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**flmmkrz** · 05-28-2007, 02:04 AM

Not starting my own thread for this but I'm joining you on the sens chase system.

**V3r1f13d** · 05-28-2007, 05:41 AM

This series will be slept on. The first two games not even being shown on a major network? That's just sad. Did the lockout a couple of years ago hurt the sport that much?

Taking Anaheim and the Under. Will make my decision of parlaying them tommorow. Leaning towards the parlay since I think Jiggy will be able to close the doors.

I truely believe that if the Sens take game 1, they will win the cup. They have't played this year so game 1 should tell the story of things to come.

**FlyersFan** · 05-28-2007, 02:24 PM

Originally posted by V3r1f13d View Post

This series will be slept on. The first two games not even being shown on a major network? That's just sad. Did the lockout a couple of years ago hurt the sport that much?

here is the bottom line with hockey. Bettman is the worst commish in all of sports. If he was baseball's commish, he would have been run long ago and would make Selig look like Tagliabue(sp). The NHL was hurting back in around '93 and owners were losing money. The league had not much of a TV package and not a lot of fan interest. So instead of fixing the problem, he expanded to 10 markets, most of which the NHL had no business going to. That put rights fees in the owners' pockets and temporarily solved the revenue problems. What dumb **** forgot was eventually the quick fix revenues would stop once all the new teams were in place, and the problem would actually be worse. In adding 10 new teams, the league was totally watered down talent wise. 3rd liners became 1st and 2nd liners....guys who had no business in this league became 3rd and 4th liners. That is what led to the "holding" and "trapping" style of play. When you have less talent on offense, you have to mickey mouse stuff to win. The product still stinks. That bull**** mickey mouse shootout will lose its luster in a couple more years. I heard a great comment on TOR lineup at one point this year. The commentator said that 2 of their top 3 1st liners would struggle to have played on a 4th line back in the day before expansion. It makes for ****ty hockey. The NHL finally tried to address the problems that had been going on for years, but in waiting created a whole mess of new ones. Nashville is a perfect example of expansion problems. The league NEVER should have gone there. I mean if you had a business selling rafts for swimming pools, would you open up a retail location in siberia?? Every year the bottom 10 revenue teams in the league get to pull money from the top 10 teams in the league for a max of 3 years. Nashville is on year 3 as are a couple other teams. After that they can no longer take any revenue sharing. So what you have is a sport that is still marginally profitable with the worst teams taking from the top teams. The cap is back up to around 50 million and keeps growing. The thing is still just a mess really and Bettman is to blame. He is just an idiot............now about the TV

First of all, people don't watch TV much after daylight savings time. That is a proven fact in ratings for all TV shows. There just is more to do. That is why all TV shows have their season finales around the beginnging of May. Kids' baseball games, outdoor activities, weather is nicer, all that stuff. So why do you wait until basically June 1st to start your finals? It is rediculous. They could easily finish this whole thing before memorial day if they got rid of the 3 day periods between some of the games and this week lag time before the finals. The ratings will be dismal. I am a huge hockey fan and i won't be watching. Just don't care right now. It's freeking summer time......not hockey season anymore. You just aren't going to pick up the casual viewer because he has other things he would be doing. I mean, if the Ducks weren't in it, do you really think anyone from SoCal would be watching it with 85 degree weather, light until 8:30PM, bike riding, running, the beach etc......

bottom line, hockey will aways be a 3rd or 4th rate sport in the US, and the brain surgeons who run the NHL have never done themselves any favors in how they run it.

**V3r1f13d** · 05-28-2007, 03:26 PM

Thanks for shedding light on the situation for me. I love hockey, and even more so after I came back from Canada (lived out there for two years) but there is just no market for it. I just remember after the lockout it was getting zero television coverage out here.

If the Ducks weren't in the cup I would still be watching since I would have some type of action on the game. Comon, its the Stanley Cup finals, I can't just not watch it. My team doesn't have to be in it just to watch the game. I know, people have a lot of better things to do but I personally don't.

