journalism anymore, just cleverly worded articles that are designed to skew your views to supporting the columnist's corporate masters.
    Wait until Balsillie starts getting closer to moving the Predators to KW, watch the all out attack that the Globe launches on him then.
  8. Mike Berezin from London, Ontario, writes: Rich.
    Very sad but very true.
  9. R J H from Green Lake in the 'boo, Canada writes: Well, I say "WHO CARES" if hockey doesn't succeed in the Excited States or if the sports editiors in every media type prefer to ignore the Stanley Cup final. The more it is ignored the sooner those non-hockey market teams will collapse, the league contracts and maybe the season will be played at a sensible time of the year.
  10. Hugo Hall from Calgary, Canada writes: Excellent point by Rich Thorpe. Seems like G&M and its writers are trying to pour cold water on Ottawa's party, just because the Leafs weren't invited. That's OK - In Canada, the birthplace of hockey and the place where it really matters, I suspect we will have very high ratings for what promises to be an exciting series. Just one more reason to root for the Sens - if the Ducks win, hardly anyone in Southern California will care anyways.
  11. j h from Canada writes: Regarding the lack of interest in the U.S., 'The Onion' has done some hilarious articles in the past. Check them out, they're pretty funny (and perceptive).

    http://www.theonion.com/content/news/nhlsignsbroadcastdealwithfood

    http://www.theonion.com/content/news/nation    gearsupforhockeyseason

    http://www.theonion.com/content/node/49761
  12. Mike Vopni from Kitchener, Canada writes: To the people who say "who cares" to the US attention fail to realize, like it or not, that the success of the NHL is very much tied to the US. 80% of the franchises are located there and media attention is key to building, hell even sustaining, the visiability and revenue of the league. When you have major papers from Chicago, NY, and Detroit (original 6 cities and huge media markets) skipping the event entirely, what kind of sign is that.

    You can say you don't care about the Americans all you want, but until there are 24 Canadian teams and only 6 American, bad coverage in America is bad for the entire league. I think that's what Houston was trying to explain. And I don't believe he's saying this just because the Sens are in the finals and not the Leafs. That's ridicolous.
  13. Gideon Goldshlager from Canada writes: baseball? has that started?
  14. James S from Copenhagen, Denmark writes: Well, if the Americans rather want to watch THE most boring game in this universe which has no interest to anyone outside of the States (which by the way isn't the center of the universe as they might think!) then let them! Hockey will not garner enough attention in most US cities and the NHL needs to consolidate its core markets, not expand more into cities that have no interest in this sport whatsoever! This just makes me more adamant that the Cup needs to go back North where people actually appreciate it!!
  15. R J H from Green Lake in the 'boo, Canada writes: Attn: Mike Vopni
    80% of the NHL may exist in the U.S. - - Today.
    That can and will change, the sooner the better. The visiability (viability? visibility?) and revenue will also be in relationship to the popularity of the league. However, if it makes less revenue, the players etc. will earn less also. But they will play the same way as they do now and be just as entertainin.
    As far as the major newspapers in NY, Chicago, Detroit, Boston, whatever, ignoring the Cup Final, that is just symptomatic of the attitude there when their teams not being involved. Great! I hope it continues.
    Notice all the empty seats in Detroit, "Hockey Town U.S.A." during their series? Too bad!
  16. Al Gonquin from windsor, Canada writes: Living in a forgotten part of this fair land (401 ends at London, doncha' know), I read with large degree of smugness that neither of the Detroit papers will be covering the finals. Hockeytown, my gluteus maximus!
  17. Mike Vopni from Kitchener, Canada writes: R J H, I know the makeup of NHL cities has to change, but its not going to happen overnight and certainly not under Bettman's watch. So until it does the US is the majority of the league. I don't like it anymore than you do but you can't turn a blind eye to it because it effects the entire league.

    And it's not just becuase their team isn't in the final that NY, Chicago, etc don't cover the Stanley Cup, becuase if this was the World Series, NBA Championships, or Super Bowl there would be atleast 1 beat writer from the city attending. The reason that nobody's covering it is that its the NHL; sad but true.
  18. Voice of Reason from Canada writes: So the St.Louis Post-Dispatch is not going. Do they not have an arena built to try and bring in an NHL team?

