Great Britain: How do YOU follow the NHL?

[Matt UK]

Football is my main sport but I absolutely love the NHL and keep getting sucked back into following it enthusiastically.

I used to subscribe to GCL until the Premier Sports blackout nonsense and usually follow the league by listening to the excellent Puck Podcast and the blogs over at SB Nation.

The problem I have though is each time I get drawn into following the league, within a few weeks I simply find myself giving up because I can't keep up with the amount of games.

Trying to watch highlights without finding out the result beforehand, I'd eventually find myself two or three days behind which got me wondering how do other people in UK or European time difference?

Do you watch lots of live games (or re-runs), just highlights each day or just read match reports?

Would really like to commit to follow the NHL but it just seems that because there's games every single night, it's a too much of a commitment! Any advice?

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[Alpine]

Football is my main sport but I absolutely love the NHL and keep getting sucked back into following it enthusiastically.

I used to subscribe to GCL until the Premier Sports blackout nonsense and usually follow the league by listening to the excellent Puck Podcast and the blogs over at SB Nation.

The problem I have though is each time I get drawn into following the league, within a few weeks I simply find myself giving up because I can't keep up with the amount of games.

Trying to watch highlights without finding out the result beforehand, I'd eventually find myself two or three days behind which got me wondering how do other people in UK or European time difference?

Do you watch lots of live games (or re-runs), just highlights each day or just read match reports?

Would really like to commit to follow the NHL but it just seems that because there's games every single night, it's a too much of a commitment! Any advice?

Just go to nhl.com every day and get extended hi-lites of every game. i live in Canada and like the extended hi-lites better than those on every TV channel

 

[nottchi]

I only follow 1 team so if they're not playing then i'm not bothered. I have GCL and Premier Sports so blackouts are not an issue for me but it's a lot of money, thankfully it's a once a year payment and done.
I stay up and watch every Blackhawks game. If there's an early game and nothing else on TV then I'll watch whoever is playing.

 

[Bagge]

Not a Brit, but from Denmark I think a lot of people (those who are interested in hockey anyway) follow the teams with Danish players on them intensely, especially NY Islanders because you can still get a couple of hours of sleep afterwards before going to work the next day and because our best player are there. Both Phoenix, Vancouver and Anaheim also have some of the better Danish players, but the timezones makes it a bit harder to follow. It will only be during weekends.

You can get all matches in Denmark for around 35 USD/month which I suspect that a growing number of viewers do. The Danish fans also have a number of volunteer facebook pages that updates all the news from abroad and from other european leagues also on a hourly basis. These pages are very popular and also reports from junior leagues, such as WHL and QMJHL.

 

[robwangjing]

I think not many people follow the NHL here, and those who do they read about it online. It's a bigger interest to follow the KHL because of the time difference and because northern China is where hockey is popular, and close to Russia. So for Chinese hockey is a Russian sport, more or less.

They do show NHL games in some pubs and bars, but it's mostly foreigner(Americans and Canadians) that watch those games. Also some Europeans.

If China had players in NHL teams I think it would be like Bagge said, that people would follow that team and perhaps even watch live games.

In Shanghai perhaps some people care about the Asian hockey league, but in the rest of China it's a league of no interest.

 

[AlanHUK]

GCL and read tsn at work

 

[I am not exposed]

I moved to Canada.

 

[Siamese Dream]

I find it difficult to watch the NHL these days as I find it to be increasingly boring hockey and struggle to stay up to watch it. I still care about my team though and check NHL.com every day and keep up with the main events and trades on HFBoards

 

[TorontoLeafer]

I wouldn't watch every game but a few if it's early enough or I'm not busy the next day. I usually just check the next morning then watch the highlights.

 

[Shrimper]

I watch every Penguins game if I can, normally keep up on twitter as well.

 

[Maccas]

I usually watch all the Canucks games that I am able to online. Admittedly though this isn't all that many games due to most of them being on at around 3am. I have updates coming through to my phone most of the time and I'll watch the highlights video for any games that I have missed before I go to work in the morning. I will watch other teams every now and again if it looks like it'll be a good game.

 

[chupanibre]

Hey guys, I'm not exactly British, born in Italy, grew up in Texas, came to the UK for university (cheaper for me), so I will give my 2 cents!

I'm a Flyers fan so the Eastern game times are not too bad (if you don't mind going slightly zombie the next day), but I do understand what you mean about losing track every now and again.

I tend to watch every Philly game I can, the ones I can't I just look at the final score the next day and the stats, I usually don't even bother with the replays unless I've heard that the goal/save/fight was unbelievable.

