NHL on OLN...

[Jason Allison 0]

So I sit down to watch the Pens Vs Sabres game, turn the channel to OLN and I am greeted with a graphic depiction of using anal probes to artificially inseminate cattle...

Anyone have any idea why they aren't playing the hockey game? Does it have something to do with having the Dish Network? I am mortified and confused...

[DeI 18 0]

I've been watching for a while now, with no sign of anally-probed cattle in sight (phew). If you haven't found it yet, the score is 2-2 at the end of the second.

[RadioGaGa 162]

Same here JA.

Do you have Cablevision? That is why for me. I was pissed, but am now watching the Sens/ Leafs which is a good game.

Did you see the puck stuck in Belfour's mask?...that had to be a little scary (from his POV)

[Eazy_b97 1]

Do you have Cablevision?  That is why for me.  I was pissed, but am now watching the Sens/ Leafs which is a good game.

This is the most confusing game I've ever watched. Hooking's a penalty, but only sometimes. Holding is also a penalty, but almost when a player almost falls, if he stays on his feet or falsl completely, apperantly it isn't. It's both ways as well. I don't envy these players putting up with this. It is obviously effecting their play.

[Fonya 0]

Aargh, sens just scored. Alright game but Berg is driving me crazy...he sucks! Him and Belak have a nickname going around here...the killer b's.

[mack 44]

OLN sucks. I would have to say, Crosby withstanding, the cattle insemination would be more interesting.

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

Crosby w/ another assist tonight as well.

Crosby shouldn't get an assist though. Have you seen the goal? Crosby missed his play that it went to a Buffalo D who make a mistake with the puck, than Reechi scores. Anyway if someone see the goal, you'll understand what I mean.

[DeI 18 0]

Fleury has been AMAZING tonight. His save on the wrap-around was absolute money. It was like the save Brodeur screwed up on the other night :D

[DeI 18 0]

Unfortunately I cannot watch the game, Kovy. I believe you though. Glad Fleury is playing. He had his spot stolen from him from a desperate team who put him 3rd.

Yes I like Fleury much better than Thibault (sp?). I have to say, though, Ryan Miller's not playing too bad either, but Fleury has come up BIG tonight.

[DeI 18 0]

No win for the Pens tonight... :( Very impressed with the way Fleury played, though.

[UMWhockey 0]

NHL Center Ice is where it's at.... just watchin all the close games end two night ago was worth the cost of the package

[Fonya 0]

Seems like the leafs cant keep a lead. They havent been able to for the last 3 games. 5-5 to keep you guys updated.

[mack 44]

Uh, didn't they come back from 5-2? That's the Sens not keeping one.

[rausch27 1]

who saw allisons horrible shoot out shot?? haha hes so bad

[Kovy_Ribs_Fedo 3]

lol

don't tell me guys no one have seen Crosby's ***assist***?

[Eazy_b97 1]

Uh, didn't they come back from 5-2? That's the Sens not keeping one.

Leafs were up 2-1, then Sens went up 4-2, then Leafs went up 5-4 again mid-late third. Allison did what he had to do, make Hasek flop, shelf glove. I honestly can't see anyone scoring on him.

[mack 44]

Friggin' Leafs. Maybe it's a blessing they won't show games of them here or I'd commit hari kari.

[RadioGaGa 162]

I missed that radio...

Allison seemed to look better in pre-season then now as well.

Almost the Leafs 3rd shiner of the year.

[Chadd 916]

lol

don't tell me guys no one have seen Crosby's ***assist***?

The radio guys were trying to give him an assist on the first goal but it looks like it was Recchi. I still don't have a dish at the shop yet.

[Chadd 916]

lol

don't tell me guys no one have seen Crosby's ***assist***?

I just saw the replay for the second time on ESPNews. It's one of those "harmless" add on assists you see all the time for star players.

[Jason Allison 0]

Yeah I don't know, maybe the new NHL is not conducive to Jason Allison's type of gameplay. And as far as his shootouts go, he looked pathetic in the 1st shoot out and his fake slapshot in his 2nd attempt was pitiful at best.

Theo, I do not have Cablevision, I have the Dish Network. Do you know why they didn't air it?

[freq019 0]

Apparently if your cable provider doesn't have enough subscribers getting OLN then OLN will not provide the decryption codes to the provider for the NHL games. Here's a link from some media site that I pinched from another site that was discussing this. Easy answer switch to directv

http://ww2.olntv.com/olnbb/viewtopic.php?t...dcabfa60f37dbdf

[freq019 0]

In case you are lazy

"OLN Skates Toward Success With NHL

Nielsen: Hockey Debut’s 0.4% Is a 300% Jump in Viewership

By R. Thomas Umstead 10/10/2005

OLN last week scored the first goal of its two-year National Hockey League package with decent ratings results, but it’s unclear whether every cable operator and satellite distributor that carried its initial telecast will lace up to televise the network’s next game.

Several operators carrying OLN on low-penetrated tiers are in jeopardy of having the Comcast Corp.-owned service’s hockey telecasts slashed until the network is moved to more widely available packages, according to sources close to the network.

OLN’s Oct. 5 New York Rangers-Philadelphia Flyers telecast — which marked the NHL’s return after a work stoppage iced the 2004-05 season — averaged a 0.4 household rating, 300% above the network’s year-to-date average for the 7:30-10 p.m. time slot, according to Nielsen Media Research data. Excluding Tour de France coverage, the game was OLN’s highest Wednesday-night ever among households, men 18 to 49, men 25 to 54 and total viewers (276,869), according to network officials.

But, the game — the first under a $135 million rights deal that gives OLN a suite of Monday- and Tuesday-night regular season games and a spate of playoff contests, including the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals — fell short of ESPN’s 0.5 regular-season mark for the 2003-04 campaign, but above ESPN2’s 0.2 average.

OLN offered the Rangers-Flyers game to all of its 64 million subscribers, but nearly 4 million who receive the channel on a sports tier may not have access to its Oct. 10 game or future telecasts. OLN is forbidding distributors, such as Cablevision Systems Corp., EchoStar Communications Corp. and Adelphia Communications, that have less than 40% penetration for the channel from carrying its NHL package.

Adelphia said at press time that it was still attempting to negotiate a resolution for the remaining games.

“We’re working with Comcast to get the games on everywhere,†an Adelphia spokesperson said. Both Cablevision and Adelphia offered the Rangers-Flyers game to its OLN subscribers.

EchoStar Communications Corp., which has more than 3.4 million OLN subscribers, said it plans to offer OLN’s NHL games despite the fact that the network resides on its low-penetrated America’s 180 tier.

Cablevision executives could not be reached for comment, but said recently that it intends to carry the games. It distributes OLN to approximately 25,000 of its more than 3 million cable subscribers.

NHL executives could not be reached for comment by press time.

While OLN is hoping to drive subscribers with its NHL package, the league also has a financial incentive to see OLN’s subscriber count and prestige blossom.

OLN and Comcast will have to pay the league $15 million if OLN increases its sub base to 80 million subscribers and picks up more marquee pro sports content like the National Football League’s Thursday/Saturday game package, which could be awarded as early as next month."

[mack 44]

Oh well, if they keep showing the kinds of games they're showing I'll just watch the Predator games. Kinda sad to admit they're better to watch than the national games.

[Jim Bob 0]

OLN is trying to force cable and satelite companies to move OLN to their basic package so that they can make more money.

I'm betting that's why so many homes were blacked out last night.

As a Sabres fan, I was POd about it, big time.