    Not a good way to buld up interest in the area.
  19. John Johnston from Ft. Erie, Canada writes: This says it all. Move those teams from places like Phoenix, Raleigh, Tampa, etc etc. Its even questionable whether Buffalo should have a team and probably couldn't support one if Nashville relocates anywhere within the Toronto area. Get rid of Bettman and expand into Europe and Russia where there are absolutely die hard hockey fans, the funding and most of all the interest. Leave the US to games (baseball, NFL football, basketball and NASCAR) that most of the rest of the world don't care about.
  20. Matthew Townsend from Brooklyn, United States writes: What? No one likes my idea of showing NHL games during the commercial breaks of American Idol.

    Toss in some games to be shown during episodes of Survivor, 24, Prison Break and Scrubs and the NHL ratings will go thru the roof.

    Look, the NHL needs to cut back on the number of games played and the number of franchises in an effort to make the games more meaningful. The odds of that happening under Bettman? Slim and next to none.

    Hockey in June - what a joke. The poster who said the NHL needs to take advantage of the window between the Super Bowl and the start of beginning of the baseball season is spot on.
  21. Mike Berezin from London, Ontario, writes: Hey Matt. A little lesson here.

    Hockey may be nothing in the USA. But up here, your sports are nothing too. The NBA does test pattern TV ratings. Outside of Toronto baseball is dead. NCAA? Whats that?

    The only sport we share in common interest wise is football. But thats because we have our own league.

    But the bottom line is you have your sports. We have ours. This idea of what works down there will work up here just ain't true anymore. Why some up here feel the be all and end all is to be a tiny ignored part of your leagues is ridiculous. Because CAnadians don't want it.

    And really, if you guys don't want hockey, so be it. Bring all the teams back to Canada. An all CAnadian league would thrive up here. Without the US dragging down the NHL it would lead to the true globalization of the game.

    And really. Any country that refers to its domestic champions as "world champions", when you haven't won a true world championship for years can't be taken too seriously.
  22. Voice of Reason from Canada writes: Hockey will never take off in the states because it is a fast and confusing sport. I mean the player cannot cross the opposing blueline before the puck does. How can anyone figure that out? Look at the popular american sports. Baseball: Pitch, commercial. Scratch, commercial. Slow as molases. Football. Same thing. Five seconds of action, 20 minutes of commentating explaining what just happened. Basketball, not even going there. And NASCAR, let's just cheer for a number on a car that goes around in a circle for five hours. Hockey, fast paced back and forth action with big hits, fantastic plays, and even, yes it's barbaric, even a fight or two. What would you rather watch? The number one thing the NHL lacks compared to the other sports is a competent marketing division. I do not watch baseball, basketball, football or NASCAR, but I do know who the stars are in those leagues. The NHL has to do a much better job at marketing it's star players. Hockey players are truly the most athletic out of all the athletes. You have six foot plus players playing on ice with glorified razor blades on their feet going full speed all the time. The skill, balance and conditioning needed to do this is incredible. When was the last time you saw a fat overweight professional hockey player? There have been surveys done where its shown that hockey players are the most down to earth of the professional athlete. So what is Bettman's problem with promoting the players? Is it because most of them are Canadian or European? Who cares. Most of the good ball players are Carribean and the MLB has no problem promoting them. I think that Bettman enjoys the NHL being a class 2 citizen in American sports culture. And if that's the case, fine, but give the game every opportunity to come home, and that includes moving the Predators to Canada.
  23. jamie pridmore from calgary, Canada writes: Berezin, So you like hockey and the CFL and not much else. We get it. Why does it make you feel so good to trot out TV ratings to support the fact that you are in the viewing majority for the sports you watch? I think you dislike everything that you did not grow up with and it makes you feel good to criticize sports that you deem to be traditionally "American". Sounds like you have an major axe to grind. Why do you seem to have a problem with anything that is American? Some sort of Napoleon complex, perhaps??? You say nobody cares about the Toronto Raptors, baseball, the NFL, and "what's that" to the NCAA tournament. Nobody outside Toronto cares? I live in Calgary and I care about them and I'm not alone in this city and others across Canada feel the same way. Perhaps you or people on your street don't but others do. (Feel free to quote your TV ratings here as part of your argument but believe me people care) The demographics of Canada are changing. Although hockey is number one in Canada sporting interests are becoming more diverse. Perhaps in your demographic you care about the sports you grew up with but the Canadian sporting landscape has grown beyond that. This is not the King of Kensington era anymore. The sports that you like will always be leaders within many demographics but your defensive, somewhat ignorant, anti-American ramblings come across as very insecure and look like someone who is trying to hold on to the era that they grew up in while the world around them changes. If you don't like baseball and basketball fine. Watch what you like. But you don't speak for all Canadians here. You speak for yourself and the dear TV ratings that you hold on to like Linus' blanket. As much as you hate to admit it the sporting interest in this country will continue to expand. Don't be afraid Berezin, embrace the diversity. Borders and governments do not change the fact that we are all one.
  24. Joe D'Agostino from St. Catharines, Canada writes: Sure, the ratings would be greater if there were higher profile teams like Toronto vs. New York in the Finals. Just because these teams are more popular doesn't make the product on ice better. In fact, I would argue that it would be worse for purists who want to see fast skating, more skilled players in the Cup Finals. Having the Sens instead of the Leafs in the Finals is akin to eating healthy gourmet food versus junky fast food.

