The Blackhawks' series-tying 2-1 win over the Lightning last night in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final delivered a 2.9 overnight rating for NBCSN, tying for the second-best Cup Final overnight ever on the cable net. The Lightning's 3-2 win Monday night in Game 3 also drew a 2.9 on the cable net. Last night's rating is up 4% from a 2.8 for Game 4 of Kings-Rangers in '14, when the Rangers staved off elimination. Chicago led all markets last night with a 22.2 local rating, followed by Tampa-St. Pete, which drew a 13.9 (Josh Carpenter, Staff Writer).
PLAYERS NOT LOOKING TO SHAVE: NBC Sports Group Chair Mark Lazarus' suggestion that players should end the tradition of growing playoff beards continued to draw reaction yesterday, with several participants in the Stanley Cup Final chiming in. Lightning D Andrej Sustr said, "That's not going to fly with us. It's a tradition that we don't want to mess with. It's part of the playoff culture. It would be tough to take that one back." Blackhawks G Scott Darling added, "It's part of our tradition and it's something that even the uncommon hockey fan knows about the hockey playoffs." Darling: "From a business standpoint, you can argue it one way. But for us, we're not too concerned about the dollars and cents of our facial hair. It's just something we do and it's a fun tradition." Sustr added, "I think in the playoffs the last thing on our mind is getting an endorsement or not" (NATIONAL POST, 6/11). Lightning C Cedric Paquette said, "Maybe for TV it would be a bit better, but for us hockey players, we don't care about (recognition). I think it's great for the sport." Lightning C Steven Stamkos said, "I understand where he's coming from, but it's such a long-lasting tradition. Obviously hockey is not one of the more recognizable sports, especially in the States with some of the other pro leagues that they have. But we're gaining interest. ... I don't think guys are going to be willing to change anytime soon" (TORONTO SUN, 6/11).
ONTO SOMETHING? ESPN's Bomani Jones said there is "something to be said for the fact that the playoffs is the time when people do watch the NHL, and the guys don’t look anything like that by the time the season comes back around." Jones: "You’re basically dealing with dudes with two faces, so I do understand what his argument is” (“Highly Questionable,” ESPN, 6/10). Hockey broadcaster Don Cherry noted “everybody laughed” at Lazarus when he made his comments, but he “makes a lot of sense." Cherry: "I see the guys holding the Cup up and then I see him in the summer with his beard off (and he’s unrecognizable).” But he noted the players will "never get rid of the beard” ("HNIC," CBC, 6/10). L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke said the “average hockey fan falls in love with them when they win the Stanley Cup." Plashcke: "The next day they all shave, nobody knows who they are. They have the greatest marketing opportunity and they blow it with the beards.” ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan noted NBC paid $2B over 10 years for the rights to the NHL, and said if the network wants players “to shave their beards … they should probably do it.” MacMullan: “You have to make these guys more visible. You’ve got to promote them a little better.” ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 6/10).
ASK THE AUDIENCE: In Chicago, Steve Rosenbloom wrote it is "not that Lazarus is wrong, just off-target." Lazarus "didn't say precisely that the whole beard-growing tradition is silly, just that it's not necessarily good for business." Rosenbloom: "A clean-shaven kisser is more likable and more trustworthy. ... He's coming from a well-researched financial foundation." The "problem is, endorsements and branding require an audience, and hockey really doesn't have one" (CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 6/10). ESPN's Dan Le Batard said, "You can see the faces of baseball players, and we’re not exactly making stars there. You don’t see the faces of football players, and it doesn’t matter for the popularity of that sport. So it might help some individuals, it’s not helping the sport” ("Highly Questionable," ESPN, 6/10).