I do miss going to live games though...

Stick with it, hockey rules!

 

[kipkiernan]

I'm Irish, living in Scotland - I subscribe to Premier Sports so have NHL Tonight and live games almost every day.

I follow the Bruins and with their app, WEEI etc podcasts, the NHL app and the TV coverage I have no problem keeping up to date although it is something of a commitment. Doesn't help that I'm also into baseball. To be fair I'm spoiled this season as with the Red Sox being defending WS champions ESPN UK are showing a lot of their games. Good thing the Celtics are having an off year or I'd have no time to eat.

I just TiVo the Bruins games if I'm working next day and ignore the apps/Twitter until I get home. For any evening games not televised I usually try and catch at least the 1st period and get the result and highlights in the morning. Podcasts and listening to WEEI helps no end in keeping up with events.

 

[HabsByTheBay]

Podcasts, reading Habs blogs, torrents, NHL condensed games, and I have Premier Sports too. I've got long used to knowing what the result is - if anything it keeps me from investing time in a 5-0 loss.

But this is as good of a place as any to put this: anybody really hate Premier Sports' coverage? I'm not even going to go into the lack of HD, but it's just so amateurish. NHL Tonight is like a cable access show (American reference, can't think of a British equivalent) and the lack of intermissions content and intros really bothers me. I have no idea why I can't watch a Hockey Night in Canada intro, get the Coach's Corner and Hot Stove Content instead of two terrible presenters showing me day and a half old highlights.

I know for some people that's irrelevant but ESPN showed just as many hockey games and it felt like watching CBC. Premier Sports feels more like a pirated Internet stream. The entire network, much less its NHL content, is just so budget and poor that I feel almost embarrassed to watch games on it. I miss ESPN a lot.

Just had to get this off my chest.

 

[kipkiernan]

Podcasts, reading Habs blogs, torrents, NHL condensed games, and I have Premier Sports too. I've got long used to knowing what the result is - if anything it keeps me from investing time in a 5-0 loss.

But this is as good of a place as any to put this: anybody really hate Premier Sports' coverage? I'm not even going to go into the lack of HD, but it's just so amateurish. NHL Tonight is like a cable access show (American reference, can't think of a British equivalent) and the lack of intermissions content and intros really bothers me. I have no idea why I can't watch a Hockey Night in Canada intro, get the Coach's Corner and Hot Stove Content instead of two terrible presenters showing me day and a half old highlights.

I know for some people that's irrelevant but ESPN showed just as many hockey games and it felt like watching CBC. Premier Sports feels more like a pirated Internet stream. The entire network, much less its NHL content, is just so budget and poor that I feel almost embarrassed to watch games on it. I miss ESPN a lot.

Just had to get this off my chest.

It's utterly disgraceful for a paid channel - looks better in the small window when the channel guide is showing. If I didn't have TiVo I probably wouldn't bother but I do so I can watch full games back - still considering NHL player as an alternative but I was never able to find the ps3 app.

Obviously HD must cost more but the definition is really bad - has there ever been an explanation as to why it's this way?

At least they could buy some historic footage to stick on in between games -
If I have to watch the Blackhawks and their Cup ceremony one more time...

 

[HabsByTheBay]

It's utterly disgraceful for a paid channel - looks better in the small window when the channel guide is showing. If I didn't have TiVo I probably wouldn't bother but I do so I can watch full games back - still considering NHL player as an alternative but I was never able to find the ps3 app.

Obviously HD must cost more but the definition is really bad - has there ever been an explanation as to why it's this way?

At least they could buy some historic footage to stick on in between games -
If I have to watch the Blackhawks and their Cup ceremony one more time...

I've legitimately streamed games online from Wiziwig in better definition than Premier Sports. I've got a job and the Habs are still in it, so I'm basically paying for the TiVo function.

I really feel like the NHL sold out fans by moving away from ESPN. Of course, it's an open question how long ESPN UK has left - but it does seem like BT Sport is willing to keep around a US sports channel. The money isn't worth it, IMO.

 

[kipkiernan]

I've legitimately streamed games online from Wiziwig in better definition than Premier Sports. I've got a job and the Habs are still in it, so I'm basically paying for the TiVo function.

I really feel like the NHL sold out fans by moving away from ESPN. Of course, it's an open question how long ESPN UK has left - but it does seem like BT Sport is willing to keep around a US sports channel. The money isn't worth it, IMO.

I'm looking forward to the Bruins-Habs, should ramp up the intensity by several notches to say the least. Kelly isn't even skating yet but looks like Paille is on the way back so a full Merlot line should be on the ice.

