Since no NBA now NHL on ESPN?

[pbhockey4 0]

I am the only one thinking the ESPN should be showing NHL more since well the NBA is done for this year? Like hello if people watched hockey for 1 game they would be hooked.

[Chadd 916]

How would that benefit ESPN? The NBA will be back eventually and all those time slots will go back to being NBA games. They are doing exactly what I predicted they would do; more college football, more NFL and more college basketball is on tap for the end of the college football season.

Even ESPN dedicating more highlight time to hockey isn't going to happen on most nights because they don't want to encourage people to watch something they don't have the rights to broadcast. ESPN played hardball with the NHL after the lockout and they lost when Comcast decided to push Versus. Now that they also own NBC, it's very unlikely you will see ESPN with the rights for a very long time.

Versus has been showing games at least two nights a week and the NHL network is showing games another two nights. Combine that with coverage of your local team and there's a good chance you have the option to watch hockey just about any night of the week.

[DEATHTRON 19]

I am the only one thinking the ESPN should be showing NHL more since well the NBA is done for this year? Like hello if people watched hockey for 1 game they would be hooked.

Believe it or not, not everyone like's hockey.

Zach

[Axxion89 32]

Contract with NBC/Versus probably won't allow for it. If NBA declares the season lost (Which I think will happen) there is a minimal chance NHL talks with ESPN/ABC about some games but I doubt it due to the contract with NBC.

[chippa13 1844]

I am the only one thinking the ESPN should be showing NHL more since well the NBA is done for this year? Like hello if people watched hockey for 1 game they would be hooked.

Not necessarily. Most people I know who aren't hockey fans say they have trouble following the game on tv and that is what has kept them away. The only way to hook someone is to take them to a game.

[EBondo 233]

I seriously doubt anything more will happen than what we've already seen so far. However, I do believe last Wednesday 7 out of the top 10 plays were hockey...that was shocking.

[pbhockey4 0]

I just think its dumb that ESPN talked about hockey just as much as they talked about basketball football and baseball and now its declined over the years.

[Joshison 1]

pb NHL has a contract with NBC so therefore ESPN has no reason to talk about hockey..

[pbhockey4 0]

Really? I just think its funny there are those ESPN commercials with the NHL players but they dont talk about the NHL.

[Jason Harris 31]

I just read Those Guys Have All The Fun, which is an excellent book about the history of ESPN, almost entirely from quotes of the people involved. What I found illuminating, particularly in contrast to comments I've seen at MSH, is how devastated so many of the employees were when they lost the NHL. A lot of people here have claimed ESPN hates hockey, but that appeared to be far from the truth. The man in charge of negotiations for ESPN miscalculated: both the fact that the NHL could find another suitor, as well as the growth of the NHL coming out of the lockout.