Hockey back on ESPN?!?

[dash]

Maybe...if we can believe Eric Francis (or are they just hedging their bets due to potential basketball and football lockouts).

Hearing that ESPN is still very much at the table as part of the lucrative TV deal being hammered out by COO John Collins for the NHL. ESPN isn’t scared of the price tag and loves the access the league gives, the young stars in the game and the clean-cut nature of its players. The decision is to be made by May and it will be a massive pay day for the owners.

 

[awaz]

more than anything in the world i wish i could sit in on the NHL's TV rights negotiations.. it has to be so interesting hearing what they think they can get with the NBA probably locking out and the NFL not looking good either

IMO, if the NHL doesn't go to espn here, then they never will.. espn wouldn't forgive them for passing them up in their time of need

 

[johnnytata]

probably a move the nhl NEEDS to make, though i think i'm not alone in feeling a bit queasy at the thought of the disneyfication, overhypedness, hypocritical, talking head driven, shit for brains hockey covering, lame-assness that espn has become, watering down of nhl coverage that might come as a side effect.

 

[awaz]

probably a move the nhl NEEDS to make, though i think i'm not alone in feeling a bit queasy at the thought of the disneyfication, overhypedness, hypocritical, talking head driven, shit for brains hockey covering, lame-assness that espn has become, watering down of nhl coverage that might come as a side effect.

i agree.. i think they have to go to espn here.. there's such an opportunity to grow the game and i cant imagine bettman letting that opportunity go

if the nba and nfl both lock out, or even have abbreviated seasons, hockey will get the 2nd most coverage on the network (college football being #1)..

i just dont think hockey can ignore being the #2 sport in the country, regardless of the length of time

hockey is the best sport, with that kind of coverage the NHL could sit back and watch its popularity boom

 

[SLY]

I really love VERSUS now, and hope they give the majority of NHL coverage to them, but I wouldnt mind seeing a little hockey on ESPN.

 

[SLY]

VS gives a lot of coverage both in game and out of game... I just don't see ESPN giving that kind of coverage. They would rather air womens volleyball and the ping pong world cup.

 

[jstewismybastardson]

more than anything in the world i wish i could sit in on the NHL's TV rights negotiations.. it has to be so interesting hearing what they think they can get with the NBA probably locking out and the NFL not looking good either

IMO, if the NHL doesn't go to espn here, then they never will.. espn wouldn't forgive them for passing them up in their time of need

has the NHL forgiven espn for passing on them in the NHL's time of need (coming out of the lockout)?

With the amount of pull that Ed Snider has I dont see the league signing a deal that would harm his growing broadcast interests

also with broadcast rights revenues included in league wide revenues, a deal with ESPN will increase the cap number. There are already a couple of teams struggling to make the cap floor. Owners would probably want the timing of a broadcast deal to come after they negotiate a new cba with the players that doesnt include a floor minimum

 

[Winged_Wheel88]

If you don't think you hear alot about Crosby / Ovechkin now, just wait till ESPN gets a hold of hockey. ESPN deals only with individual players, never teams.

 

[Darkstone42]

I think the league needs to do this as well, but Vs. needs to keep it's coverage as well. Get hockey off of NBC, though. Please!

 

[johnnytata]

not so bad if they also market players like stamkos, toews, skinner etc. lot of good young players that the nhl/espn could market. their sportscenter commercials are one thing i will give them credit for. they are fucking brilliant. i don't mind the sid/ov coverage if they at least try to market a few otehr players even to a lesser extent.

 

[sherbert1421]

as much as i hate espn for hockey, if the nhl wants to grow the game they need to get back on there. as much as i love that hockey is number 1 sport on versus, no casual sports fans tune into versus

 

[ELYEAH82]

If you don't think you hear alot about Crosby / Ovechkin now, just wait till ESPN gets a hold of hockey. ESPN deals only with individual players, never teams.

The Yankees and Red Sox are on the phone calling bullsh*t

 

[IPostedWhat]

Hockey can go back to ESPN as long as it remembers that nothing it does will ever be as awesome as a slam dunk in Basketball.

 

[Winged_Wheel88]

Hockey can go back to ESPN as long as it remembers that nothing it does will ever be as awesome as a slam dunk in Basketball.

Or home runs. Every home run looks exactly the same. It goes over the fence. Whoopee.

 

[johnnytata]

how about a glowing puck, but instead of just a glow, they can make it a glowing mike greenberg face. that way any time anyone takes a slapshot, their smacking the shit out of his face.

even better, you can vote before the game for your favorite talking head in one of their sportsnation polls, and whichever one wins can be the glowing face over the puck!

zdeno chara could send barry melrose streaking across the screen at 100mph with his mullet flying behind him!

damn that would be fuckin awesome.

 

[dare2be]

how about a glowing puck, but instead of just a glow, they can make it a glowing mike greenberg face. that way any time anyone takes a slapshot, their smacking the shit out of his face.

even better, you can vote before the game for your favorite talking head in one of their sportsnation polls, and whichever one wins can be the glowing face over the puck!

zdeno chara could send barry melrose streaking across the screen at 100mph with his mullet flying behind him!

damn that would be fuckin awesome.

add to that a magnetic detonator on the puck such that when it goes in the net it explodes in an elaborate shower of fireworks!

 

[Winged_Wheel88]

A glower gizmo would be best put to use on Cooke's elbows.

 

[pixburgher66]

I support this if it means NHL 2Nite is back. I loved that show. And, I know I say this often, but GARY FREAKING THORN AND BILL EPICALLY AWESOME CLEMENT PLEASE. 'K, thanks! Just a few games a week and a post-game show would be wonderful. More hockey on TV is never a bad thing people. Unless it's ESPN showing only the bloody massacres.

 

[Rossinole]

Ah yes, the annual cock tease that is an NHL return to ESPN.

 

[postmaster]

When I stream games, I notice a lot of them are feeds from an ESPN America channel that must be showing in Europe.
I wonder if that is picking up enough steam where it actually makes sense to them to add it so they don't pay the other stations for their coverage.