Bettman runs a bad business.

[awaz]

Alright some of the guys over on the ESPN boards have seen some of this already, but this layoff between conference finals and cup finals is killing me and driving me up a wall, so time for me to rant.

why would you have a 5 day layoff in between the conference finals and cup finals? i realize you want the players to get some rest, but they can get plenty of rest in 2, max 3 days off. All this layoff has done is lose the casual fans that got excited over the past few weeks. Now they have forgotten that hockey is still even going on while they get heavy doses of the NBA conference finals and 'who is going where' in free agency. Taking a break like this kills any kind of tv rating momentum the NHL had from a very exciting playoffs. Obviously some will return to watch the finals, but why not start them a few days earlier and keep as many fans as you can? also they need to work on their timing, having days off of hockey during the semi's, only to line up the pens and flyers games (2 of the biggest hockey markets) on the same night so only one was on national TV? completely idiotic.

next topic, the date of the winter classic. obviously the NHL's biggest single game event of the season, possibly the biggest regular season game in all of sports. i see the draw to having it on new years day, everyone has off, its already a holiday, but does it really make sense to put it on when college football bowl games are on? i get you're trying to compete and take other sports head on, but why not work your way up to that? why not have the game on new years eve, or christmas eve, when there aren't as many bowl games and everyone still has off? (plus a night winter classic would be sick)

and the teams in the classic. the caps/pens winter classic piece irks me a bit. obviously 2 very big market teams, but i think it will turn off a lot of people because the pens have already played in one. plus at some point you're going to have to start marketing the game, and all the teams, not just OV and sid, its already annoying every non pen/cap fan. why not a washington/nyr game in yankee stadium? this will be the 4th one and there has yet to be one that capitalizes on the new york population, that makes no sense. i do like the addition of the canadian outdoor game, very intelligent, but calgary vs. montreal? really? if you're going outside in canada it has to be the leafs vs. the habs. you could sell that game out in 20 minutes at $2,000 per ticket. the only other consideration should be for a battle of alberta (edmonton/calgary), but that shouldn't even get a 2nd thought.

thoughts? concerns? grievances?

 

[BOSSMANPC]

AS far as the layoff between games both series ended pretty fast so that makes it tough. Arena's like the United Center and Wachovia Center are usually pretty well booked so availability can be a problem.

As far as the classic, I understand why the NHL wants big name players but the NHL IMO does a crappy job in the promotions department. There are other good young players in the league that "casual" fans never heard of because networks like NBC never talk about them. Even when ESPN talks about hockey it's generally about you know who and you know who.

It would work for them if other players got some recognition because if the Pen's and Cap's take a dump in the playoffs so many potential viewers will not watch because they have no idea who plays on the teams that are left.

 

[Comeds]

1. Scheduling is not the easiest to do when its unknown when series will end.

2. NBC and NHL seem to be very happy with the Jan 1st ratings.

3. Any 2 Canadian teams will sell out quickly so I am not sure why it matters. All the networks end up showing the same few teams so its not surprising.

 

[dash]

Bettman delivered the golden goose (aka hard salary cap) to the owners and the reality is that he'll be around as long as he wants the job (the hawk owners (i.e. Snider and Jacobs) have considerable influence over the rest of the league). The Coyotes fiasco is causing Gary some pain, though, and you can bet the owners aren't happy about funding these losses. In my opinion, the owners want Reinsdorf, but Reinsdorf wants all these assurances before signing on, and I don't see that happening. Ice Edge is a joke, in my opinion, they think they're in the game, but in reality, they're being handed their hat.

The way I see it, either Reinsdorf gets the Coyotes in Phoenix in a sweetheart of a deal, or the Coyotes end up back in Winnipeg to start the 2011-2012 season.

Now as for the layoff for the Cup final, building availability as previously mentioned comes into play, but also network commitments. Believe it or not, people get in a tizzy if you interrupt their favorite reality shows or dramas to broadcast a hockey game. Best to do that on a weekend.

As for the Winter Classic, I'm not surprised it's Crosby - Ovechkin. Gotta go with the guys that drive the ratings.

 

[sTyLnK]

I thought that the NHL sets the schedules assuming series will go 7 games? If it ends early, then teams get the rest, if not well then march on with no rest...

 

[dare2be]

Arena schedules aside, which do pose a hurdle, the other factor I believe is TV schedules as well. As it stands now, games 1,2 and 5 are on NBC on the weekends (counting Monday as part of the US holiday weekend). If it started earlier, say Thursday, then it would be games 2,3 and 6, lowering the chance that NBC broadcasts 3 games in the series if it doesn't go to 6 games. When in doubt, look to the almighty dollar.

 

[pixburgher66]

i agree that they shouldve switched up the classic a little more, and that showing up twice in 3 years is a bit much, but from a marketing standpoint, it's the best matchup available. i really could care less about my team being in it though. i mean, i'm excited for the possibility of getting to attend one (though i'm sure it'll be too much money for me). when it comes down to it though...it's 2 points for a win still, and merely a regular season game. not every team will be a part of it...that just won't happen. it's a ratings booster, and until the fanbase grows (and it'd have to be huge) it's gonna stay that way.

 

[pixburgher66]

so wait...the finals schedule could have the cup presented on VS and NOT NBC???? because that's a joke. you have to have the big games (5, 6, 7) on the national scene. i understand maybe not carrying 4 or 5, in hopes of a good series, but leaving out 6 and 7?

 

[dare2be]

Bettman will make sure that the series ends in 5

Plus the suits don't care when/where the Cup is raised, they just care about maximizing the number of games on the network with the higher advertising revenue.

 

[HonusWagner66]

Concerning the Winter Classic...

Pens/Caps will work out well for the NHL.

Big hockey fans, like those of us who pass time on hockey message boards, won't like the match up because the league really is shoving Sid/OV down our throats. We'll bitch and complain about the pick and how NHL marketing sucks, then watch the game anyway because we love hockey.

Casual sports fans will be like "Sydney Crosby and that Russian Ovechkin guy are playing each other at the STEELERS stadium. That should be an interesting game, I should watch." Then they'll tune in.

Lots of people will watch. That's all the NHL and NBC care about.