Stevedude, please explain what idiocy...

Goallum

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is responsible for the debacle that's VS' coverage of the Yzerman retirement?

Could you please explain to me why the ceremony isn't live?

Could you please explain to me why they are showing a crappy St. Louis vs Chicago matchup instead of a compelling (and logical) Detroit vs Anaheim?

I understand that NHL and VS don't give two craps about hockey fans in Southern California, but we can't watch it even on Center Ice, because it's blacked out due to being a Ducks game. Thank you, NHL, for another "**** you" to the fans.

The reason why I address these questions to you is twofold. First of all, you seem to be some sort of expert on NHL TV rights around here, so you might actually know. But the other reason is the thread you started in the beginning of the year imploring us to support NHL on VS.

After they do things like today, why the hell should they get any support?
 

Haute Couture

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This is disgusting. I know they make their schedule before the season starts, but was it really that hard to imagine that Chicago and St. Louis - two WORST teams in the Western Conference according to.... ehhhh, last year's schedule... were gonna SUCK this year?

What is WRONG with these people?
 

GKJ

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lol, see my rant a few threads below about what VS has become to hockey. A total failure.
 

KeydGV21

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I'm going to guess because a night like this is a hard one for TV... you can't really take a commercial during the ceremony, it's destined to run long and there's next to no chance the game finishes even close to it's expected time of finish. I'm not sure what VERSUS has on before and after the game but they do have contracts with other enterprises besides the NHL (not to mention the shows we all make fun of but obviously make them money) making this a very difficult game to devote time to.

Besides the large majority fans don't really care to watch Steve Yzerman night... I'm fairly sure that Mark Messier night wasn't shown on national tv when the Rangers honored him. Something like this is great for the local fans, but for fans of the other 29 teams it's hard to devote time to a ceremony to an opposing player.
 

jkrdevil

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What makes this worse is that yesterday they said they would have a pregame show and show the ceremony but then they only ended up showing about 5 seconds worth.
 

Stevedude530

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I'm going to address this in a column soon, I'm ready to throw in the towel defending Versus myself, but that'll be posted probably next week.

They've also taken an LA-SJ game on March 26th off the Versus schedule, so they could broadcast the Isles-Sabres game yesterday.

The St. Louis-Chicago game was picked instead because they made the sched. before the night was announced, and Versus has already scheduled to show the Ducks next visit to Detroit.

Also, Detroit is maxed out on Versus games (7) this year, that's a league instituted rule I believe.

I agree, if what you are saying is true, then that's a shame. But Mike Baker, VERSUS producer, seems to feel that seeing these ceremonies on TV aren't that exciting from a neutral fan's point of view. Hence, not showing the ceremony in MTL early this year when Boston was there.

But yea, I'm kinda done with them too.

You will hear my thoughts in full soon.
 

X0ssbar

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You guys can't honestly believe ESPN would have given it better coverage...? Do you really think they would have taked on an additional hour for a jersey retirement ceremony for hockey? They can't even give the game 10 seconds worth of coverage on sportscenter.

Versus coverage isn't perfect but it will take a looong time for me to forget the downright pitifull coverage and lack of respect ESPNquirer gave and conitinues to give this sport.. Give me Versus any day over those clowns.
 

KeydGV21

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I'm going to address this in a column soon, I'm ready to throw in the towel defending Versus myself, but that'll be posted probably next week.

They've also taken an LA-SJ game on March 26th off the Versus schedule, so they could broadcast the Isles-Sabres game yesterday.

The St. Louis-Chicago game was picked instead because they made the sched. before the night was announced, and Versus has already scheduled to show the Ducks next visit to Detroit.

Also, Detroit is maxed out on Versus games (7) this year, that's a league instituted rule I believe.

I agree, if what you are saying is true, then that's a shame. But Mike Baker, VERSUS producer, seems to feel that seeing these ceremonies on TV aren't that exciting from a neutral fan's point of view. Hence, not showing the ceremony in MTL early this year when Boston was there.

But yea, I'm kinda done with them too.

You will hear my thoughts in full soon.

While I understand the reasoning for this to not be the game, with the Sabres game yesterday being moved to Versus they will have 8 (9 on national TV if there is a limit there) games played on Versus this year so they could have moved this game to Versus if they wanted to.
 

Stevedude530

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I don't know. I'm pretty sure the limit is 7 on Versus and 4 on NBC. Perhaps I'm mistaken.
 

Dave is a killer

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You guys can't honestly believe ESPN would have given it better coverage...? Do you really think they would have taked on an additional hour for a jersey retirement ceremony for hockey? They can't even give the game 10 seconds worth of coverage on sportscenter.

