TVSquad

thanks for this information

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I think you're right that hockey is never going to become the national sport in the US that it is in Canada/northern US states, but I must disagree with your assertation that "even for fans, the game is very tough to watch on TV." Why do you say that? I'm am American who has been living in Montreal for the past five years and I have become a huge hockey fan. I do not find it "tough" to watch, but maybe the Canadian stations do a better job of following the puck? The commentators here do a better job of the play-by-play? Yes, it's a fast-moving game, but that doesn't mean it's hard to keep track of. Statements like that will keep new viewers from trying to watch a hockey game, and they'll never know they're missing out on one of the most exciting team sports out there.

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I'm going to agree that media coverage of hockey's lack of TV ratings is always inherently negative. "Oh, no one can see the puck." "It's only good if you have HDTV." "It's hard to watch on television."

I really wish people could take a more positive tack toward what is a great sport to watch both in person and on TV, and a fantastic sport to follow. More people should give the sport a chance.

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I have to agree with Veruka here. I'm a Canadian and I've been watching hockey on TV since I was old enough to stand on two feet (when I was born there was only one local channel and every Saturday night it was either Montreal or Toronto on the tube). I've never had any trouble following the puck, at least not on a broadcast coming from a Canadian station and that includes the local cable outlet that broadcasts Major Junior hockey (the incubator where those new faces and stars are playing before they get drafted). What I will say is that over the years it has become increasingly difficult to know the players by sight. As a kid I could identify Gordie Howe, Tim Horton, Bobby Hull, and Jean Belliveau by sight because I saw their faces. This was in the days when helmets were for kids and sissies, and no one ever even thought of a visor. It'll never happen but maybe it would be easier to sell the game in the US if you could actually see the players' faces. And hired Canadian TV crews of course.

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*is from Wisconsin*

*is baffled by most Americans' hatred for/ambivalence toward hockey*

*looks longingly at Lemieux poster on wall*

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Football on TV: Two hour Pre-game, 10 Minute Intro from the Stadium, Huddle-up, 3 seconds of action, 40 seconds of replaying the previous 3 second play and repeat over and over for three and a half hours with tens of dozens of commericials, promos and reports from expert reporters(?) on the sideline telling me what the star quarterback had for dinner....

Baseball on TV: 4 hours of guys stepping into and out of the batters box with countless trips to the mound, tosses to first base, hundreds of foul balls, thousands of crowd shot mixed in with about twenty minutes of total action. And baseball fans consider home runs to be the most exciting play... the ball leaves the field and the batter runs uncontested around the bases...WOW too much excitement for one person to handle.

Hockey on TV: 60 solid minutes of skating, shooting,
hitting, and action with limited commercial breaks, sudden death overtime and game deciding shoot-outs. Plus two 15 minute breaks to to get more beer and nachoes without having to miss any action.

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@Brent McKee (#4) - You don't see football players' faces any more than you do hockey players. In fact I would argue the converse. I do think the league has a problem that's not really theirs though. I think the game is exciting and engaging enough (I thought it was before "new NHL" came along too), but there are some things that could be done with presentation. I'm not talking about the highlighted puck they tried a few years ago either.

There's not enough emphasis on the storylines in the league. They could do some sort of hovering camera like the NFL has or maybe a player cam if they can make it work without a noticeable difference to the player. The most important thing is getting hockey back on one of the major television networks regularly. I'm not talking a "Game of the Week," I want to see some double headers, several games a week. I want to see some kind of pre-game breakdown. Just some ideas.

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I personally think people are what we call thick not to judge people because I am not one to do that. But with that said Americans most of them not all but percentage wise seem to follow not only whats the norm... but also what is the most intense.. and since Football is Definitely intense and because people made it the norm it's the best sport ever.. I will agree Football is Great I love it to. With that said though I am a hockey fan through and through ... I am an american man ... I love this canadian sport but it's more then that .. it is a world wide sport. I hope people start to accept it ... it's a waste of a good sport when people just flip past it and don't give it a chance because of whats the norm> ... Guess if you can't go to bars and tailgate parties and get more shit faced you don't like the sport :( a shame

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