Blackhawks TV voice Pat Foley aired his displeasure over the late start times of some Stanley Cup Playoffs games during the team's Game 5 double OT win over the Blues on Thursday night. Foley said on CSN Chicago late during the third period, "It has been compelling theater. The games have been tied or one-goal games 96% of time. But this is the third time in five games that a start time of 8:42 local was mandated. I can say with certainty the players cannot stand these late starts, coaches cannot stand them. Most importantly, the fans can’t stand them. So as we approach midnight Eastern again on a work night, a school night, a simple question: An 8:42 puck drop serves who?" ("Blackhawks-Blues," CSN Chicago, 4/21). NBCSN simulcast CSN Chicago's broadcast, but it abruptly cut to commercial as Foley was concluding his statement (THE DAILY). NBCSN's Mike Milbury after the game said of the 8:00pm start time for Game 5 on Saturday night, “If that’s too late for certain announcers, I think they should just let somebody else call the game and stay home and get a good night’s rest, because 8:00 it is. We do that just so we can everybody involved and all the games on” (NBCSN, 4/21). YAHOO SPORTS' Greg Wyshynski notes game times are set to "accommodate the national broadcasting schedule," and the NHL and NBC "probably weren't enamored with an announcer going rogue like that about their scheduling" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 4/22).
SPEAKING FOR THE MASSES: USA TODAY's Kristen Shilton writes if NBCSN "didn’t know by now that hockey fans were less than happy about the scheduling of this series, they haven’t been paying attention." Foley was "just speaking for the people" (USATODAY.com, 4/22). In St. Louis, Ben Frederickson writes Foley said "what everyone ... have been muttering." Frederickson: "A unified front is necessary to fight the inhumane start times that come with the Stanley Cup Playoffs" (STLTODAY.com, 4/22).