Versus coverage isn't perfect but it will take a looong time for me to forget the downright pitifull coverage and lack of respect ESPNquirer gave and conitinues to give this sport.. Give me Versus any day over those clowns.

Its Steve ****in' Yzerman man ... ya know the Captain of the 5 President's Trophy (3 more than any other captain has claimed), 3 Stanley Cup Chapmion Detroit Red Wings ... couldn't have just said **** it with the Blues-Hawks and gone to this game? and they don't spend but 3-5 seconds covering the game ... geez
 

GKJ

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You guys can't honestly believe ESPN would have given it better coverage...? Do you really think they would have taked on an additional hour for a jersey retirement ceremony for hockey? They can't even give the game 10 seconds worth of coverage on sportscenter.

Versus coverage isn't perfect but it will take a looong time for me to forget the downright pitifull coverage and lack of respect ESPNquirer gave and conitinues to give this sport.. Give me Versus any day over those clowns.

You know what, as much as we hate ESPN, that entire department where on their knees for Steve Yzerman during his hayday, Scotty Bowman too. They don't do much for hockey, but this would have been one thing.
 

KeydGV21

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I don't know. I'm pretty sure the limit is 7 on Versus and 4 on NBC. Perhaps I'm mistaken.

It could be something that they aren't allowed to have 7 at the begining of the year, but the Sabres have already had 5 games on Vesus with 3 more to go. Two of them are against Pittsburgh so I highly doubt those games come off, but I wouldn't be shocked to see the game against the Flyers still on Versus to be switched if they try and limit times on national TV.
 

KeydGV21

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Its Steve ****in' Yzerman man ... ya know the Captain of the 5 President's Trophy (3 more than any other captain has claimed), 3 Stanley Cup Chapmion Detroit Red Wings ... couldn't have just said **** it with the Blues-Hawks and gone to this game? and they don't spend but 3-5 seconds covering the game ... geez

So instead of growing the game by having it’s product be displayed (Chicago has been playing very well of late) involving a team in a major media market, you’re proposing they show a ceremony? As I’ve stated above very few people outside of Detroit fans care to see his ceremony…why should fans of St. Louis and Chicago get shafted out of seeing their team play?

Center Ice carried the ceremony and that is enough for me. If you wanted to see the ceremony it was available and those who actually wanted to sit down and watch hockey got their chance to do that.
 

jkrdevil

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So instead of growing the game by having it’s product be displayed (Chicago has been playing very well of late) involving a team in a major media market, you’re proposing they show a ceremony? As I’ve stated above very few people outside of Detroit fans care to see his ceremony…why should fans of St. Louis and Chicago get shafted out of seeing their team play?

Center Ice carried the ceremony and that is enough for me. If you wanted to see the ceremony it was available and those who actually wanted to sit down and watch hockey got their chance to do that.

I don't have a problem with them not showing the game but when you essentially advertise that you are showing the ceremony (which they said during one of the games yesterday) you better show it. Especially when the ceremony took place before the scheduled game during the pre-game show.
 

KeydGV21

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I don't have a problem with them not showing the game but when you essentially advertise that you are showing the ceremony (which they said during one of the games yesterday) you better show it. Especially when the ceremony took place before the scheduled game during the pre-game show.

I wonder if they had some sort of deal with FSN Detroit to show the ceremony that fell through at the last minute? For all the complaining about Versus I think it does a fairly good job (save the first couple of months last season) and would like to think they did plan on showing it if they infact said they were planing to do so.
 

OG6ix

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I want ESPN back. I don't even get versus, I'm sure the ceramony would have been done by ESPN even if it was on ESPN 2. Why Can't the NHL be on USA network or something on a tuesday night? They are owned by NBC, and they might as well give some games to ESPN too. The NBA and NFL have it like that too.
 

XX

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You know what, as much as we hate ESPN, that entire department where on their knees for Steve Yzerman during his hayday, Scotty Bowman too. They don't do much for hockey, but this would have been one thing.

Agreed. ESPN would've done it. Versus is mickey-mouse. You know when your game is preceded by bull riding "highlights" that you've sunk to an all time low.
 

Haute Couture

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So instead of growing the game by having it’s product be displayed (Chicago has been playing very well of late) involving a team in a major media market, you’re proposing they show a ceremony? As I’ve stated above very few people outside of Detroit fans care to see his ceremony…why should fans of St. Louis and Chicago get shafted out of seeing their team play?

Center Ice carried the ceremony and that is enough for me. If you wanted to see the ceremony it was available and those who actually wanted to sit down and watch hockey got their chance to do that.

