Blog Hound: NHL Playoffs End With Modest Fanfare

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With the Ducks defeating the Senators in five games to clinch the Stanley Cup Wednesday night, bloggers are focusing on the lack of U.S. interest in the playoffs and what needs to be done to increase the exposure and popularity of the NHL.

Bolts Blog
Posted By: RJ

“How much worse is it going to have to get in the States before the NHL gets their product back on ESPN? Hell, after these ratings, would ESPN even take back the NHL? TV is about making money, and a 1.1 and 1.9 don’t equal squat. The NHL may have to pay ESPN to take them back.”

The Sports Curmudgeon

“The NHL needs some new thinking in the way it presents its product to an audience that needs to be drawn to the game. They have spent the last decade at least – and probably longer – presenting the game to the hardcore fans; that’s preaching to the choir. I think they need to move on to a new presentational strategy.”

Trimbo
Posted By: Trimbo

“I’m not really sure where the NHL will go, but I think contraction is going to be a necessity. If they get ratings like this, they’re going to have to find a way to make the sport more interesting beyond just getting a couple more goals a game. What network would pay to air their games?”

Numbed by TV
Posted By: Robert Seidman

“While I do not believe the NHL will be in better shape 2 years from now if the national ratings for the Stanley Cup are where they are now (or worse), I do believe that ‘right now’ the ratings are not actually indicative either of franchise values or the health of the league, and that right now things are actually much better for the NHL than they were a few years ago.”

100% Injury Rate
Posted By: West Coast Kid

“Does anyone else ever find it strange as well that the NHL playoffs go on into June and we have teams playing from areas like Southern California and Florida? This just strikes me as odd. And hockey wonders why it has problems. Would I rather go to the beach or into a cold arena with no sunlight?”

TEH.AWFUL
Posted By: Patrick

“I’m a fairly patriotic fella’…and love to see the red, white, and blue do great in any sport. However, it just doesn’t seem right that in the world of professional hockey…a Tampa Bay team beats a Calgary team, a Carolina team beats an Edmonton team, and an Anaheim team beats a team from Ottawa.”

BUILDING THE BUZZ: Sports Media Challenge's Sports Blog Index analyzed the buzz surrounding the NHL Playoffs and their declining ratings. There was some mixed reaction among the bloggers concerning the playoffs, but the majority was negative. Click here for more analysis. Visit www.SportsBusinessDaily.com for more analysis.

The topic measured 3 out of 10 on The Buzz, indicating a relatively low amount of interest.

Negative exposure stems from many bloggers feeling that the NHL has become irrelevant and blame the fact that Versus airs the majority of playoff games.

They also believe ESPN has significantly reduced its coverage of the sport, in highlights as well as analysis.

Positive sentiment draws from bloggers who note that the winning Stanley Cup has a unique feel in comparison to other large sports. They are also point out that hockey has both the U.S. and Canada covered better than other sports its size.

bloghound@sportsbusinessdaily.com

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