KaN19
Registered User
- Jun 25, 2023
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The NHL Sucks at Scheduling and Marketing
- Thread starter KaN19
- Start date
varsaku
Registered User
NHL tries to limit the overlap with the NFL season, NBA finals and MLB playoffs which results in this.
HockeyVirus
Woll stan.
- Nov 15, 2020
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I agree but also it is pretty awesome to have all these NHL events happening this week. Like a nice sendoff of NHL action before a few months off.
Only going to get worse for the NHL as the NFL added game 17 and they don't start their regular season until after Labour Day. They leave that weekend to NCAAF.
And with an 18th game on the horizon, which would include another bye week, going to add 2 more weeks into Feb and thus SB played in late Feb vs like the 7-13. It will be played in the 20's when they do add that extra game.
I'm not a fan of the season getting extended this far into June, but unfortunately the league doesn't operate in a vacuum. I think Jeff Marek joked about it in his podcast this week and a lot of it is driven by TV.
ESPN got the NHL rights in the US, but they also have the TV rights for the MLB wild card games in early October. So they didn't want to counterprogram against itself by having it against NHL opening week.
ABC/ESPN also have/had the rights to the NBA Finals. They have the rights to the Stanley Cup Final every other year. Their objective is to have as many eye balls as possible, so they schedule it so that there won't be an overlap. In the past, the NHL would have a game or two overlap with the NBA Conference Finals and 20-25% of the audience suddenly goes away (Chicago-Philadelphia Game 1 2010 for example).
I don't think the casual fan cares that much if the Dubois-Kuemper trade was announced during or after the Finals. If it were after the SCF, I don't think that trade would have suddenly been a lead story in the US.
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They do suck at marketing, that's a given, a front office clean-up would help the NHL's sake.
But, we still got (IMO) one of the best Stanley Cup finals in a long time, and the draft and free agency are 3 days apart, for hockey fans, it'll be interesting til next friday.
So while I agree the timing is weird, at least, to me, it's the good kind of weird.
But, we still got (IMO) one of the best Stanley Cup finals in a long time, and the draft and free agency are 3 days apart, for hockey fans, it'll be interesting til next friday.
So while I agree the timing is weird, at least, to me, it's the good kind of weird.
Sol
Smile
- Jun 30, 2017
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The NHL sucks at marketing yes but this as your argument ain’t it.
The Great Mighty Poo
I don't like you either.
The NHL sucks at just about everything because their run by a bunch of jello brained oafs who got punched in the head for majority of their adult lives and not people who can count above 10 without using their hands and toes.
BLNY
Registered User
They could have easily reclaimed 4 days by not giving an extra travel day between cities in the final. They'd have had a full week between game 7 and draft day.
WaitingForThatCab
#1 Nick Cousins Fan Account
- Mar 11, 2017
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I got no issues with the trades during the Cup finals. When the GMs agree on a trade, and can make the trade, they should just go ahead and do it, before anything stupid happens. What are they going to do? Not announce it?
DearDiary
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- Aug 29, 2010
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Again, the scheduling is driven by TV. ABC had the NBA Finals too and they weren't going to have both on the same day.
I'm sure the players didn't mind the extra recovery day between venue changes after an 82 game season and three playoff rounds. They declared the schedule before the finalists were determined. Two days might have been excessive had it been Dallas and Florida, but a single travel day between Edmonton and Florida would have been rough for the players.
It's really unfortunate that this finals ended up playing out like this. I think I read that Game 7 drew record viewership, and the league will think that it's because of their late scheduling, but it really isn't... it's because the Oilers climbed back from 3 down. And that would've drawn the same number of viewers if the game was on June 15th.
The season needs to start on October 1st at the latest, and end on June 1st at the latest.
The season needs to start on October 1st at the latest, and end on June 1st at the latest.
I don't necessarily disagree with you, but here are reasons owners/networks wouldn't:
- ESPN doesn't want NHL opening week to conflict with the MLB wild card round which they also have the TV rights for.
- ABC would see a noticeable ratings drop if the Stanley Cup Finals go up against the NBA Conference Finals.
- Some markets don't want to have home games competing against NCAA+NFL and want to have as small an overlap as possible.
WaitingForThatCab
#1 Nick Cousins Fan Account
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Voight
#winning
BLNY
Registered User
Aware, but it's US tv that's dictating later start times and this expanded timeline. Used to be the leagues sorted it out. Now the NHL bends over.Again, the scheduling is driven by TV. ABC had the NBA Finals too and they weren't going to have both on the same day.
I'm sure the players didn't mind the extra recovery day between venue changes after an 82 game season and three playoff rounds. They declared the schedule before the finalists were determined. Two days might have been excessive had it been Dallas and Florida, but a single travel day between Edmonton and Florida would have been rough for the players.
Those 4 days contributed to why things are compressed. And, I still wonder if that extra day is there if the two teams are eastern time zone.
KirkAlbuquerque
#WeNeverGetAGoodCoach
SmoggyTwinkles
Go Leafs Go
But.........there's always been the draft, then UFA day (Canada day)
We shouldn't be watching game 7 of the SCF on June 24th or whatever Monday was.
Start the season sooner.
Feels like the teams sent that message to the NHL with all the trades and stuff.
Malkinstheman
Registered User
- Aug 12, 2012
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Why do so many people care about a trade happening before or around a game? Oh no, Ullmark got traded to the Sens I cant watch the game now. Seems like childish complaining to me.
Ginormousthumbs
Registered User
Maybe the NHL shouldn’t have agreed to work with ESPN.
The league should also dump the best of 7 format. Each round 1 home game, 1 away game. Aggregate moves on. Final-winner takes all. Romanticizing injuries or the grind is dumb.
The league should also dump the best of 7 format. Each round 1 home game, 1 away game. Aggregate moves on. Final-winner takes all. Romanticizing injuries or the grind is dumb.
Marc the Habs Fan
Moderator
The real reason why it's compressed is because they added 7 days to the season for unknown reasons. I even submitted it as a question to 32 thoughts and their thought line to see if Jeff and Elliotte cared enough to find out why this happened, the answer was no.
2022-23 was a 185 day season (which was always the case pre-COVID and in non-Olympic years) and there were some rescheduled games on day 186.
2023-24 was a 192 day season
If they had continued with their 186 day season model of years past, the Cup final ends on June 17th or so and this thread isn't a thing.
Also trades happening during the Cup Final should not be viewed as a negative at all.
2022-23 was a 185 day season (which was always the case pre-COVID and in non-Olympic years) and there were some rescheduled games on day 186.
2023-24 was a 192 day season
If they had continued with their 186 day season model of years past, the Cup final ends on June 17th or so and this thread isn't a thing.
Also trades happening during the Cup Final should not be viewed as a negative at all.
