USA-Russia QF out-rated by TV Poker on ESPN

[Epsilon]

I do understand your point, but it's exactly about the Nordiques and the Jets that some fan think of when they state that a poker game should not attract more viewer in the US then a hockey game. It's easy to say 'get over it' but try to live without your favorite sport team forever and then come back on this board an find that some card game got more TV viewer then hockey in the country that your favorite team is now playing in....

I'm not saying you are wrong, but just to understand a little more the meaning of all this...(God those Mtl-Que games where exciting !)

It means absolutely nothing. Celebrity Boxing and Man vs. Beast got better ratings than just about any hockey game I can think of. That doesn't mean hockey is suddenly "behind them" as a sport.

 

[Mountain Dude]

Yet the NHL wouldn't exist today if it wasn't for American teams and American dollars. It's romantic to suggest bringing back the Nordiques or Jets, but it's not going to happen with the current economic climate.

Yeah, thanks alot America, we really needed your help with the NHL.

We needed you to jack up the prices on all of players, we needed you to take teams out of places that truly do love hockey and put them in places where nobody has seen a puck before. We needed all those franchises so you could filter down the skill levels, we needed you to complain about the fighting and violence so the instigator rule could be put in.

The NHL would still exist without American help, it would probably be in better shape too.

 

[CRAZY_FAN]

Yeah, thanks alot America, we really needed your help with the NHL.

We needed you to jack up the prices on all of players, we needed you to take teams out of places that truly do love hockey and put them in places where nobody has seen a puck before. We needed all those franchises so you could filter down the skill levels, we needed you to complain about the fighting and violence so the instigator rule could be put in.

The NHL would still exist without American help, it would probably be in better shape too.

You should blame Bettman not the Americans....

 

[Leaf Army]

Yeah, thanks alot America, we really needed your help with the NHL.

We needed you to jack up the prices on all of players, we needed you to take teams out of places that truly do love hockey and put them in places where nobody has seen a puck before. We needed all those franchises so you could filter down the skill levels, we needed you to complain about the fighting and violence so the instigator rule could be put in.

The NHL would still exist without American help, it would probably be in better shape too.

That's not fair.

I don't see how you can blame all that stuff on the average American hockey fan.

 

[Mountain Dude]

You should blame Bettman not the Americans....

And what nationality is Bettman?

 

[Mountain Dude]

That's not fair.

I don't see how you can blame all that stuff on the average American hockey fan.

I'm definetly not blaming them, but I'm not ever going to thank them for the NHL existing. Especially considering the state its in.

 

[Stammer Time*]

And what nationality is Bettman?

Thats like saying a hockey player shouldn't hire a Canadian agent just because Alan Eagleson is Canadian.

 

[CRAZY_FAN]

And what nationality is Bettman?

One Canadian commits a crime,
I'm Canadian,
So I'm a criminal....!

I dont understand your logic...

 

[DownFromNJ]

Poker get huge ratings in the US.

Literally, I think 5 different channels now broadcast different poker tournaments. It is one of ESPN's biggest draws.

Bowling? If Bowling were broadcast every day, it wouldn't get squat for ratings. However, people will watch it when it is broadcast once a month. Its called curiousity.

 

[Fish on The Sand]

I'm definetly not blaming them, but I'm not ever going to thank them for the NHL existing. Especially considering the state its in.

nhl never would have been formed to begin without without america.

 

[avalanche_country]

world series of poker RULES !!!!!!!!!! It is really popular here in the US. I was flipping back and forth. People outside of the US should not comment on what they think the US needs or wants as far as entertainment goes.

Hockey is like the 5th most popular sport in the US , maybe even 6th or 7th now. If canada is such a hockey crazed place , then why do you need the US ?? oh that is right you cannot keep teams afloat even up there......

some of you people need to take off the ignorance blinders !


p.s the world cup has been anything but awesome !