    Hockey has a low profile in the U.S. anyway. Football, basketball and even baseball are covered more in their media.
  25. Matthew Townsend from Brooklyn, United States writes: Berezin, what was that sound? I do believe that it was the sound of Jamie Pridmore smacking you down.

    Here's a lesson for YOU my friend. Just because someone lives in the States it doesn't make them an American. So keeping that in mind perhaps you could tell me then what "my sports" are.

    While you're at it you could also explain how that All-Canadian league would thrive, the communities you would put them and how the contraction of the NHL would lead to the true globalization of the game.

    As for teams being erroneously labelled "World Champions"? I'll give you that one. It's easy to be a world champion when no one else plays your sport. Why just the other day I was looking at the certificates that a buddy and I won for being World Champions of "Hoccer" when we in elementary school. Of course back then the media coverage wasn't the same as it is today so our victory barely made a ripple outside of our school's playground and our family's dining room table. Such is life.
  26. Rob C from Canada writes: Two good teams from weak markets - and the rest of the league doesn't care...this makes sense to me
  27. Mike Berezin from London, Ontario, writes: Hey Matt: I don't get these people who think that because Canada is now supposedly more diversified, it means they want to follow American sports and will ignore Canadian sports? What kind of logic is that? And or course the facts back me up. Because Hogtown has been multicultural for years, yet hockey dominates. Montreal has been multicultural for years, yet hockey dominates. Vancouver ahs been multicultual for years, yet hockey still dominates. CAnada has been multicultural for years, yet hockey still dominates. So whats your point? Because really. Do you think new Canadians maybe come to Canada because they want to be Canadian? Not psuedo-American hero worshippers like some up here? So they get into popular Canaadian sports. Because they want to be Canadian first. Wild idea, eh? And about an all-Canadian NHL thriving? With more teams, TV money goes up. Attendane in the league goes up. And interest in the game would skyrocket. And the game will globalize because instead of trying to make it work in Hicksville, USA, we go to Europe where they play the game at a high level already. Americans are more xenophobic and don't care about other countires. Hence their "world champions". We CAnadians are different. We don't mind sharing our game. It would expand to Europe more quickly without American involvement. It woud grow worldwide much faster. Soccers done okay without you people. All I'm saying is I and most Canadians don't worship your sports. We have ours, you have yours, and never the twain shall meet. It don't make ours better than yours or visa versa. Its just the way it is.
  28. Mike Baker from Dublin, Ireland writes: By what standard is Ottawa (or, Edmonton, or Calgary) to be judged a "small market" team? So the NBC won't be getting the ratings it might have garnered had the Rangers made it to the finals. The metropolitan NY area is home to 12 million people. That's a big market - if we can suspend belief and imagine that the Apple's a pure hockey market where most people place the Stanley Cup atop its sports pyramid. (The last I checked, hockey wasn't on the radar up in Harlem.) By comparison, the "small market" Senators, are about to become a serious cause celebre for 31 million people. (You'll have to be living under a snow bank in Rankin Inlet to avoid Sens banter for the next two weeks.) OK, so NBC doesn't pocket revenues based on Canadian viewership. But then again, the big three American networks haven't really dedicated itself to creating or sustaining a nation's hockey culture like HNIC has. So, who has earned the big pay day? Who holds the rights to determine what's best for the game? Fans who bleed it, breathe it and love it; or, a bunch of yahoos who shut hockey off two months ago? Are you listening Gary Bettman? Are you so fixated on trashing hockey's legacy for the sake of your own ego? The NHL has been trying to expand hockey in the American south for thirty years. As business strategies go, chasing markets where they ain't while ignoring the sensitivities of your core strengths is to court disaster. You'll end up fiddling with the game for the sake of a few confused Floridians, and wind up spurning those who love hockey. I pray for an all-Canadian "small market" final ... The sooner the better - for the sake of the game - and as a refreshing reward to hockey's real investors.
  29. Mike Vopni from Kitchener, Canada writes: Berezin, hockey dominates because middle aged white guys who grew up on the Summit Series still drive the market. It's been like that for years. I'm guessing that you're even one of them. It's not because minority's have embraced the game.

