Miscellaneous NHL Discussion XCIII: Spring has Sprung

[Rebels57]

Carter Verhaeghe has 40 goals?

What the f***? Lol

 

[Beef Invictus]

And it will still draw ~16 MM viewers for a sport that's fallen way out of the public view.

NCAAW is a superior product to the Men at this point, so I'm glad people are catching on to it. I will give you a few thousand words on why I love midweek MACtion and even I can't watch NCAAM much anymore.

I'm glad to see someone else say it. I've spent a few years thumping the table and insisting that men's college basketball is going straight down The Musher and women's basketball is vastly better to watch and most people treat me like I'm proposing to saw their spine in half.

 

[Magua]

Carter Verhaeghe has 40 goals?

What the f***? Lol

Chuck Fletcher = Bill Zito

 

[Magua]

Matt Boldy hit 30 goals, 60 points.

Jason Robertson hit 101 points.

 

[Rebels57]

Matt Boldy hit 30 goals, 60 points.

Jason Robertson hit 101 points.

Philadelphia Flyers: Isaac Ratcliffe slowly developing with Phantoms

It's has been a slow development for Flyers forward prospect Isaac Ratcliffe. He struggled in his first season in the American Hockey League.

broadstreetbuzz.com

 

[Beef Invictus]

They would be much less with the Flyers, as we would be vigorously overfeeding them until they become grinders.

 

[Curufinwe]

Philadelphia Flyers: Isaac Ratcliffe slowly developing with Phantoms

It's has been a slow development for Flyers forward prospect Isaac Ratcliffe. He struggled in his first season in the American Hockey League.

broadstreetbuzz.com

No more Tall Guys!

 

[Chicken N Raffls]

To be fair to Bettman a good proportion of people in the game as well as fans/media don’t really want to do anything to help grow the game either with their constant gatekeeping of the sport. So it’s not exactly like it’s being handed a Ferrari & smashing it up here. There’s cultural things at play that keep hockey a niche sport in America.

I mean, you have NHL coaches looking at highlight reel goals and saying, "Whoa! Slow down there, sonny. I'm not sure if that's good for the sport!" Luckily, we don't have...yea nevermind

 

[Curufinwe]

On 32TTP they were talking about players who go thru 20 pairs of skates a season at $1,000+ per pair. And hundreds of sticks.

Obviously non-pros don't to do that, but it's still an obscenely expensive sport compared to many others.

 

[landsbergfan]

 

[deadhead]

I don't know if the general public knows how not close this is. Last year's Cup Finals averaged ~4.6 MM viewers and that was up roughly 84% from 2021.

Why is this surprising?
How many American kids played ice hockey in HS?
How many American girls played B-ball in HS?

Hockey is doomed to be a niche sport, if the owners had brains, instead of trying to expand and end up with zombie franchises, they'd solidify fan support across the northern tier and limit the amount of teams in the south to areas where there are lots of transplants.

A well run niche can be very lucrative.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Why is this surprising?
How many American kids played ice hockey in HS?
How many American girls played B-ball in HS?

Hockey is doomed to be a niche sport, if the owners had brains, instead of trying to expand and end up with zombie franchises, they'd solidify fan support across the northern tier and limit the amount of teams in the south to areas where there are lots of transplants.

A well run niche can be very lucrative.

Add to that the influx of sports betting nationally as how a sport such as basketball can increase interest while hockey's main ingredient is the sport itself. Point spreads are magnetic in betting parlors.

Also, as I stated when ESPN was granted NHL broadcast rights, if it was up to the network college field hockey would get more attention. We are seeing that though not in the literal form.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

Also, as I stated when ESPN was granted NHL broadcast rights, if it was up to the network college field hockey would get more attention. We are seeing that though not in the literal form.

Only people who didn't live through ESPN's shambolic first stint as the rights holders thought it would be any different.

 

[JojoTheWhale]

Why is this surprising?
How many American kids played ice hockey in HS?
How many American girls played B-ball in HS?

Hockey is doomed to be a niche sport, if the owners had brains, instead of trying to expand and end up with zombie franchises, they'd solidify fan support across the northern tier and limit the amount of teams in the south to areas where there are lots of transplants.

