PaulP

I'm thoroughly disgusted that there is absolutely zero coverage here in the US of the Hockey World Championship starting this Saturday in Austria! I checked Canadian TV listings, and even they only have a handful of games. You would think that with the temporary demise of the NHL, networks would jump on this, but no. Boggles the mind.

Orlando

The sad reality is that poker and dog shows get better ratings then hockey. Hockey games are just about carried only when they have to be. But losing this season really put a hurt on my entire family.

Jeff_Standley

I miss hockey this season really bad.
I am also surprised that they would not broadcast the championships even in the absencce of the NHL this year. I hope they make some advancements over the summer or we might be in trouble for next year. Theres no way Bettman would allow the next season to be cancelled but im nervous, they would absolutely kill North American hockey if they did that.
They ahave already cancelled the draft. Whats next for the NHL?

"Do you think the average stormtrooper knows how to install a toilet main"?

Daniel Kikin

I got HD in August and was really looking forward to seeing hockey in HD, hopefully they can hammer out a deal and save hockey.

Dan Hitchman

No one wants to budge. This is what happens when both sides are a bunch of greedy, selfish bastards.

The fans are screwed, not the billionaire owners or the rich, spoiled players who can just pull up skates (pun intended) and play for their native lands.

Ticket prices have been atrocious (even for nose bleed sections-- it's now a rich man's sport) and the rules and refereeing are getter lousier by the minute. They allow too much shit to go on and so we ended up with fellow NHL players putting contracts out on other team's players... and we all saw what happened! The Russian mob has had their hand in things too with some of the Russian players...

The NHL has turned into a joke.

Dan

Bren_Chris

I became a huge hockey fan about three years ago and watched a lot of Nashville Predators games on the local FSN. This past season, in the absence of rink action, I followed the NFL more closely than I had in recent years, and this has been the closest I've ever followed April baseball.

I miss hearing Thorne and Clement together on ESPN, too.

One of the ironies of the current NHL woes is that they're going to lose these expansion markets that they've been cultivating in the past few years. Folks in Nashville packed the GEC when the Preds made the playoffs. Tampa Bay got to the Cup. Should the NHL (ever) get back on track, fans in the "original six" cities will probably show up like nothing happened, but how to lure back the tentative fans in other regions?

Jason Walstrom

At this point i'd watched televised Roller Hockey.

What happened to Bobby Hull's WHL league that was supposed to start up it would have been perfect timing?

Nowhere In Mulberry~The Weekly Podcast Commentary of Film, Television and Pop Culture! iTunes

PaulP

I painfully mourn the cancellation of the season as well, and am having major hockey withdrawls, but to not telecast the World Championship (at least the US games) is a crime, in my opinion. I can't begin to imagine why this is, especially since the Under-18 Championship was already broadcast...

Jeff Gatie

Dead in the water. As far as the NHL is concerned, I read a great article by Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe a few weeks back. He gave his suggestions for improving the game when it comes back. No rounded nets, no shootouts, and none of the other silly suggestions Mr. "It worked for basketball" Bettman seems to seek out.

Number one suggestion by Dupes - Kill the instigator rule and possibly the bench clearing brawl rule. This would bring back fighting to at least the late 70's style so the NHL can keep it's core audience that it lost due to the lockout. I agree and say screw the "new viewers" that it has been trying to woo by wussifying the game. They have been alienating the true hockey fan in order to get the casual fan interested and it ain't working. The casual fan can learn to love the game if they watch it and the ones who say they'd watch if it were not for the fighting will never watch anyway, never mind buy a ticket, fighting or not. Hockey needs fighting as a tactic and to police itself. It does not need designated goons who square-off in a sideshow bout once a night. Even more important, it would keep the clutch and grab, cheap shots and intentional injuries to the game's stars to a minimum and do more to open up the game than any wider blue line, 4 on 4, stationary goalie or new fangled icing rule ever could.

Oh, yeah - He also said to adopt the tag-up offsides (I agree!!) and reduce the size of goalie equipement, pads, gloves, shirts and all.

Christ Reynolds

just as long as every team has a guy or two they can throw out there to kick ass. even if everyone has a guy like that, i dont see how it could possibly control the clutch and grab tactics. the nhl may need a few rule updates and revisions here and there, but fighting is a necessary part of the sport.

CJ

And then when I feel so stuffed I can't eat anymore, I just use the restroom! And then I CAN eat more!