    Just because other sports haven't taken over hockey yet doesn't mean that it won't happen sometime or that they're on the rise. Hockey fanatics are getting older and the younger generation and new Canadians aren't the same. 20 years from now, it'll be completely differrent. You already see some changes in Toronto.

    And the facts don't back you up so stop saying that. Hockey isn't as popular as it was years ago and other sports are on the rise.

    Look, you can either admit that or continue to do what you're doing, which is crying about anything "American" and imagining that this is still "the good ol' days" where all anyone cared about was hockey. Either way, it won't change the facts (the real ones, not your made up numbers or opinions), people like other sports than hockey and that number is growing. And they don't care if the game is from the US or not, as long as its good.
  30. Matthew Townsend from Brooklyn, United States writes: Mike, Mike, Mike...it's funny to hear you label others xenophobic when clearly that's what you are yourself. Yours is just directed at Americans.

    I'll ask you a very simple question Mikey - does the simple fact that I currently live in Brooklyn, NY make me an American? YOU really need to think about that before you start throwing out phrases like "you people" and "your sports".

    Once you've muddled that one around in your brain for a while perhaps you can get back to answering the one question you so obviously avoided. What communities would you put these NHL franchises in? Right now there are 30 teams in the NHL. How many of these franchises are going to remain in the US and where will you relocate the rest?

    The NHL is a business. Even if you were made Commissioner for a day you couldn't simply relocate franchises on a whim without compensating owners, arenas and sponsors. That's going to take hundreds of millions of dollars. Do you think your increased TV revenue is going to be enough to cover that compensation? I don't think so.

    Tell me your business plan for expanding to Europe. You can't play an 82 game schedule due to the travel constraints. Wednesday in Vancouver and Saturday night in Berlin just wouldn't work. That means less games and higher ticket prices in order to cover the increase in travel costs. Last time I checked there weren't too many direct flights from Saskatoon to Copenhagen. If the economy in places like Winnipeg and Quebec were strong enough they would still have their franchises.

    It's fine if you want to believe that an All-Canadian NHL is viable. Just present some facts on how you think it will work. So far you haven't done that.

    Do I wish that the NHL wasn't in Miami, Tampa Bay, Anaheim, Nashville, Atlanta, Raleigh and Los Angeles? You bet I do. However the fact remains that they are there and we need real solutions to help the game not your jingoistic mumbo-jumbo.
  31. Hogtown Heckler from United States writes: A wise person once said that the definition of insanity was to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result. This applies to the NHL and how it expects Americans to wake up one day and say I must watch the NHL.
    I am a Canuck living in Phoenix and people here could care less about hockey. The only people who go to games are people who grew up in the northern states or Canadians. Americans in general aren't hockey fans but are fans of their team. Once their team is out so are they.
  32. jamie pridmore from calgary, Canada writes: Mike and Matthew: excellent posts.

    Berezin, who appointed you the ambassador for all Canadian sports fans? This never the "twain should meet" business or whatever you said is ridiculous.

    In the fall I'll invite you to join our NFL Fantasy Pool. But no, wait a minute, it's already full due its popularity. But there will be room in our 50 participant NCAA basketball tournament pool. You can join that along with thousands of other Canadians who are in similar pools.

    And of course there will be the many Western Canadians who will be going to Safeco Field to watch baseball this summer. You know baseball is popular outside of Toronto. The Canadian contingent is growing. Morneau, Bay, Harden, Thorman, Francis, Loewen etc. But I'm sure you have not heard of any of them. You not knowing that the World Series was named after a New York newspaper shows your lack of baseball knowledge or interest.

    Your rants are irrational and you come across like someone with a major inferiority complex. Why do you have one? Only you can answer that question.

    Enjoy the games. BTW, have you heard of Steve Nash? He's pretty good even though he does play an "American" sport.
  33. Mike Berezin from London, Ontario, writes: To the guy who said hockey fans are made up of middle aged white people? Gee. Go to a hockey arena on a weekend in January. UNless you consider middle aged to be 6 years and up, then you don't know what the he# you're talking about.

    And to Jamie. So you have your NFL pool and NCAA pool? Big deal. I have a CFL pool in my office. And whatever became of the CAlgary Cannons by the way?

    And Justin Morneau plays for the Minnesota Twins? Why should I care about the Minnesota Twins?