A well run niche can be very lucrative.

It's the first time it ever happened and it required a 100%+ YOY ratings increase. How is this not surprising? Women's sports are still niche too.

 

[FLYguy3911]

Matt Boldy hit 30 goals, 60 points.

Jason Robertson hit 101 points.

At least we don’t have to worry about ELC bonuses.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

It's the first time it ever happened and it required a 100%+ YOY ratings increase. How is this not surprising? Women's sports are still niche too.

Isn’t women’s basketball biggest consumer older white guys?

 

[FLYguy3911]

College basketball is also a one game, winner takes all playoff format which helps ratings. Not to defend hockey.

 

[JojoTheWhale]

Isn’t women’s basketball biggest consumer older white guys?

Yep. That's the thing that gets missed whether it comes to basketball, hockey, or even wrestling. It's still not mainly women watching.

 

[Flyerfan4life]

At least we don’t have to worry about ELC bonuses.

must be nice...

 

[Garbage Goal]

I don't think it's 100% fair to entirely blame Hextall. I'm sure he's getting an inordinate amount of pressure (and most likely an overarching directive) to run the well fully dry on the Cup hopes during the Crosby/Malkin era twilight years. Bad deals, sure. Bad situation for a GM too, I'd argue. Not like they have quality assets to sell either. Mediocre picks, bad prospect pool, and not much roster-wise to sell off either. Fleury and Murray gone. When you're in that position and it's a bad deal to help compete no or no deal, I think you basically have to take the former in his position.

Bad deals with higher cost than necessary very possibly and I wouldn't hire Hextall as my GM if I'm a competing team, but I think there's some deference in order. At least some asterisks.

 

[Striiker]

It's still not mainly women watching.

[insert “women failed the wnba” bill burr joke]

 

[BigToe]

 

[Beef Invictus]

Add to that the influx of sports betting nationally as how a sport such as basketball can increase interest while hockey's main ingredient is the sport itself. Point spreads are magnetic in betting parlors.

Also, as I stated when ESPN was granted NHL broadcast rights, if it was up to the network college field hockey would get more attention. We are seeing that though not in the literal form.

ESPN should never get another contract again. It's like they're willing to spend money to bury the sport out of spite.

In seriousness, they probably bought it specifically to try and make it ESPN+ exclusive to boost that platform. Which is horrendous for the NHL.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

ESPN should never get another contract again. It's like they're willing to spend money to bury the sport out of spite.

In seriousness, they probably bought it specifically to try and make it ESPN+ exclusive to boost that platform. Which is horrendous for the NHL.

It is one isolated instance but descriptive of the medium. In a rare time listening to any sports radio show, I recall a fan calling ESPN's national show and touting the CAR-EDM series of a few years ago. The ESPN host -- remember the King of Sports or whatever they referenced themselves -- said in so many words "No hockey talk Whenever I think of hockey I think of someone named Sven in Minnesota living in his parent's basement." If that was said about any other particular fanbase, for a moment think of womens' basketball since that is the genesis of this current conversation, would the host have a gig the next day? ESPN is a blighted and bloated self-promoting and grandiose scourge that has too many mimicks to even count. And it was a wonderful product at one point when the hosts and anchors put the highlights first and the attitudes second or even better non-existent.

 

[Beef Invictus]

It is one isolated instance but descriptive of the medium. In a rare time listening to any sports radio show, I recall a fan calling ESPN's national show and touting the CAR-EDM series of a few years ago. The ESPN host -- remember the King of Sports or whatever they referenced themselves -- said in so many words "No hockey talk Whenever I think of hockey I think of someone named Sven in Minnesota living in his parent's basement." If that was said about any other particular fanbase, for a moment think of womens' basketball since that is the genesis of this current conversation, would the host have a gig the next day? ESPN is a blighted and bloated self-promoting and grandiose scourge that has too many mimicks to even count. And it was a wonderful product at one point when the hosts and anchors put the highlights first and the attitudes second or even better non-existent.

They want to be Sports MTV. But the version of MTV that killed its own relevance.