Detroit Red Wings & the NHL

[madootra]

Pens tie it up, on a deflection from an Islander into his own net.

[Rob F]

OT

[madootra]

Was called into work, and missed OT. Damn.

Go Sens!

[Optimus Prime]

Isles deserved to win and force a game & but deserves got nothing to do with it.

In OT, Evgeni Malkin moved the puck from behind the net to Tyler Kennedy, who fed it to Orpik for the winning shot. The Defenseman's shot found the back of the net...series over. (his 1st playoff goal in 78 games)

Pens appeared disinterested for most of the game and had to flash moments of starpower just to stay tied with the Isles.

It's pretty tough to close a playoff series out on the road especially against an opponent that has nothing to lose.

Pittsburgh, like every team was susceptible to an aggressive forecheck that pressured their Defense, coughing up pucks everywhere.

Ottawa is bigger, stronger, faster with better goaltending, still, man-for-man the Pens should win provided they get hungry in round 2. They've got to be better defensively.

[geo weidl]

What a joke! Local NBC Detroit is showing infomercials right now,,,, On saturday night primetime, nice going there Bettman.

Every year its the same problem with you guys about getting a game on tv. Its playoff time, all those games should be on, forget baseball for now. Last Sunday we could watch four playoff games one after another between two stations. What gives?

[Jeff Buchanan]

Every year its the same problem with you guys about getting a game on tv. Its playoff time, all those games should be on, forget baseball for now. Last Sunday we could watch four playoff games one after another between two stations. What gives?

$$$$$

Outside of a few select regions, I'd bet baseball is watched more than hockey. It's simply a matter of which sports garner more advertising revenue.

Bettman probably deserves most of the blame for that. Expansion has severely diluted the interest in Hockey. I loved the Redwings and I don't even watch anymore.

I'd argue it was always a regional sport with more interest in the tier US states bordering Canada. Probably should have stayed that way. The league and owners would have been better off for it and interest among hockey fans overall would have been preserved.

[madootra]

Yep. In the quest for more cash, they essentially slapped the core fans in the face. The NHL didn't care about those cities, and regions that made the League a strong; albeit small, fanatically followed sport. The Owners deserve much of the blame, but Bettman led them there.....and convinced them of that Business Model. He's the Charlie Manson of Commissioners.

[geo weidl]

Outside of a few select regions, I'd bet baseball is watched more than hockey.

I understand what you are saying Jeff, but Detroit is a sports town, Hockeytown, Red Wings were king of the hill in the last decade, its playoff hockey, there are 100 plus games baseball games still to be played. Are those baseball games not on the fox sportsnetwork? I thought nbc sports had the tv rights to hockey in the states with TSN in Canada picking up some of those games shown. You mentioned not getting the b1g network the other day, funny if I wanted to, I could subscribe for it with my provider in Canada.

[Optimus Prime]

I have ATT U-Verse in Miami, between NBC/NBCSports/CNBC, I' m getting every single game.

[Optimus Prime]

Yep. In the quest for more cash, they essentially slapped the core fans in the face. The NHL didn't care about those cities, and regions that made the League a strong; albeit small, fanatically followed sport. The Owners deserve much of the blame, but Bettman led them there.....and convinced them of that Business Model. He's the Charlie Manson of Commissioners.

The League has grown from 1/2 billion to 3.5-4.0 billion a year in revenue under Bettman's stewardship. New arenas in almost every NHL city including recently (Edmonton & now a new Joe). He's broken the players' Union twice, has a salary cap with cost certainty.

It's important to remember that he was hired by billionaire owners to act almost entirely on their behaves so from that perspective he's been a tremendous success.


Now, for real hardship:

The "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Womanization" of hockey, thought I'd never live to see it.

http://www.ctvnews.ca/sports/hockey-alberta-eliminates-body-checking-in-peewee-division-1.1272331

[Jeff Buchanan]

OP ...... You're spot on about revenues but, what about sustainability?

The mark of modern industry giants is just that - sustainability. NHL franchises, many of them, are not sustainable.

I'd bet owners would rather have a dependable 3-4billion annual take, one that is sustainable, over a dwindling one. And dwindling profitability for some NHL franchises is a certainty in my view. Some of these owners are going to get burned badly. Will they love Bettman's business model then?

[geo weidl]

The only franchise that does not make sense right now is phoenix. Why bettman is determined to be there is anyones quess, seeing that he could have moved this team to Hamilton two years ago and done quite well.

[madootra]

OP ...... You're spot on about revenues but, what about sustainability?

The mark of modern industry giants is just that - sustainability. NHL franchises, many of them, are not sustainable.

I'd bet owners would rather have a dependable 3-4billion annual take, one that is sustainable, over a dwindling one. And dwindling profitability for some NHL franchises is a certainty in my view. Some of these owners are going to get burned badly. Will they love Bettman's business model then?

Exactly. Pheonix...as mentioned....is the obvious one. But Florida, Tampa bay, Carolina, Nashville......can they survive a few down seasons?

[madootra]

Rangers tie up series with Caps. Goaltending the difference.

[DennisT]

You can put down the bong now, Rob.