ESPN wants the NHL?

Raptor

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Nov 19, 2006
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For the past month or so, I have seen a lot more NHL coverage on SportsCenter, and earlier too, not just in the 50th minute of the show...they even showed college hockey highlights once or twice! Plus, the ESPN website has a LOT more NHL news on its front page, and even put the NHL in front of NASCAR and Autos...I know this is all really small things, but do you think ESPN would want to bring back the NHL on their network? The exclusive cable contract with Versus expires after the 07-08 season, so maybe "The Worldwide Leader in Sports" would already pick up the third-biggest sport in the world (behind soccer and basketball)?
 

GarretJoseph*

Guest
For the past month or so, I have seen a lot more NHL coverage on SportsCenter, and earlier too, not just in the 50th minute of the show...they even showed college hockey highlights once or twice! Plus, the ESPN website has a LOT more NHL news on its front page, and even put the NHL in front of NASCAR and Autos...I know this is all really small things, but do you think ESPN would want to bring back the NHL on their network? The exclusive cable contract with Versus expires after the 07-08 season, so maybe "The Worldwide Leader in Sports" would already pick up the third-biggest sport in the world (behind soccer and basketball)?

Hopefully. VS sucks.
 

Brad*

Guest
For the past month or so, I have seen a lot more NHL coverage on SportsCenter, and earlier too, not just in the 50th minute of the show...they even showed college hockey highlights once or twice! Plus, the ESPN website has a LOT more NHL news on its front page, and even put the NHL in front of NASCAR and Autos...I know this is all really small things, but do you think ESPN would want to bring back the NHL on their network? The exclusive cable contract with Versus expires after the 07-08 season, so maybe "The Worldwide Leader in Sports" would already pick up the third-biggest sport in the world (behind soccer and basketball)?
None of this means that ESPN wants the NHL. Rather, it means you personally witnessed more hockey-related coverage in the last month. ESPN may or may not actually have shown more hockey. Either way, I highly doubt ESPN wants the NHL back. It just isn't a good draw.
 

LVIsles*

Guest
None of this means that ESPN wants the NHL. Rather, it means you personally witnessed more hockey-related coverage in the last month. ESPN may or may not actually have shown more hockey. Either way, I highly doubt ESPN wants the NHL back. It just isn't a good draw.

I have a hard time believing fly fishing and repeated poker championships get better ratings then a NHL game but I could be wrong
 

techtroll

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Jan 28, 2007
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Bob McCown on Sportsnet has been saying for some time that his sources tell him ESPN wants to "get back into it," because they have "a gigantic hole in their schedule." Is that wishful thinking on his part? I don't know.
 

Boocock

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Feb 3, 2007
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Bob McCown on Sportsnet has been saying for some time that his sources tell him ESPN wants to "get back into it," because they have "a gigantic hole in their schedule." Is that wishful thinking on his part? I don't know.
They do show College Basketball for "Big Monday", "Super Tuesday", "ACC Wendesday", and "Throwdown Thursday". At which point, they show NBA Basketball on Friday, College Basketball Saturday, and a special presentation on Sunday, usually some sort of basketball or figure skating.

That is a whole lot of basketball.

I'd like to see ESPN get NHL rights for the days of the week Versus and NBC aren't covering. I'm sure they would like to too. With young superstars such as Sid Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Vince Lecavalier, Danny Briere, Marian Hossa, Joey Thornton, Dany Heatley, Jason Spezza, Evgeni Malkin, Eric Staal, Jordan Staal, Henrik Zetterberg, Patrick Marleau, Ilya Kovalchuk, Martin Havlat, Thomas Vanek, and Alex Semin taking over the NHL, just to name a few, I'd like a piece of that puzzle too.
 

wesf23

Registered User
Jan 19, 2007
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probably afraid their new nascar show is gonna tank, i mean why give so much coverage for the Non Athletic Sport Centered Around Rednecks and make the commentator a former 6'10 nba player:biglaugh:
 

MayDay

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Oct 21, 2005
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Pleasantville, NY
Plus, the ESPN website has a LOT more NHL news on its front page, and even put the NHL in front of NASCAR and Autos...

I don't remember who at ESPN said it, but in response to a question about this once, they said that the order of the sports at ESPN.com (along the top of the page) is based strictly on page clicks. If more people are clicking on the NHL tab, then it will move up. It's not a judgment by ESPN about which sports are most important.
 