 

[kurt]

The Success of Hockey in the US

I'm not at all surprised that the WSOP outrated USA/Russia. I was in Montana during the 2002 Olympic Gold Medal game, en-route to Salt Lake City for the closing ceremonies. I watched the game in a sports bar with a friend, and we had to watch the game on a small TV in the corner of the pub, because everybody in there was watching NASCAR on the big screen. How's that for a culture shock?

When you think about it, and think about what makes sport appealing, it's no longer so surprising. Automobiles are a major part of American culture, while hockey has never really been in he mainstream of recreational sport in the US. In Canada, hockey is one of the biggest elements of our culture. Generally speaking, American children don't grow up playing pond hockey in the winter, or grow up watching their countrymen dominate their sport on the World's stage. The hockey environment in Canada, as well as Russia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and even Finland and Slovakia, is MUCH different from that of the United States.

I don't think the success of hockey in the US market is something that can be drastically improved with something so simple as a great marketing scheme. I think that, if it becomes popular at all, it will be a much more gradual process, and it has to start at the ground level, with the development of minor hockey, and the continued success of US national teams. It's still doubtful it will ever be a major draw of TV ratings though, as much of the US doesn't experience the same sort of winter climate that these other countries enjoy, which allows for the outdoor recreational hockey.

One last thing I'd like to touch on is the medium of television. For someone not well versed in hockey, the sport is extremely difficult to watch on TV. Television cameras only capture the activity on approximately 1/4 of the ice at any given time. When a team is starting a rush out of their own end, it's hard to recognize scoring opportunities, and see plays develop. For example, if you see forwards streaking out of their end leading the rush up ice, they appear to be in the clear leaving the zone until they reach the far blueline, where the defensemen suddenly enter the picture to protect their zone. If you don't know the game well, and are not able to recognize when a defenseman has been caught pinching and a 3-on-1 is heading up the ice, the scoring opportunity isn't recognizeable. I may be way off base on this one, but I just don't see it as being a viewer-friendly game for the layperson. Most Canadians have played the game at some level, or seen enough games live, whether it be junior, minor, or whatever, to recognize the basic system of the game.

 

[kurt]

Blaming the US?

By the way, be careful with the fingerpointing when you're talking about the NHL's problems. Keep in mind, in the beginning of the NHL, Canada only had 2 of the 6 franchises. You could just as easily say that the Toronto Maple Leafs are to blame for the inflation of player salaries.

 

[JLand]

WSOP
Bowling
National Christmas Tree Decorating Competition (qualifying rounds) LIVE from Nebraska
SportsCenter reruns x 15

They'd show all of those before even giving thought to airing any hockey. I hope tomorrow's game doesn't go into OT, because God forbid they can't miss a round of poker (altho I think the poker is on ESPN...the game's on ESPN2)...but you get the idea.

 

[Sotnos]

People outside of the US should not comment on what they think the US needs or wants as far as entertainment goes.

No doubt, but that would deprive some people of their favorite topic, apparently.

 

[Vic Rattlehead*]

People don't watch the WSOP because it's thrilling and exciting.



People watch it so they can study the best players in the world and what they do so they can go to the card table and do it themselves. They watch their actions and their strategies, and anyone who is into gambling and card games would probably be wise to do the same.

I watch it because it's thrilling and exciting

 

[Papa Smurf]

nhl never would have been formed to begin without without america.

Considering that the NHL was formed in Montreal and featured more Canadian teams than American teams originally, yes, the NHL would have most certainly began with or without America.

(And yes, the NHL is still considered a Canadian league, or atleast it should be.)

 

[JLand]

Pompous Inc. (John Sterling & Charlie Steiner) should switch to poker. They're already more boring than the game itself so they'd fit in perfectly.

"That card is high....it's gonna be. FULL HOUSE!"

 

[Terrier]

Does anyone know how hockey ratings typically compare to basketball ratings in the US?

