NHL Gets Snubbed

[Shmee]

Anybody else notice that this week's cover story for Sports Illustrated featured NOT the Tampa Bay Lightning? For those who don't get SI Weekly, the cover story was the fact that Ken Griffey MIGHT hit his 500th home run this week. Might? Since when does the fact that someone MIGHT do something win out over a team winning a major championship?

I think one of the main reasons the NHL is struggling to gain recognition is because organizations like Sports Illustrated and ESPN constantly are beating up on the league. For example, the only press that the NHL ever gets on shows like PTI and Around the Horn is the hosts talking about how nobody cares about the NHL.

Lame.

[jkrdevil]

You just realized this. The NHL doesn't have any problems on the ice all of the problems are pr. That's why there needs to be a new commish. One that is out there more promoting the league. Not a guy who came from the rival league.

[CDunn]

yeah, I really don't like PTI and one of the many reasons is that they only talk about hockey to say "who cares? It's hockey." Those two shows are just a bunch of loud mouthed idiots screaming at each other. Good TV? I think not. One of the few episodes of PTI I saw was recent(during the NHL Conference Finals) and Steven A. Smith(he was filling in I guess) and the other guy were saying that the Flyers were the only ratings hope for the Finals and if it were a Tampa/Calgary final then nobody would watch. Then Smith went on a little bit about how hockey sucks. These guys know squat and don't even try. What really bothers me is that during the playoffs the highlights from the NHL games were in the B or C block of Sportcenter. The A block is what you start with at the top of the show, then first commercial break, then B Block, etc. They'd always just do the NBA playoffs in the A block, then either baseball highlights or hockey in B block. How can you do regular season baseball highlights before the Stanley Cup Playoff highlights?? You put your most important things first and that should be your playoff games. One night during the NBA conference finals there was one bball game and a Stanley cup Finals game. First they covered the NBA game at the top of the show and I timed it. From the introduction, highlights, breakdown by the NBA tonight guys(I guess it was them), it was a few seconds over 7 minutes. Then when they came back from commercial they covered the hockey game. From the introduction of the package to the highlights to the breakdown by Barry Melrose and Chris Berman it was about 3 minutes 45 seconds. They spent over three minutes more talking about a conference final basketball game than a Cup final hockey game. That's a lot of time.

It's unbelivable that the Lightning wouldn't make the cover. I don't get SI, but if it's weekly maybe they'll be on the cover next week. Was one of the feature articles about the Lightning but they didn't make the cover or was there little nothing about the Cup in the magazine?

I don't want to sound like a whiner, but this is true.

[stimpy]

i liek PTI but there joking by saying "who cares its hockey!" by saying exactually what you guys are by saying "hockey always getss snubbed." which is true PTI also uses the excuse "Americans dont liek a game they didn't invent" they say that alot about hockey and soccer. i dont liek those people who hate hockey, i dont liek basketball but i have respect for teh game. It seems people who dont liek hockey have no respect for what IMO is teh most physiclly and mentally demanding sport.

[puckcool22]

i completely agree with everything you guys just said.

Every now and then someone on Around the Horn, a lot of times is Mariotti or the guy with dreadlocks when they get their 15 seconds to say what they want, they try to promote hockey. If all the "experts" followed hockey as much as them, than hockey would be better off.

Hockey is the sport everyone likes, especially to play, but is afraid to admit it. Experts should not be selective- they should know all sports- the four majors (including the NHL!)

[habsfannova]

yeah, I really don't like PTI and one of the many reasons is that they only talk about hockey to say "who cares? It's hockey." Those two shows are just a bunch of loud mouthed idiots screaming at each other. Good TV? I think not. One of the few episodes of PTI I saw was recent(during the NHL Conference Finals) and Steven A. Smith(he was filling in I guess) and the other guy were saying that the Flyers were the only ratings hope for the Finals and if it were a Tampa/Calgary final then nobody would watch. Then Smith went on a little bit about how hockey sucks. These guys know squat and don't even try. What really bothers me is that during the playoffs the highlights from the NHL games were in the B or C block of Sportcenter. The A block is what you start with at the top of the show, then first commercial break, then B Block, etc. They'd always just do the NBA playoffs in the A block, then either baseball highlights or hockey in B block. How can you do regular season baseball highlights before the Stanley Cup Playoff highlights?? You put your most important things first and that should be your playoff games. One night during the NBA conference finals there was one bball game and a Stanley cup Finals game. First they covered the NBA game at the top of the show and I timed it. From the introduction, highlights, breakdown by the NBA tonight guys(I guess it was them), it was a few seconds over 7 minutes. Then when they came back from commercial they covered the hockey game. From the introduction of the package to the highlights to the breakdown by Barry Melrose and Chris Berman it was about 3 minutes 45 seconds. They spent over three minutes more talking about a conference final basketball game than a Cup final hockey game. That's a lot of time.