OG6ix

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Apr 11, 2006
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They should go back to ESPN, I don't care if it's on the deuce, it's better than VS which is horrid.
 

jerseydevil

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Mar 9, 2003
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ESPN absolutely wants the NHL....they just don't want to pay big bucks up front like versus offered...Espn used the numbers against the NHL and Versus said "we don't care, we'll still pay a big rights fee"...Espn would take them back in a heartbeat for the right deal...
 

letsgoflyers75

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Aug 11, 2004
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Versus can keep Monday and Tuesday nights. ESPN can take other weeknights.

I have no problem with Versus but until they step up their other programming it's going to continue to be considered a joke by a lot of people, which doesn't bode well for the NHL. A lot of people keep ESPN on all the time while they're around the house. That kind of exposure can't possibly be bad for the league.
 

jkrdevil

UnRegistered User
Apr 24, 2006
42,636
12,485
Miami
I have no doubt that ESPN want s the NHL back getting them back means that the idea of Versus as a possible competitor is ended. AS long as the NHL is on Versus that could lead to the possibility of another league going there which would mean full compitition with Comcast who has the money to compete.

Now how much coverage they want to give the NHL if it comes back is another thing.
 

EbencoyE

Registered User
Nov 26, 2006
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The current Nascar Champ is from California.
Before him from Indiana
Before him from Nevada
Before him Wisonsin

All four of which are probably some of the biggest redneck states in the country except for California (though they still have a decent redneck population). I fail to see your point.
 

EbencoyE

Registered User
Nov 26, 2006
1,958
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Versus can keep Monday and Tuesday nights. ESPN can take other weeknights.

I have no problem with Versus but until they step up their other programming it's going to continue to be considered a joke by a lot of people, which doesn't bode well for the NHL. A lot of people keep ESPN on all the time while they're around the house. That kind of exposure can't possibly be bad for the league.

Sure, the exposure for the league would be good and I agree completely.

But as a hockey fan who wants the best possible product, I think I should be allowed to be selfish and say that I'd rather the NHL stay on Versus so I can get good coverage instead of what ESPN would give us. (Relegation to the deuce, intermissions full of news nobody cares about like Barry Bonds or T.O., no pre or post game shows, no extra hockey coverage, and insult after insult from other ESPN personalities on their shows (Jim Rome, ATH, PTI, etc)

So I'll take Versus over all that. Even if the NHL gets 0 publicity because of it. Us hardcore fans deserve good coverage. Forget the casual fans if it means us getting screwed over.
 

Brad*

Guest
I have a hard time believing fly fishing and repeated poker championships get better ratings then a NHL game but I could be wrong
I find it funny when people juxtapose hockey's ratings with those of rarely-shown events like Poker, as if it's a valid comparison.
 

Kenadyan

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Jul 23, 2003
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ESPN treated the NHL like a red-headed step-child when they had the broadcast rights. Why would things be any different now?? :dunno:

ESPN's hockey coverage sucked the final two years before the lockout.

They also did away with NHL2Night about 5 years ago. I still don't understand the motivation behind that move. It was one of the few places where I could get any hockey coverage, and then one night John Buccigrass announces that this is their last show. No warning whatsoever.

***??

I get VS on DirecTV, so I hope ESPN never gets the broadcast rights to the NHL again.

You ever heard of the saying, "fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me". That should be the NHL's attitude toward ESPN.
 

Machiavelli

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Dec 18, 2006
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I could see ESPN buying broadcast rights in the near future, at least id hopes so. Without the nhl, and with football, and baseball season being over, they show like 50% basketball 50% garbage(ie. poker, fishing, darts!?!, arm wrestling!?!, nascar, cheerleading?!?) and all other time past the 100% percent mark is sportscentre. Especailly during the winter theyd probably want at least a legit sport like hockey to come back to fill its timeslots.
 

Evil Janney

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Jul 12, 2004
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No Football and Baseball right now and ESPN treats basketball like hockey when it comes to highlights.
 

Tinalera

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Feb 3, 2007
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To hear Mr Bettman when he was interviewed by Bob McCowan a couple of days ago, he seems to be quite thrilled at the growth(he said it, not me)on Vs. He said Versus is opening up in "8 million more homes", ect. If I heard right, he also implied that even if he wanted to talk to ESPN, he couldn't because he's currently under contract to Versus.

I too am curious as to why ESPN wants back in again. Is it because of the traffic for the NHL on the website? Are they seeing stuff with the Nascar trend they don't like? Or is it, as was posted earlier, simply that they have a huge hole in their schedule(although when they ESPN was talking about all the programming that was garnering more ratings than the NHL, it shouldn't be that hard, should it ;))?
 

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