Bought a half point on the Under (5.5 -120) and got the Ducks at -135, straight parlayed. 1.1 to win 2.4

**FlyersFan** · 05-28-2007, 03:37 PM

Originally posted by V3r1f13d View Post

If the Ducks weren't in the cup I would still be watching since I would have some type of action on the game. 2.4

most people don't bet on hockey. The NHL i don't think is trying to chase down the market for people "who have action on the game". The NHL season is a 9 1/2 month season including the exhibition season. You can find a way to end it before the middle of June. Who cares if it is the Stanley Cup finals? Tell me who wins..i'll be all the same for it. Meanwhile, i'm going on vacation in a week, probably play some golf next weekend and may hit the beach. In other words, WHO CARES........and the same can be said for most people. If i am a huge hockey fan saying this, what do you think everyone else is saying who isn't a hockey fan.........having a successful business isn't about crafting it so it fits a few people, it is about bringing in as many customers as possible. NHL hasn't figured that out yet.

last year, here is some of the programming that outdrew hockey finals: Women's NCAA Softball world series, Men's College baseball playoffs and world series................THE FREEKING POKER **** ON ESPN........there is a reason why Warren MIller doesn't release his feature films in June...why they don't ski the World Downhill Championsip in late May.....i actually feel guilty watching TV when it is so nice outside. Heading out right now to the old pool....

**Angelus** · 05-28-2007, 04:39 PM

It's hard to argue with you FF, but there are a few minor things you said I disagree with.

The clutching and grabbing, IMO, had absolutely nothing to do with the talent pool being watered down. It had everything to do with a change in coaching philosophy and the huge goaltender equipment explosion.

As for finishing the season before June, I agree that's something that should be done. But what is your solution for that? The NHL is restricted by building commitments. I heard this recent layoff is because they couldn't get into the Anaheim building until now. I don't know how true that is...but it kind of makes sense. If the building has other commitments, you have to work around that. The playoffs are pretty compressed as it is...

I think the NHL's biggest problem is trying (and believing) that they are one of the big 4 in the U.S. They aren't and will never be. So what if people want to go outside during the finals...nobody in the U.S. watches them anyway...

I don't know what the solution is. Maybe there isn't one.

**Leafs3113** · 05-28-2007, 05:14 PM

I for one dont understand how americans dont find the NHL exciting. The NBA for one stinks. Its so pathetic. Yesterdays game in the 4th quarter just for example was Lebron holding the ball for 20 seconds before tossing up a fadeaway jump shot. They started the 3rd round wat 2-3 weeks ago and in game 3 now. 40 games in 400 nights is more like it.

Now onto baseball. Wat can i say. 70% of the players are overwieght, 20% who are not overwieght are on stariods (not counting the ones on them who are overwieght) and the other 10% bunt to get hits cuz they got no power. The game itself 9 times out of 10 are slow and boring. I just watched the braves closer i believe take 10 min to throw a damn pitch. He would trow a pitch only after walking half way to the batcatcher to get the ball wipe the sweat of his fat bald head rub the **** out of the ball then throw it in the dirt. If they didnt play 1000 games the owners would all lose money.

Now the NFL i like but even then half the games arnt that good. Way to many commercials and time wasting going on. Love the game to death but wont be nieve anough to think every game played is amazing.

Back to hockey. Yes its not always fast paced hard hitting action but like every sport its not top notch all the time. People cry about fighting in hockey yet they pay $50 to watch people beat the **** out of each other in a cage. I have no problem with it but you gotta be kidding wen u cry about a 30 second fight in hockey but love to watch a sport were to win u gotta **** the guy up before he does it to u.

Well my rant is over. You wont find exciting lastsecond heroics in the NBA, NFL or MLB playoffs like this years NHL playoffs have given but no American would notice cuz there to busy with wat...i dont know?

**FlyersFan** · 05-28-2007, 05:32 PM

Leaf- agree with everything you said. Keep in mind, i love hockey, just not now. And the NBA is an awful product.....but here is the deal with the NBA. They have all the thugs and gangsters to buy their merchandise and watch this ****. The NBA finals were actually tape delayed until about the mid 80's when the Lakers/Celtics started their battles and that is what really put the NBA on the map.

