What is your interest level right now?

[Boxscore]

The hockey has been awful to watch especially teams like Dallas , NYI and Philly .

I'm a Flyers fan I agree with you completely. The Flyers are among the most boring teams in the NHL. The Flyers-Islanders series was like watching PBS--grotesquely dull.

 

[Boxscore]

If it was Dallas vs NYI I actually might have just not watched the finals at all.

Ditto.

 

[dlawong]

Playoff in general needs more goals to be more exciting. Teams go down block almost every single shot and pass can lead to boring games.

How about only allow blocked shots* in the 3rd period to make games more exciting. This definitely means more goals and also reduce potential player injuries.

Alternatively, block shots* ok 5 on 5 but not on PP - will definitely produce more goals and deter penalties which slow down the games.

*Falling down to block not allowed. Accidental blocks ok

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

Same thing all playoffs long... almost painful to watch.

Game 2 of the finals was as good as it has gotten in the longest of times. But it looks as Dallas has the edge in the series, that was a giant hiccup of three goals let in the first otherwise they were fine.

 

[ViD]

Same thing all playoffs long... almost painful to watch.

Game 2 of the finals was as good as it has gotten in the longest of times. But it looks as Dallas has the edge in the series, that was a giant hiccup of three goals let in the first otherwise they were fine.

Well they won’t make the same mistake in pissing off Kucherov again so other guys also need to step up

 

[Eternal Leaf]

I won't lie, it's been a dull affair so far.

Hockey in general has become way too rigid during the playoffs and it seems to suck the creativity out of flashy teams too.

And then if you're truly unlucky, there are series where both teams muck it up in the neutral zone and it becomes impossible to watch unless you're a fan of that team.

 

[GretzkytoKurri9917]

This is more interesting.

 

[PAZ]

why is everyone around here so obsessed with what kind of ratings the NHL gets, its not like hockey is going to die because a million people didnt turn their TV on..

It's actually pretty important, especially with a new TV deal coming up as a large part of the negotiation is based on ratings. No, it's not going to die but if the NHL wants to gain more traction viewership is important.

 

[Merrrlin]

I forgot last night's game was on The highlights made it seem like it was a good game, though.

 

[LarKing]

Same thing all playoffs long... almost painful to watch.

Game 2 of the finals was as good as it has gotten in the longest of times. But it looks as Dallas has the edge in the series, that was a giant hiccup of three goals let in the first otherwise they were fine.

Dallas was on the power play for half the second period. Otherwise Tampa has mostly dominated. Khudobin is the reason it’s 1-1.

 

[Paperbagofglory]

Money grab? You understand with no fans in the crowd, there is no revenue stream right?

The league is spending hundreds of millions of dollars to host these playoffs and create these bubbles.

You might want to look up whos covering the cost of the bubble sites. I will give you a hint, its not the NHL.

 

[Blues0307]

No interest level at all this playoffs, this year will have a big asterisk from me. The top teams didn't look like they did prior to the stoppage, and the games that I've watched have been really boring. They don't look or feel like playoff games at all. It's a shame that the season had to be stopped, it's not the NHL's fault, but we're finishing the season with a tournament rather than a true playoffs IMO.

 

[FerrisRox]

You might want to look up whos covering the cost of the bubble sites. I will give you a hint, its not the NHL.

I don't need to look anything up. I have friends inside the bubble and others that have been contracted to do work for the bubbles.

Are you trying to claim the NHL isn't paying massive hotel, staging and food bills? Who do you think is?

 

[Paperbagofglory]

Pro sports are actually in trouble. They priced regular families out of games and the product for the most part has gotten worse. Not only that but twitter and social media has exposed how stupid celebrities and athletes are. We always knew they were out of touch with reality but now it seems like the pr people have a nightmare on their hands trying to make these people seem reasonably sane. The low ratings are problematic for the NHL since they have always had lower ratings compared to the other leagues, it will keep declining unless all sports across the board start fixing their product.

 

[Paperbagofglory]

I don't need to look anything up. I have friends inside the bubble and others that have been contracted to do work for the bubbles.

Are you trying to claim the NHL is paying massive hotel, staging and food bills? Who do you think is?

The story already came out that the city of Edmonton and province of Alberta have covered more than half the costs. Congrats on the league covering the hotel costs though, very generous of them.

