GDT: Around the League 2023-24: The Marathon Becomes A Sprint

[brentashton]

So they warped and folded the schedule to accommodate a Saturday night Leaf game. Go figure.


TB is toast.


If the Oilers win a game, it just means they don't have to play quite as hard the next game. Avoiding leaving "money on the table".

That’s why Jim Montgomery was pissed the other day and complaining about having to spend an extra day in TO. Not sure where he’s from but Monte should be made an honorary Western Canadian.

 

[MoontoScott]

Carolina and Florida are making it look easy.

Calm, controlled stuff but so boring to watch.

 

[94 Oil Drops]

I guess the Lightning are kinda bad now.

 

[Oilhawks]

I guess the Lightning are kinda bad now.

Yup. Kucherov actually deserves the accolades this season. That’s not a good team anymore

 

[Drivesaitl]

Carolina and Florida are making it look easy.

Calm, controlled stuff but so boring to watch.

Yep. The NHL in scheduling just doesn't know their business. NHL playoffs should be a decent binging time and it hasn't really been that at all. Massive disconnections in interest from one day to the next LOSES the NHL customers that would otherwise stay tuned and get into the playoff saga. But two EC matches on tap only tonight and both are foregone conclusions. You basically knew the results before the games were played and there was really no point to watch either.

To me what this does is further a total disconnect with all the EC playoff action. I think the only one I hear people interested in is Boston-Toronto just to see the Leafs get trampled again.

The NHL is losing momentum with this kind of scheduling and seems like the games are too paced out. Also kind of annoying that games I would want to watch are always on the same time, same night.

Finally with Vegas destroying Dallas one of the more enticing OOT series is wrecked. First round is headed to going out with a whimper and it barely even started.

Hopefully the Oilers go on a long run because this spring (and with the playoffs starting so much later in month) I feel like I'm losing the OOT plot already.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I guess the Lightning are kinda bad now.

How many clubs in the East are really any good? NY, Boston, Carolina, Florida. No particular order, and thats it, and a huge disparity exists between those 4 and the other 4 that managed to straggle into the playoffs. Then you get the Caps who needed a hot streak just to crawl in at 91pts. Islanders same, a real turtle derby. Often in the West you need around 5more pts just to make the playoffs.

In the west 5 pts separates the Oilers from the third place Kings. Whereas Carolina get to play Islanders that were 17pts below them. Way below them. The Rangers see a sorry Caps team that just made the playoffs by fluke, and a full 23pts ahead of them.

Then understanding that if it wasn't for Bettman 3pt nhl the pts disparity in those teams would be even greater.

Series like the Oilers are closer because the teams are closer in standings. The WC also being strong enough that the SC champ Cheating Knights barely made playoffs.

 

[joestevens29]

Yup. Kucherov actually deserves the accolades this season. That’s not a good team anymore

Considering the amount of good players that had to move the past bunch of years due to cap I think they are pretty lucky that they are still a playoff team

 

[BlackDogg]

I guess the Lightning are kinda bad now.

Maybe they should have LTIR"d again.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

I wonder if Tampa resigns Stamkos or let him walk so they can use the cap space to fill out the roster elsewhere.

 

[Tobias Kahun]

Maybe they should have LTIR"d again.

They don’t make the playoffs if they LTIR Kucherov

 

[bellagiobob]

Assuming we are next for signing another long term deal.

 

[yukoner88]

In other news it was a very somber day at work today in Vancouver. Rainy outside, all the Nucks fans already coming to terms with their inevitable loss.

That's what you get when you wave the white flag to open the seires

But Jason Gregor said everyones dumb for being scared of Vegas cause they suck.

But Jason Gregor like to suck Jason Gregor

 

[brentashton]

Assuming we are next for signing another long term deal.

Lol.

11 more years of mutual futility!

 

[Drivesaitl]

Snet are the known evil. If they get hockey at least I get to see the games. Prime getting involved is a gamechanger in that it involves going back to specific paid teir games where regular subscriptions don't do it. A continued parcelling out of games and requirement that I get more pay services will just inevitably cause me to say f*** it. Not doing it.

I don't pay for streaming services. Its my line in the sand, everybody has them. The NHL by partitioning with increased service providers is running the risk of what occurs in the states where viewers need subcriptions to watch.

Its Canada, NHL should be on basic TV and basic tiers. A move away from that is a WTF moment.

 

[Drivesaitl]

Lol.

11 more years of mutual futility!