By the same token if Philly suddenly wins a few in a row, they'll be worth showing? I don't care if Chicago and St. Louis are the hottest teams right now - the point is that they were both 14th and 15th respectively last year in their conference. This year St. Louis is dead last again. Whatever you do, you DON'T pick two losers playing each other. It doesn't mean that we shouldn't see these teams; we should. But not when they play each other, period.

Any other game today would've been fine. And growing the game? Are you SERIOUS? Growing the game? There are many ways to "grow the game", and BELIEVE me, tonight was NOT one of them.

(I think that VS. did a terrific job last year, given the circumstances, improving as the season went along. This summer started out very promising as they tried to get some other sports on boad. What happens this year? Every time I turn on the channel this season, I get bull-riding. I mean, maybe I'm not lucky or something, but this is the case. It's not only bull riding. There's a show named "Holy @#!@#!", World Combat League, and Alligator Training. Something is going terribly wrong in the versus-land.)
 

AdmiralPred

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I'm going to address this in a column soon, I'm ready to throw in the towel defending Versus myself, but that'll be posted probably next week.

*CUT*
I had given the OLN a pass last year on the quality of production since the NHL on OLN was literally put together at the last minute. The production hasn't improved and the coverage, for lack of a better word, sucks. So, Stevedude, I'm interested to see your commentary. However, in regards to the point of the original poster, I am inclined to lean a bit more towards gscarpenter's view on ceremonies.
Retirement ceremonies are crushingly dull. Who cares?
I wouldn't mind a little coverage - the banner raising and maybe a tear-jerk story from a player or coach or video collage with some grainy 80's highlights - not much more.


I want ESPN back. I don't even get versus, I'm sure the ceramony would have been done by ESPN even if it was on ESPN 2. Why Can't the NHL be on USA network or something on a tuesday night? They are owned by NBC, and they might as well give some games to ESPN too. The NBA and NFL have it like that too.
As to ESPN and ESPN2, other than it not being available in all markets, what is with the "Even if it was on ESPN2" comments? Is there really any difference between the two? And what difference did having the NHL on The Duce matter compared to the flag channel? I really don't remember there being any different or better coverage on one compared to the other - if they moved a game or NHL2Nite over to The Duce, did it really make any difference in coverage or production? The play-by-play didn't change, if anything they allowed more time for NHL2Nite on one channel compared to airing it on the other.

======
As to the Hawks
This is disgusting. I know they make their schedule before the season starts, but was it really that hard to imagine that Chicago and St. Louis - two WORST teams in the Western Conference according to.... ehhhh, last year's schedule... were gonna SUCK this year?
they're currently a playoff team, and playing like one. It was a good game and a great 3rd period.
 
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KeydGV21

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By the same token if Philly suddenly wins a few in a row, they'll be worth showing? I don't care if Chicago and St. Louis are the hottest teams right now - the point is that they were both 14th and 15th respectively last year in their conference. This year St. Louis is dead last again. Whatever you do, you DON'T pick two losers playing each other. It doesn't mean that we shouldn't see these teams; we should. But not when they play each other, period.

Any other game today would've been fine. And growing the game? Are you SERIOUS? Growing the game? There are many ways to "grow the game", and BELIEVE me, tonight was NOT one of them.

(I think that VS. did a terrific job last year, given the circumstances, improving as the season went along. This summer started out very promising as they tried to get some other sports on boad. What happens this year? Every time I turn on the channel this season, I get bull-riding. I mean, maybe I'm not lucky or something, but this is the case. It's not only bull riding. There's a show named "Holy @#!@#!", World Combat League, and Alligator Training. Something is going terribly wrong in the versus-land.)


Chicago and St. Louis both went out and made a splash in the offseason... there was plenty of reason to think these teams wouldn't be 14th and 15th in the league. Things didn't work out in St. Louis but Chicago is a mere 3 pts out of the playoffs right now... I don't have any problem with these two teams being on national TV.

As for this not growing the game, I can assure you that showing a hockey game, any hockey game would do more then a ceremony of a guy that is retired. Sure Detroit fans would have an interest but you can be assured that focusing on a retired player would do NOTHING to bring new people into the game.
 

TheDanceOfMaternity

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I like the Devils, but I think versus made a pretty wrong decision by showing them once a week out of all the teams they could have chosen to showcase the game.

The sharks are way too overhyped by the media so I'm glad that's off as a fan. Besides, there is a match against Anaheim on there eventually anyways.
 

Stevedude530

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Pittsburgh vs. Washington Ratings: 0.2
Buffalo vs. New Jersey Ratings: 0.3

Any questions now?
 

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