    And to Matt. I don't care what you are. Just don't try tellin' me what you have down there is better than what we have up here. Because it ain't.
  34. Mike Vopni from Kitchener, Canada writes: Berezin, go back and read what I wrote please. I said middle aged white guys DRIVE the market. I don't know what I'm talking about? You can't even read my post right much less come up with a sensible argument.

    Sure, there are young hockey fans but not nearly close to the numbers that there were 30 years ago and they aren't the ones spending $$$ on tickets and merchandise. In fact, I bet if you took a poll of just 18-25 year olds, hockey would be under 50%. You and your ignorant type will soon have to face that fact.
  35. Matthew Townsend from Brooklyn, United States writes: Mikey, Mikey, Mikey please go back and re-read my posts. I don't think I've ever tried telling anyone, let alone you, that what Americans have down here is better than what Canadians have up there.

    And while you're re-reading my posts please try answering the questions I asked you. You've done a great job at avoiding the real issue - providing concrete solutions and answers to the problems that are currently facing the NHL.
  36. Mike Berezin from London, Ontario, writes: Okay Matt. A solution to the problem. Bring the NHL back to where its wanted and supported, and the problem will go away. K-W is a start. Then you got Winnipeg, Quebec City, another team for Ontario, and one in the maritimes. How simple is that?

    And to the guy who said the fan base has deteriorated for hockey? Gee, guess thats why the top rated sport on TV in Canada is hockey. And the highest attended sport in Canda is hockey. And the highest participated sport in Canada is still hockey.

    All I'm sayin' is we don't need the approval of people down south to make hockey worthy. They have no use for it? Then give it back to us. Thats all I'm gonna say.
  37. jamie pridmore from calgary, Canada writes: Settle down Berezin. Watch whatever sports you like. Good for you. I'll watch mine. There is plenty of room on the sporting plate for all of our interests. I'm glad to hear that you are in a CFL pool. If that makes you happy, go for it. Your blanket statements that few in Canada care about baseball, basketball, and even the NFL (the NFL come on, you can't be serious when you think few here care about it.) are off the mark. I think myself and a few others posters here have pointed that out. Its these statements, that apparently are fuelled out of some sort ignorance and inferiority I guess (perhaps you can clarify why you feel that way), that I disagree with not the sports themselves that you watch. For whatever reason you have some serious issues about Canadians watching, and the Canadian media discussing, sports that you don't like and deem traditionally "non-Canadian". It really seems to set you off and you make sure to point out that you are in the viewing majority and those that aren't watching them with you are ridiculous people. Why is that??? I do like some of the sports that you watch (hockey and the CFL although I admit my interest in the later has waned over time). But I prefer baseball, the NFL, and basketball and make no apologies for it. If some guy came on here and said he liked Ultimate Fighting, NASCAR, and Poker (all three of which are very popular in their niche markets) you would probably be all over him like a cheap suit. Just a suggestion, try not to be that way. Like what you like and let others enjoy their sports. I'm out.
  38. Gary Dare from Portland, Oregon, Canada, writes: If the free market were to reign, many of the southern US franchises will collapse from loss of public subsidies on top of bad gate receipts. The NHL is in too many wrong places but can't admit that the experiment has failed. With the six Canadian franchises, David Shoalts reported in this paper that one fifth of the league is making a third of its revenue. Maybe that wasn't the case when Disney was overpaying for ABC/ESPN rights but that's over, and will not be back for a long time if ever ... so much for that Holy Grail US TV deal, after forty years it's further away than ever. US demographics are also changing in ways not to NHL, nor hockey in general, advantage.
  39. Dennis Prouse from Ottawa, writes: The ridiculous week long layoff between the end of the Conference Finals and the Cup Finals certainly doesn't help. Can you say, "momentum killer"? Not only will it hurt the on-ice product, particularly the play of the previously red-hot Senators, but it also hurts the buzz and excitement. More specifically, it allows people to look at a calendar, and think about how silly it is to be awarding the Stanley Cup in June. CBC's best ratings so far have been for Game 7 of the Vancouver-Dallas series -- back in the first round. That should tell the League something, but the NHL is notoriously slow on the uptake on pretty much everything.
  40. R J H from Green Lake in the 'boo, Canada writes: This post started out as a discussion on the subject of the major media in the U.S. ignoring the NHL and quickly degenerated into childish ridicule of anyone who dares not to worship someone else's favourite past time.
    The whole point is, hockey is not popular in the huge majority of the market there and never will be. So what?
    I don't need approval from a foreigh country to validate what I enjoy.

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