Sunday, June 14, 2009
No Hockey on ESPN Listings
I was checking out the ESPN channel tv listings. I noticed on the “Sport and League Schedules” that there’s no NHL or hockey listed. Bowling, sure, but no hockey.
Yes, the NHL doesn’t currently have a contract with ESPN, but games can be shown on ESPN Classic, and ESPN does show college hockey.
The current channel listing:
ESPN
ESPN2
ESPNEWS
ESPN Classic
ESPN Deportes
ESPN U
It also lists some web, mobile, ABC and any matching HD channels.
I guess it should be noted that the PBA (Professional Bowlers Association) has a broadcast agreement with ESPN.
Friday, May 29, 2009
I’ll Chip In, Too
I haven’t wanted to take sides in Phoenix Coyotes/NHL vs Jim Balsillie, but if this is all it’s going to take:
The Hamilton Spectator reports Balsillie has said he will sign a lease of up to 32 years and provide $5 for the renovation project, the rest of the funds would likely come from government sources.
Ok, I’m in, for a small stake in the team I’ll provide $5 as well.
Good typos are hard to find.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Sharks Collapse in Playoffs Again, Make History
Fans in San Jose might be fuming these days, and for good reason. The current version of the Sharks (we’ll go with Joe Thornton’s arrival after the lockout as the starting point) completed yet another playoff collapse last night, falling in six games to a division rival in the Ducks.
That marks the fourth consecutive season that the Sharks have failed to live up to postseason expectations. (Fifth overall if you count 2003-04 before Thornton came to town) They may have been given a free pass as a 5th seed in 2005-06 and 06-07, but eyebrows started raising after Thornton and company struggled against Calgary and then fell to Dallas last spring.
This time around, the Sharks earned the NHL’s best regular season record and then top overall seed in the West, but looked like a completely different team against Anaheim, who will now be moving to face Detroit even after a shaky season at best. It was the dreaded 8th over 1st seed upset, which has happened seven times since the current playoff system went into effect for the 1993-94 season. The Sharks’ role was reversed that year, as they bounced the Wings in the first round as an 8th seed.
What’s worse for the Sharks is that they made history on Monday. In having the NHL’s highest regular season total, they became the first team in history to lose to the lowest overall seed in the playoffs. The Ducks only had 91 points as the West’s lowest seed while Montreal had 93 in the East. Eek.
So how many questions will the Sharks be facing this summer? A lot. One that is dear to my heart: What does the future hold for Jeremy Roenick? Has one of the league’s most colorful players played his last game? Something tells me yes, even though I hope that’s not the case as he has shown he can still keep up even at his age.
Potentially joining him in retirement could be Claude Lemieux, who was unimpressive during his 18-game stint with the Sharks and only played in one playoff game. Great story this year, but seriously, it’s Claude. Who will honestly miss him?
Thursday, April 09, 2009
Clinched
With a 6-1 loss to the Penguins tonight the Islanders have clinched having the worst record in the NHL this season.
Unlike the 2000-01, the last season the Islanders were the dead-last team, there’s a good amount of hope for the future of this team (arena pending).
While the Islanders aren’t guaranteed the first pick, they are guaranteed the first or second. Barring any abnormal news between now and the draft, John Tavares or Victor Hedman will most likely be wearing an Isles sweater at some point next season.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Not a Common Pairing
These two Islanders defensemen don’t play together too much, otherwise this would be a more fun statistic:
Mark Streit: +6
Brendan Witt: -32
Sure, +/- is a loathed stat, but that’s a wild separation for two defensemen on the same team.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
One Month Double Jump
Fun little factoid here:
Peter Mannino is starting for the Islanders today against the Blackhawks.
Also in the Islanders lineup: Joel Rechlicz.
Less than a month ago (and a short Feb month at that), these two played together in the ECHL for the Utah Grizzlies.
A few weeks in Bridgeport together, they’re now both skating at the top level. Yes, the Isles may be in last place (in the league), but they have been playing well as of late.
Quite a journey for these two.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Islanders Win Again, Self-Destructing
Stacking up wins is generally considered a very good thing. The Islanders beat the Canadiens in OT tonight, in Montreal, picking up another two points. They’ve now won 5 of their last 7. They’ve picked up points in 7 of their last 8. It’s a great run, and probably doing wonders for the young team’s collective self-esteem.
The Isles are in dead last in the NHL. It looks like a good spot to be in so late in the season with premier pick John Tavares available in this year’s draft. New York once had some healthy distance between them and the 29th team, but now there are only 4 points between the rebuilding Isles and the busted Bolts.
With the way the team is currently playing, there’s good reason for optimism on the Island, assuming the team stays there, especially if Tavares joins the squad. The “problem” is if the Islanders keep up their winning ways and instead of picking 1-2, wind up in the 5-6 spot. Not a bad pick, but the projected talent at 1-2 is much higher.
Outside of a couple of home games against the rival Flyers, it’s hard to imagine many Islanders fans will actually be rooting for the wins to keep coming.
Friday, March 06, 2009
Jumping the Gun
I use Yahoo! Sports’ NHL scoreboard for the most part. It’s very clean and easy to read.
Whoever is controlling it, or feeding information into it, got a little trigger-happy and declared Dallas the winner of tonight’s game against Los Angeles:
Only one problem: LA scored with 14 seconds left, then again in overtime to win the game.
Yogi’s always right: it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Gary Bettman’s Q&A at EconSports
Unfortunately, I didn’t make the EconSports conference today. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was a spotlight speaker. paidContent.org’s Staci Kramer interviewed him on a variety of subjects.
There didn’t seem to be anything new to those who follow the sport, and the business side of it closely, but I did find this interesting about NHL.com’s new Gamecenter product:
Bettman didn’t give many specifics, but said the league has sold tens of thousands of subscriptions for its new Game Center Live streaming package—and that’s in line with the NHL’s forecasts. He also said that existing deals with TV and satellite providers prevent the league from making the same content available online through a single subscription. He admitted that the league’s own product does generate more revenue per subscription.
It appears to offer the same games as Center Ice, plus possibly more (NHL Network?) and of course anything that’s online-only, like the stats trackers. You can also purchase it for the entire season for roughly the same price as Center Ice. I’m the end, I’m not sure what’s not available online. Hopefully someone can clarify.
For the record: I have a Center Ice subscription, and watch almost everything via TV, whether it be live or DVR’d. Curiousity is about the only reason I’d get GameCenter. As it has the same price point as TV, I might for a month to review it, but wouldn’t just hop in for the off-chance I’d like to use it at some other time deeper in the season. It’d be interesting to see some other leagues team up with the NHL (like the AHL) and offer a true get-all online package. The market for that wouldn’t be super-large, but would probably be very passionate and interactive.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Mastercard’s Timeline
Mastercard’s new “Timeline”:
Recognizable in Canada, where the commercial is running, the player is Bobby Orr in the simple and powerful ad.
Another from agency MacLaren McCann, after the jump.
Update: Thanks to Alanah for pointing me towards this CP article about Orr and the commercial. Orr on his game that led to those knees:
“It was the way I played,” he said. “I liked to carry the puck and if you do that, you’re going to get hit.
“That’s the way it goes. I wish I’d played longer, but I don’t regret it. I had a style - when you play, you play all-out. I tried to do things. I didn’t want to sit back. I wanted to be involved.”