Here is my point. You are the NHL and are looking to take market share and get people watching your sport. That is step #1. Ticket prices are obscene for hockey, though. I know decent seats for Ducks and Kings in the lower bowl run over 100.00/seat and go up to about 325.00 on the glass. Make the game affordable. Even nose bleeders are like 40.00/game. Step#2. You have to put the games on at a time when people will watch. People won't watch now in the states. It's summer time. I just read an article that even hot TV shows took a major hit in ratings this year because our daylight savings time was bumped up a couple weeks. The US is an outdoors country. We camp, fish, hunt, golf, go to the beach, go to baseball games....we don't sit inside and watch a freeking hockey game when it's 85 degrees outside. I was talking to a family member yesterday at a BBQ and his kids finish school here in the next week and they are off on vacation, as are tons of americans. He said he could care less who wins the hockey. This is vacation time, it's beach time, it's golf time.....it's not huddle the family around the TV and watch hockey time. There is FAR too much time inbetween some of these games in the playoffs. There is no reason you can't play BB games in one city during the playoffs. The NBA is living on its rep from the 80's and the Jordan years. And as i mentioned, they have all the hoods, thugs and gang bangers out there buying their jerseys. So they can end their playoffs in July. The NHL can't. The NHL's #1 thing should be to get their playoffs watched. That is what will build a fan base. People seeing the cup finals and saying, wow, this is great. YOu don't do that in June here in this country.

**V3r1f13d** · 05-28-2007, 05:40 PM

@Leafs
Wow, tell me you didn't just bash baseball. Basketball and football are garbage, I can agree with you on that. Trying to put hockey over baseball is a sin in itself.

**Leafs3113** · 05-28-2007, 06:09 PM

Originally posted by V3r1f13d View Post

@Leafs
Wow, tell me you didn't just bash baseball. Basketball and football are garbage, I can agree with you on that. Trying to put hockey over baseball is a sin in itself.

I never said Football was **** just trying to make a point wen people say half the games in the NHL are slow by saying that not all football games are up to par either.

I like baseball and did bash it. The biggest thing right now is if the commish will honor Bonds wen he brakes the HR record. Please u want this steriod stuff to be pushed out of the spotlight but u won make a decision on this. My opinion if he doesnt suspend him for steriod use then wats the fuss about.

My order for sports:
NHL
NFL
CBB
CFB
MLB
NBA

FF.....I agree Bettman is an idiot and we cant do nothing about that. They either drop a few teams or move then to Canada or a place in the states were they actually want an NHL franchise. Me i wont miss a game cuz anyone can put asside a couple hours to watch a game if they wanted to. Summer isnt going anywere dont worry the sun will rise tommorow lol.

Tickets, dont ge me started on tickets. I cant get tickets for weekend Leaf games or rivalry games without giving the scalpers the clothes off my back after giving my wallet. Cant comment on other teams cuz i just dont know. I hate the fact corporations run the lowerbowls in TO but only if other teams had that support from their corporations then the NHL would be successfull.

They have to market the game better. Dont just put Crosby vs Ovechkin on because they are the future put on a game were the top teams are playing. U must market your best product not ur best individual athletes. Pitts is a good primetime ticket not Washington. Now to find a way to get some actual hockey sense to go with bussines sence in to run the league.

**V3r1f13d** · 05-28-2007, 10:46 PM

^^^

Every sport has it's flaws, but Bonds is the last thing my mind. He's just one guy. I don't agree with his use nor do I think he should be honored for it but I can't complain about a small scratch on a diamond.

I've been to Toronto a couple of times. Had no problem getting Raptor vs Clipper tickets, back in 02. Never tried to get Leafs tickets, but met a ton of die hard fans out there.

**FlyersFan** · 05-30-2007, 01:00 PM

doubling up on the plays tonight.....game2

GL to everyone!

**Underdog88** · 05-30-2007, 11:22 PM

Originally posted by FlyersFan View Post

here is the bottom line with hockey.

If it was a horse it would have been shot a long time ago

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