Bad as they are I get them with my fairly basic service. I won't be subscribing to Prime and theres just no way I'm dialed into what the entertainment consortium wants, is for me to be paying 100's of bucks for whatever subscription services the NHL wants us to have to pay for. The Prime deal is the biggest news and its the trial balloon. We're going back to a playing field where most of the games won't be on regular TV. Kind of sad about that. Knew it was coming, I think its a mistake for the NHL.

I don't get the constant partitioning of TV and content. Programs are so limited now in reach because they are just found on certain streaming partitions. So that if a program is on Netflix, Prime etc I don't see it, and it doesn't even exist to me. Thats the risk with these specific stream ventures. Theres also the assumption that people will just buy all the subscriptions to view.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

Assuming we are next for signing another long term deal.

I'm not so sure about that. I'm wondering if this whole Oilers+ business is to move games onto that platform and eventually cutting out Sportsnet.

 

[K1984]

I'm not so sure about that. I'm wondering if this whole Oilers+ business is to move games onto that platform and eventually cutting out Sportsnet.

I'd be stunned if they went this direction unless they somehow got their own TV channel.

Pretty much every Oiler fan over the age of 50 would have a problem with this whether it's the principal of paying a fee or it being online or both.

 

[Fixed to Ruin]

I'd be stunned if they went this direction unless they somehow got their own TV channel.

Pretty much every Oiler fan over the age of 50 would have a problem with this whether it's the principal of paying a fee or it being online or both.

I don't think it happens all at once. Maybe they move the digital rights first. So if you want to watch the Oilers online (not on cable) you buy an oilers subscription instead of a Sportsnet streaming subscription but the games on cable continue to be presented on sportsnet. Perhaps at some point down the line they move all the regional games to their channel/platform.

Secondly, I don't think its that difficult to get a TV channel. I can watch OHL games if i wanted to buy the package from my cable provider. Leafs TV existed at one point. I'm sure Oilers TV could exist if the Oilers management wanted it.

 

[Drivesaitl]

I'd be stunned if they went this direction unless they somehow got their own TV channel.

Pretty much every Oiler fan over the age of 50 would have a problem with this whether it's the principal of paying a fee or it being online or both.

<raises my fist in the air> Well, you know what I'm like. lol

If it ain't free streaming I ain't buying.

jk aside market penetration of Oilers+ ain't that great, and the content not worth it. Similarly, with Prime depending on stat their market penetration in Canada is around 40%. Its problematic for NHL particularly to go this route in Canada. Hockey is already suffering here in partcipation levels in respect of other sports. My view is that NHL only has some Canadian viewers to begin with and less in younger age groups. By moving to streaming platforms you further isolate, and lose potential viewers as not everybody has, or will have those pay subscriptions. NHL has never learned their lesson in US that going to non basic tier subscription only providers just limits their exposure, potential viewers etc.

If NHL in Canada goes to non basic channels and pay streaming I'm out. Never paid for PPV broadcasts either and never will.

 

[BlackDogg]

Does the 11 year contract include the blips and delays in video feed?

Or is it actually only five years?

 

[Ritchie Valens]

I'd be stunned if they went this direction unless they somehow got their own TV channel.

Pretty much every Oiler fan over the age of 50 would have a problem with this whether it's the principal of paying a fee or it being online or both.

The Habs, Jets & Leafs have TSN deals. I could see them jumping ship to that network.

 

[Oilhawks]

What's this about renewing with Shitsnet? I thought Amazon got the next broadcasting deal?

f***ing Rogers

Does the 11 year contract include the blips and delays in video feed?

Or is it actually only five years?

An epitome of what you get when you have a near monopoly for a product

Glad they don't get a single dollar from me anymore

 

[joestevens29]

What's this about renewing with Shitsnet? I thought Amazon got the next broadcasting deal?

f***ing Rogers

Not all 82 games are with Sportsnet and teams are free to work with pretty much whoever they want for those games.

Hence why TSN has local broadcasting rights for x amount of games for some teams.

 

[RegDunlop]

I want to go back to ITV and let Tim Spellicy (sp?) piss around with Gene to host. Ha - whatever!

I'd like to separate from SN and TSN simply to have some western based pro Oiler content.

 

[K1984]

The Habs, Jets & Leafs have TSN deals. I could see them jumping ship to that network.

One can only hope.

Teams that have TSN as the local broadcast affiliate get their games in 4K, have all their pre-season games televised (even in small WPG/OTT markets) and get the likes of Cuthbert and Miller calling their games.

Night and day hands down better than Sportsnet in basically every facet.