 

[FerrisRox]

The story already came out that the city of Edmonton and province of Alberta have covered more than half the costs.

And who is paying the other half? And the bills in Toronto?

 

[tacogeoff]

couldn't care less about the two teams in the finals. The NFL so far has had some really good games and I have been dedicating my time to that.

 

[Unspecified]

I still don't understand how Dallas is in the cup final. they are not a very good team on paper. kudos to khudobin but there are so many warts up and down that lineup

Depth scoring has carried the Stars all year while our "Stars" have shit the bed.

 

[HawkeyTalkMan]

Pro sports are actually in trouble. They priced regular families out of games and the product for the most part has gotten worse. Not only that but twitter and social media has exposed how stupid celebrities and athletes are. We always knew they were out of touch with reality but now it seems like the pr people have a nightmare on their hands trying to make these people seem reasonably sane. The low ratings are problematic for the NHL since they have always had lower ratings compared to the other leagues, it will keep declining unless all sports across the board start fixing their product.

this statement is so laughably obscure and loaded with hyperbole

 

[Paperbagofglory]

this statement is so laughably obscure and loaded with hyperbole

Question 1 is the product better or worse then say even a decade ago?

Question 2 are games more expensive to attend compared to a decade ago?

Question 3 are ratings dropping across all sports dramatically in the past decade?

If yes to all 3 questions then there is a problem. Granted question 1 is more opinion based, people could argue that the games themselves are better are filled with more talent. Questions 2 and 3 are pretty straightforward.

Are people more or less interested in the game? If this is hyperbole then i guess there is no problem is there? Decade lows in viewership despite the fact that people are at home and locked down is kind of a big issue. If there are more eyeballs on the tv screen but less actually watching your product, that's a huge cause for concern.

 

[Arkadiusz]

I am scared to death the sport will not be able to return as planned in December and accordingly I look forward to each of these games and treasure the ability to once again watch the sport at a professional level...

 

[holy]

I forgot last night's game was on The highlights made it seem like it was a good game, though.

You probably just miss the Isles playing.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Same thing all playoffs long... almost painful to watch.

Game 2 of the finals was as good as it has gotten in the longest of times. But it looks as Dallas has the edge in the series, that was a giant hiccup of three goals let in the first otherwise they were fine.

I think it's been almost 10 years now since the proposals to ban players from leaving their feet to block shots were floating around.

 

[Boxscore]

Pro sports are actually in trouble.

I believe this is correct. Or, at the very least, trouble is looming.

They priced regular families out of games and the product for the most part has gotten worse.

Yes, they certainly have priced the average family out of games. The average family can comfortably go to 2-3 games a year--as opposed to 10-12 in the late-80's through mid-90's. As for hockey "getting worse"--I'd say it's "gotten different"--depending on who you ask.

As for someone like me--I've watched the game for close to 50 years--so yes, I do believe the game is absolutely less exciting today--and by a longshot. Going to games in the 80's and 90's used to be an event--now I find most NHL games to be overpriced snooze fests.

I miss the physicality, the fighting, the rivalries, the drama, the characters and personalities. That said, perhaps a younger and new fan might love this brand of hockey, mainly because it's all they know. So to them, it's wonderful. There's no true right or wrong here--it's all in the eye of the beholder.

Not only that but twitter and social media has exposed how stupid celebrities and athletes are. We always knew they were out of touch with reality but now it seems like the pr people have a nightmare on their hands trying to make these people seem reasonably sane.

This is undeniably true--mostly for celebrities. The problem is, more athletes are starting to consider themselves "celebrities" as opposed to decades past. Anyone who fails to recognize this is fully brainwashed and has submitted to "celeb culture rules".

The low ratings are problematic for the NHL since they have always had lower ratings compared to the other leagues, it will keep declining unless all sports across the board start fixing their product.

Ratings are problematic when securing new TV contracts and generating broadcast advertising revenue. All sports are on the hot seat--some issues are out of their control--and some are self-inflicted. The other sports have more wiggle room than the NHL.

 

[Sniper99]

I havent watched 1 second of the finals yet. my playoff pool team is done. No one to follow there, my team is done for the season (finally) NFL is underway, Blue Jays playoff chase and also the fact that its harvest time. Helping out the fam there too.