Last night's coverage of the Flyers/Rangers on Prem Sports dropped to new lows - jumpy, grainy 3rd hand footage with NHL Tonight from the previous night stupidly jammed in between Periods 2 and 3 and then again after the game - so Game 6 highlights on AFTER Game 7. At least once a week I'd love to see HNIC on there instead of that rubbish - apparently if you can shout 'johnny on the spot' a few times you're hired as a pundit. CBC could prob do with the money too.

They clearly base their coverage on the fact that fans over here are desperate and have no alternative. If Sky picked up the NHL I'd happily jump from Virgin to their similarly crappy platform.

ESPN is still half decent with good baseball coverage - and in HD.

 

[HabsByTheBay]

Having watched NHL Network in the US it's not a real channel. It's basically an avenue to broadcast some out of market games and Hockey Night in Canada to American viewers. The highlights show is obviously produced on the cheap as content for when that's not happening. It's pretty sad compared to MLB Network or NFL Network.

 

[HabsByTheBay]

Redneck racing tonight over Boston-Montreal?

Are you *****ing kidding me?

 

[DrewUKisles]

Football is my main sport but I absolutely love the NHL and keep getting sucked back into following it enthusiastically.

I used to subscribe to GCL until the Premier Sports blackout nonsense and usually follow the league by listening to the excellent Puck Podcast and the blogs over at SB Nation.

The problem I have though is each time I get drawn into following the league, within a few weeks I simply find myself giving up because I can't keep up with the amount of games.

Trying to watch highlights without finding out the result beforehand, I'd eventually find myself two or three days behind which got me wondering how do other people in UK or European time difference?

Do you watch lots of live games (or re-runs), just highlights each day or just read match reports?

Would really like to commit to follow the NHL but it just seems that because there's games every single night, it's a too much of a commitment! Any advice?

very similar to yourself matt, though never had a problem with premier sports mind? do the same following the blogs on lighthouse hockey (SB nation) sportshoopla amongst other sites...find bleacher report and the hockey news as being a bit of a lifesaver too...shame the latter is so bloody expensive to subscribe too here.

Its crazy really, the capital FM arena is virtually at the end of the street I live on (mere 5 minute walk away) similar distance to bunkers hill my local which is run by a huge nottm panthers fan, yet still find the NHL far easier to follow than the EIHL which doesnt get barely any exposure IMO.

 

[DrewUKisles]

It's utterly disgraceful for a paid channel - looks better in the small window when the channel guide is showing. If I didn't have TiVo I probably wouldn't bother but I do so I can watch full games back - still considering NHL player as an alternative but I was never able to find the ps3 app.

Obviously HD must cost more but the definition is really bad - has there ever been an explanation as to why it's this way?

At least they could buy some historic footage to stick on in between games -
If I have to watch the Blackhawks and their Cup ceremony one more time...

I do totally agree with this! mustve seen that 'hawks banner ceremony about 30/40 times now...really does grate. will always go with recording the games the following day after a live game on premier sport, as they remove all the random intermissions during the periods and remove the NHL network round ups during the breaks, thats no issue for me as they get repeated often enough in a day as it is so never miss out

 

[DrewUKisles]

Not a Brit, but from Denmark I think a lot of people (those who are interested in hockey anyway) follow the teams with Danish players on them intensely, especially NY Islanders because you can still get a couple of hours of sleep afterwards before going to work the next day and because our best player are there.

frans nielsen newly crowned isles player of the season... well deserved too! been so consistent this season.

 

[Clarkey311]

As Flyers fan studying up in Scotland I try to watch as many games as possible live.

I was going to invest in Premier Sport and watched Game 5 of the Flyer - Pens series on their free weekend pass a couple years ago. The free pass expired with 15 mins left in the 3rd, knew then to stay away! Not to mention its in SD and tape delayed. I read on their site that it'd cost them a silly amount to re-activate the Rodgers/HNIC feed so they only use USA feeds.

Despite the annoyance of the blackouts on Gamecentre live app, you can easily bypass this by changing your IP address via a VPN or manually configuring them via xbox live in the same way as Netflix is done.

As for podcasts check out Marek vs Wyshinski - by far my favourite. It's a more relaxed and entertaining take on the latest news from around the league.

 

[Siamese Dream]

It's all about the Hockey Reality stream

 

[3 Minute Minor]

It's all about the Hockey Reality stream

I thought for sure you were going to say you follow the NHL 30 minutes after the broadcast starts