Midwest NHL teams' participation in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in recent years has created a "haven for late-starting games," with the puck not dropping until 8:40pm CT or later on some weeknights to "cater to national television coverage," according to Dan Caesar of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. That was the case Wednesday, as the Blues-Wild series opened at 8:45pm in St. Paul, and the late start is to be "repeated next Wednesday in St. Louis." Games played in the Midwest "present a problem, because a 'normal' start time" of 7:10pm "falls in the middle -- too late for the early slot, too early for the late slot." Only two of the eight series involve both teams from the Central time zone (Blues-Wild and Blackhawks-Predators), so they "end up sometimes getting squeezed into that oddball" 8:45pm slot. NBC Sports Exec Producer Sam Flood said, "The Central time zone is a unique spot. To get a doubleheader on, to get ... the most possible hockey (on TV) for the most possible people is how this works. Remember, you don’t kick off on ‘Sunday Night Football’ or ‘Monday Night Football’ or ‘Thursday Night Football’ until 8:30 (Eastern time) year round. It’s fairly common in sports. The NBA Finals games don’t start until after 9 o’clock (in the East)." Caesar notes even though "fans gripe, they still watch the telecasts" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 4/14).
