What is the best Stanley Cup final possible from a business of the NHL perspective?

[Impossibles]

I'm thinking in terms of excitement, drama, the ability to generate interest, and create a bit of a buzz for the NHL.

I'm thinking maybe a Carolina/San Jose final? The games should be unreal, both teams come from sports crazy regions, and those teams have the most star players.

Discuss.

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[burgundynblue]

Avs-Ottawa. Two craziest hockey regions.

 

[Malo]

edmonton and buffalo, all of canada would be behind edmonton

 

[Chileiceman]

Buffalo-San Jose

 

[CF]

edmonton and buffalo, all of canada would be behind edmonton

You can speak for yourself.

 

[OG6ix]

Buffalo-San Jose

I agree. Eventhough buffalo, as a city, is not big in population anymore, but all the surrounding areas of WNY back the sabres.

 

[weaponomega]

edmonton and buffalo, all of canada would be behind edmonton

All of Canada? Not Calgary.

 

[Hercules Rockefeller]

Edmonton - Buffalo

 

[rt]

Kings V. Rangers

 

[CF]

All of Canada? Not Calgary.

And not Vancouver.

 

[Hartford HockeyFan]

Carolina, San Jose, Buffalo, Anaheim. Those will be the best for the business of the NHL. I think Carolina especially because it proves they were right to move from Hartford. Their attendance will be up and same with revenue and everything else that goes with the playoffs.

Go Canes Go!!

 

[Impossibles]

Kings V. Rangers

I said 'possible'...I meant this year.

 

[NJD Jester]

Carolina, San Jose, Buffalo, Anaheim. Those will be the best for the business of the NHL. I think Carolina especially because it proves they were right to move from Hartford. Their attendance will be up and same with revenue and everything else that goes with the playoffs.

Go Canes Go!!

Wow...that's an optimistic post if I've ever seen one.

From a ratings/"casual fan" (God I hate that term) perspective, Buffalo and San Jose might be the top choice. From a game-play standpoint...Carolina and Edmonton skating up and down for seven games would be really interesting.

 

[JACKETfan]

Interesting question....but will any team make a difference?

You could put Gretsky vs Mario back on the ice and most people would never know it was on OLN. Though OLN has done a nice job this year of presenting. Mediaweek reported that the NHL on NBC ratings were down 21% this year compared to 2004.

For a Network Final:
DEEtroit Red Wings have one of the BIGGEST fan bases coast to coast. But my guess is that it has shrunk now that Ohio has the Blue Jackets. Deetroit may be wearying of the Wings as well. This stat has been widely quoted: the Pistons are now out-drawing the Wings on TV in the Detroit area.

Successful Teams in certain regions have not translated into better TV ratings.
Dallas for example, had lower tv ratings in 06 than previous years, but was doing better on the ice.

My Blue Jackets posted an impressive viewership GAIN from 2004, 69% for their opening month. Minnesota Wild were up 150% first month of 2006.
But those are relatively SMALL TV markets compared to East and West Coast.

IMHO, Ratings would be helped by a slightly shorter season, and a shorter playoff run. 7 Games in the first round? I love hockey, but it's complete overkill, especially if you watch more than one team. And it puts the Cup on the tube at a terrible time of year when people like to get outside more.

 

[Injektilo]

Knowing that every round the Oilers advance just pisses off Bettman even more is the cherry on the icing on the cake.

 

[NYIsles1*]

A team from Canada in the finals brings 3m viewers with them, Calgary did and so will Edmonton. Also the Canadian media is badly needed to hype hockey.

 

[GWhale*]

Hartford vs. Winnipeg

It would bring back all the fans the NHL has lost in recent years!

 

[GKJ]

Or Kings-Flyers.

Good thing I'm not a businessman, I'd die watching that.

 

[Hartford HockeyFan]

Hartford vs. Winnipeg

It would bring back all the fans the NHL has lost in recent years!

I think they meant teams actually in existence, not defunct and gone teams. Good try though.

 

[GWhale*]

I think they meant teams actually in existence, not defunct and gone teams. Good try though.

Good one.. you should be on Leno.

 

[AdmiralPred]

Knowing that every round the Oilers advance just pisses off Bettman even more is the cherry on the icing on the cake.

Why?

============================================

In the "New" NHL (I really do not like that term), almost any combination of teams remianing are capable of selling the game. They may not be Crosby or Ovechkin, but there is a lot of up-and-comming talent on all teams remaining to be good business for the League.

A team from Canada in the finals brings 3m viewers with them, Calgary did and so will Edmonton. Also the Canadian media is badly needed to hype hockey.

How much of an impact will the Canadian media have in the States? And if someone in the States cares not to watch, what difference is it going to make which media delivers? Compitition with the NBA Finals in the States will be another factor.

 

[David Puddy]

Knowing that every round the Oilers advance just pisses off Bettman even more is the cherry on the icing on the cake.

You can thank Bettman for there being a team in Edmonton. It was Bettman that set up the compensation for financially struggling Canadian teams when the Canadian dollar was doing poorly against the U.S. dollar. He also fought for the new CBA with a salary cap. That helped make it possible for Edmonton to trade for Chris Pronger.

 

[David Puddy]

Here the ranks of homes with televisions according to Nielsen Media Research, linked here.

[U]RANK	CITY	TV HOMES	% of USA[/U]
 6. 	San Jose	2,355,740 	2.137 
29.	Raleigh	  985,200 	0.894 
49.	Buffalo	  644,430	 	0.585

I don't have the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement numbers for Edmonton. I was wondering how much more Canadians would watch the Finals if there was a team from Canada?

 

[GWhale*]

Here the ranks of homes with televisions according to Nielsen Media Research, linked here.

[U]RANK	CITY	TV HOMES	% of USA[/U]
 6. 	[B]San Jose[/B]	2,355,740 	2.137 
29.	Raleigh	  985,200 	0.894 
49.	Buffalo	  644,430	 	0.585

I don't have the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement numbers for Edmonton. I was wondering how much more Canadians would watch the Finals if there was a team from Canada?

You mean San Francisco-Oak-San Jose which is not the same thing. San Jose is pretty far from San Francisco, thus there may not be an abundance of Sharks fans in that whole market.

 

[puckhead103*]

Why?

============================================

In the "New" NHL (I really do not like that term), almost any combination of teams remianing are capable of selling the game. They may not be Crosby or Ovechkin, but there is a lot of up-and-comming talent on all teams remaining to be good business for the League.



How much of an impact will the Canadian media have in the States? And if someone in the States cares not to watch, what difference is it going to make which media delivers? Compitition with the NBA Finals in the States will be another factor.

must be a winnipeg jet fan from this website--->www.jetsowner.com

however, that bloke does have a point.....a canadian team against US team or a canadian final will result in low TV ratings in the US...

i've heard a saying by sport critics say that tv execs get heart attacks if there were a canadian final on US tv....the ratings will not be there...

i would like to know the US tv ratings during the last time the cup finals had both canadian franchises....

i remember taping the flames/habs final in 1989....the only tv channel that televised the final was SportsChannel America...which still hadn't reached to every US household.........similar to what OLN is facing...