It's unbelivable that the Lightning wouldn't make the cover. I don't get SI, but if it's weekly maybe they'll be on the cover next week. Was one of the feature articles about the Lightning but they didn't make the cover or was there little nothing about the Cup in the magazine?

I don't want to sound like a whiner, but this is true.

I agree, I hate PTI....

[BroadSt_Bully]

i liek PTI but there joking by saying "who cares its hockey!" by saying exactually what you guys are by saying "hockey always getss snubbed." which is true PTI also uses the excuse "Americans dont liek a game they didn't invent" they say that alot about hockey and soccer. i dont liek those people who hate hockey, i dont liek basketball but i have respect for teh game. It seems people who dont liek hockey have no respect for what IMO is teh most physiclly and mentally demanding sport.

FWIW, Dr. Naismith was a Canadian.

[JQK]

FWIW, Dr. Naismith was a Canadian.

Was an American Citizen and was invented in America.

[slapshot]

I've only caught PTI sporadically. I know the guy in dreadlocks is Boston Globe writer Michael Holley. He appeared on a weekly sports show on TV here in Boston. He has done the occasional article about hockey, so he does have a little bit of a backgound on it when he talks about it on PTI/Around the Horn/I, Max whatever he's on.

[Discrim]

that's what i was wondering when i got my SI in the mail...where's Andreychuk? Griffey will always be one of my favorite players, but come on! and when I get my ESPN mag...instead of Marty St. Louis or Vinny Lecavailer, I'm staring at Dwight Howard

[vicfurth]

I prefer I, Max (Kellerman rocks).

Anyhoo, Tampa shoulda made the cover. Detroit would've. The Avs would've. Even the Flames would've because it woulda been an "upset" and "a Cinderella story". I think it's not the NHL that nobody likes, it's the Lightning that no one likes.

[MonkeyWrench32]

Lame.

[gojetsgo]

"Americans dont liek a game they didn't invent"

Interesting. Basketball is adored by Americans, and there is no disputing that it was invented in Canada. Football is effectively the US's national sport - and it was (arguably) invented in Canada. I think Americans are willing to take on new sports... just veeerrry slooowly. I could see hockey being up there - maybe in 10 or 15 years. Solid interest in a sport doesnt just show up over night like an arena full of Lightning fans.

Also... there's no doubt that most hockey commentators in the US are idiots who just don't know about the game. They have nothing intelligent to say so they just don't ccover hockey.

This reminds me of a time when Tie Domi was asked by SI about his goonish behaviour after one particular incient. Tie replied, "Oh, Sports Illustrated covers hockey now?"

There's one big reason why hockey isn't front page stuff in the US - Most Americans don't care about hockey.

Sure, there are tons of hockey fans in the US, but for every hockey fan, there is 15 baseball fans, 20 basketball fans, and 50 football fans. Hockey gets crap ratings in the US - seriously, Stanley Cup playoff games have had lower ratings when put up at the same time as sports like womens golf, pro bowling, and armadillo racing (no joke). If a sports news show has 30 minutes to cover what their viewers want to know about, they cover everything else but hockey.

Sorry for you American hockey fans, but you can blame the sports fans who live in your country for the little coverage of hockey in your media. Look on the bright side - at least you have our teams.

[-kj]

Basketball is adored by Americans, and there is no disputing that it was invented in Canada.

Actually, it was invented by a Canadian while living in Springfield, Mass.

[gojetsgo]

Basketball is adored by Americans, and there is no disputing that it was invented in Canada.

Actually, it was invented by a Canadian while living in Springfield, Mass.

Right you are.

[Stampman]

Football came from rugby--and Canadians started changing it into football--when the Americans saw it they liked it and so developed their own rules--so Canadian & American football are like siblings--sometimes going their own way, sometimes sharing...This is of course an oversimplification, but essentially the high points--so the Americans invented American football, and the Canadians invented Canadian football--and in a sense they are their countries versions of Australian rules football!

[habsfannova]

Football came from rugby--and Candians started changing it into football--when the Americans saw it they liked it and so developed their own rules--so Canadian & American football are like siblings--sometimes going their own way, sometimes sharing...This is of course an oversimplification, but essentially the high points--so the Americans invented American football, and the Canadians invented Canadian footbal--and in a sense they are their countries versions of Australian rules football!

Yeah, they are like siblings.....One of them keeps stealing the other's best toys!

[Breakwood]

Correct me if i'm wrong, but wasn't the first form of baseball in North America played in London, Ontario?

[NJTank]

SI has always snubbed hockey lookj through out the years many times they have not but itr on the cover during the finals. Which makes this ridiculous is that who cares about Griffey. 500 HOmers? How many players have reahced 500 in recent years its still a magice number but its not as special as it used to be. Thsi trully is a lazy cover by SI.

[Puckguy14]

I've been saying this over and over and over again. Exposure to this game is vital. Promoting your best players and not going after them in CBA negotiations will help improve this league. Also, there may have been some other hockey covers in SI since then, but, SI jinx was at in 1994 after the Canucks-Rangers finals where it said is the NHL better than the NBA? or something like that.