It's very easy to say that hockey is Canada's game.
But as the Stanley Cup Finals carry on between the Philadelphia Flyers and the Chicago Blackhawks, the question that needs to be asked is "who cares?"
In cities across Canada, it's nothing to see millions of hats and shirts of Canadian teams and then some Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins clothing. Not very often do you see a Flyers or Blackhawks logo.
They say that sex sells, and the same can be said in sports. In hockey's mecca - Canada - Flyers vs. Blackhawks isn't as sexy as any of the Cup finals in the last three years. This year, NBC brought in the highest rankings in 11-years, but that's NBC. Not even Don Cherry kissing Bobby Orr - again - could bring most hockey fans to watch the series on CBC.
Sure the finals are having great numbers in the states, but stats are like bikinis; they show you a lot, but not everything. What they're not showing here is what kind of fans are watching. There's a good chance it's not the avid hockey fan, but rather the casual fan from the City of Brotherly Love or the Windy City taking a break from their struggling NFL or NBA teams in hopes of cheering on a winner.
Greg Wyshynski, editor of Puck Daddy on Yahoo! says that the number of comments - which have ranged in the past from heated to downright war-inspiring - are down from last year when the Pittsburgh Penguins knocked off the then-reigning champion Detroit Red Wings.
"Our comments on some posts are down compared to last year," said Wyshynski. "I think we have a lot more Penguins and Red Wings fans, who read us and actively comment, getting into arguments and such."
You would think that if the people watching the Cup Finals are actual hockey fans, they would know about the top hockey blog on the internet and would flock there to defend their team. Keep in mind that the Flyers and Blackhawks series hasn't been the friendliest of battles, either on the ice and off the ice.
Those battles have made for a pretty entertaining Stanley Cup final, it's just too bad that not many true hockey fans care.
Current Comments
6 comments so far (post your own)BS. Canadians are starting to watch NBC coverage over CBC because its better, we get both channels, and everyone I know is watching the series albeit on NBC, did you account for that?
Posted by RJ on Wednesday, June 9, 2010 @ 12:39pm
To say that NBC has better coverage of a hockey game over Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson, Ron and Don and Elliotte is ludicrous...Sure some Canadians are watching on NBC, but not ones that can see great broadcasting talent.
Posted by Chris Pope on Wednesday, June 9, 2010 @ 12:44pm
Ive watched hockey my entire life on CBC, and it was good up until the last few years, the intro's to the games are uninspiring, Don & Ron is getting old fast. Hughson is OK, Simpson is a tool and Elliot Friedman???? cmon do you watch hockey? the energy level is higher on NBC which is what im looking for, Doc over Hughson in a heartbeat and I KNOW Canadians agree, my only problem is how this article is the source for another article saying how Canadians arent watching the game or that we're given too much credit by the hockey world. But your "facts" arent sound.
Posted by RJ on Wednesday, June 9, 2010 @ 3:16pm
I can see where both of you are coming from, but I have to say that I agree with Pope.
RJ, I\'m not sure if you\'re Canadian or not, but to the majority of Canadians, hockey is on such a pedestal that it doesn\'t have to be aggressively pushed like other, less popular, sports. It literally speaks for itself. I noticed the exact same thing in the Winter Olympics.
The differences in the American and Canadian broadcasts of winter sports are astounding. I\'ll even go so far as to agree with you that the energy level on NBC is far higher than it is on CBC. I\'m okay with that.
The CBC broadcasts of hockey games are so appealing because they\'re not overly obnoxious or in-your-face, they have always been far more humble and relaxed (except for Don Cherry, but that\'s another story. I\'ll can him myself, just give me the can).
Watching an American broadcast of hockey is like watching the X-Games, Canadians simply don\'t need loud announcers trying to get them excited about the games because they already are. I guarantee that you would make the same observation if you compared the Olympics across both stations.
Overly enthusiastic and raucous broadcasts of the games are only necessary in places where the game needs to generate more excitement, otherwise the majority of fans who\'ve been watching hockey for their entire lives prefer a more chilled-out broadcast. That\'s certainly the case in Canada, and maybe even some of the northeastern states as well (but you\'re basically Canada anyway... all liberal and snowy like us).
For places like Nashville and Atlanta though, where hockey isn\'t nearly as popular, broadcasters yelling about everything and explaining every component of the game might be a necessity.
This isn\'t a knock on either station. Both do exactly what is required of them. But in the world of hockey, Canada (at least per capita) is far more invested than America, so I\'ll have to give the nod to CBC when comparing which station puts out the best broadcast.
Posted by Austin on Wednesday, June 9, 2010 @ 4:36pm
I'll admit I have a big jaw and that's why it's taken me so long to respond because I was picking it up off the ground after reading that Doc is better than Hughson. It's not even close. Jim Hughson is unreal at doing play-by-play. Freidman is the countries best reporter, hands down by far. Ask anyone in the business and they will tell you the same. It comes down to being appealing ... and the Hawks Flyers series most certainly isn't.
Posted by Chris Pope on Wednesday, June 9, 2010 @ 5:20pm
I've gotta side with Pope here too. Austin is bang on talking about the fact that the CBC doesn't have to sell itself to a first-time viewer.
NBC's coverage is more attractive in the sense that it's much more conversational but that's
(a) Emrick's style
(b) because they have to explain the nuances of the game
I'm not the biggest Simpson/Healy fan, but Hughson is hands now the best play-by-play man...well, except for Bob Cole!
Posted by Marc on Tuesday, June 15, 2010 @ 9:26pm