With regards to Boston, Bruins games have generally outrated Celtics basketball games in recent years. The Bruins drew solid numbers for their playoff games in April while the Celtics' playoff games suffered lower ratings than the local Major League Soccer team. WBZ, the Boston market's top radio signal, has carried Bruins games for several years. The only time I ever tune in the Celtics' station is for a weekly hockey show. Love of hockey, despite our frustrations with Bruins management, is not an issue here. Consider that at that the major universities around here(i.e., BU, BC, UMass), hockey is a bigger draw than basketball.


P.S. In the U.S., with the exception of the NFL, NASCAR leaves everything in the dust anyways.

 

[avalanche_country]

You people talking crap about poker sound like the same ones who talk crap about hockey w/o watching it , knowing anything about it or caring . "it's boring , blah blah " one in the same.....

In this wonderful country of the US we have many options as too what we want to watch or enjoy. We do not get a certain sport rammed down our throats, we can pick and choose what we play, watch or pay to see. I wish hockey was the most poular sport in the world but it is not and never will be. NFL is my second fav. sport and I could only hope we had 4 hour pregame shows like the NFl does on 3 different stations.

I will give canada credit for one thing of having the drinking age only being 18. Growing up in north dakota it was an easy drive to winnipeg for a weekend of drinking.

I am just glad baseball is not the #1 sport here. I'd move :lol

 

[Papa Smurf]

You people talking crap about poker sound like the same ones who talk crap about hockey w/o watching it , knowing anything about it or caring . "it's boring , blah blah " one in the same.....

In this wonderful country of the US we have many options as too what we want to watch or enjoy. We do not get a certain sport rammed down our throats, we can pick and choose what we play, watch or pay to see. I wish hockey was the most poular sport in the world but it is not and never will be. NFL is my second fav. sport and I could only hope we had 4 hour pregame shows like the NFl does on 3 different stations.

I will give canada credit for one thing of having the drinking age only being 18. Growing up in north dakota it was an easy drive to winnipeg for a weekend of drinking.

I am just glad baseball is not the #1 sport here. I'd move :lol

Lucky you. Here in Communist Canada we do not get options to watch whatever we want, we either have to watch NHL hockey or CFL football. If we don't we get exiled to Watson, Yukon. Our leader Paulamir Stalin Martinov Lenin gives no other choice.

As for the drinking age, yes in many parts it is only at age 18 when we are legal, but if we drink anything besides Molson, Labatt, Kokanee or Alexander Keith, we will be sent to a chamber and get shot in the back of the head.

I really hope one day my country will get the freedom of choice that the great USA has.

 

[Postman]

(And yes, the NHL is still considered a Canadian league, or atleast it should be.)

Why should it be?

I look at the NHL as pretty much an international league, because to me, it's both Canadian AND American with players from all over the world. Anyone that looks at it simply as just American or just Canadian is a bit too caught up in nationalistic pride.

 

[Papa Smurf]

Why should it be?

I look at the NHL as pretty much an international league, because to me, it's both Canadian AND American with players from all over the world. Anyone that looks at it simply as just American or just Canadian is a bit too caught up in nationalistic pride.

I dont mean Canadian in terms of how many players who are from Canada. I mean Canadian on the fact that the NHL started in Canada (A Montreal hotel cafe to be exact), and was started by all Canadians.

I'm not saying that everyone should look at the NHL as being an all-Canadian league, but simply just a Canadian league since it started here and grew here.


Lets put it this way, if the NHL was a person he/she would be a Canadian born and raised with American and European citizenships.

 

[Postman]

I dont mean Canadian in terms of how many players who are from Canada. I mean Canadian on the fact that the NHL started in Canada (A Montreal hotel cafe to be exact), and was started by all Canadians.

I'm not saying that everyone should look at the NHL as being an all-Canadian league, but simply just a Canadian league since it started here and grew here.

Well its roots are definitely Canadian, but the current state of the league is a lot different than when it started. It's grown just as much with America's involvement as it has with Canada's, so I still don't see why it should be looked at as a Canadian league in its current state.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Well put Postman.

This whole United States vs. Canada "debate" is getting pretty asinine. I registered on here to talk hockey and read up on insights about the game, not listen to a bunch of children hurl vitrol at each other.