Okay here I am getting ready to watch the B's vs. Sabers and one thing occurred to me....I really do not like Versus or VS....I miss the NHL on ESPN, especially during the playoffs and remembering an overtime game between the Islanders and The Flyers that went into 5 overtimes or something like that...anyway I needed to speak my peace and was rehashing an old but good memory.
Anyone Miss The NHL on ESPN
- Thread starter LukeEl
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PlasmaTwa2
The Second-Hottest Man in my Mother's Basement
When?
Before the strike, it was decently popular. It was no NFL, but it was at least easy to know when a game was on and Sportscenter would actually show highlights of more than one game.
Ace Bandage
The one and only.
Nope, I can still catch my Hawks on FSN Chicago. I prefer their announcers anyway.
The league is the reason the games arent on basic cable and are only broadcast regionally, or just on VS. The stations offer to them wasnt enough money for the NHL... so they decided to be greedy bastards and sign with VS
We can all agree...Gary Bettman sucks. Completely unable to either sell the product to new audiences or preserve the rich history of the league for its fans.
And how sick are we all of NBC, on the rare occasion it does broadcast a game, convinced there are only four teams in the league? Its always Red Wings, Penguins, Flyers, Rangers. Blech.
And how sick are we all of NBC, on the rare occasion it does broadcast a game, convinced there are only four teams in the league? Its always Red Wings, Penguins, Flyers, Rangers. Blech.
I definitely miss NHL on ESPN for one reason alone.Gary Thorn and Bill Clement,imo,the best announcing duo in all of sports at the time.
Thorn's play by play was excellent.He made it seem like every shot was important,without sounding too over the top,and Clement was great as the color commentator,bringing a great amount of knowledge.With Brian Engblom and Darren Pang rounding out the rest of the team,if you couldn't learn anything about hockey after watching a couple of that crew's games,then you'd might as well move to Peru or somewhere that hockey just doesn't even exist.
*SIGH* the good 'ol days...
Thorn's play by play was excellent.He made it seem like every shot was important,without sounding too over the top,and Clement was great as the color commentator,bringing a great amount of knowledge.With Brian Engblom and Darren Pang rounding out the rest of the team,if you couldn't learn anything about hockey after watching a couple of that crew's games,then you'd might as well move to Peru or somewhere that hockey just doesn't even exist.
*SIGH* the good 'ol days...
meesterperfect
Hiliary 2020
i miss hockey period.
Hockey ain't the same without Gary Thorne and Bill Clement on ESPN 
ESPN put on solid productions of Hockey. Lots of people think that Hockey really needs to be seen in person to be enjoyed
Total bullshit. The only people that think that are the players and the arena operators
Hockey is a great sport to watch on television. ESPN knew what the fuck they were doing. The NHL was dumb to even leave ESPN. Even if ESPN lowballed the NHL with broadcast rights back in the day, so what. ESPN's 24 hr hype and promotion machine is impossible to go against.
I think I have Versus, but I really don't know. It's put way at the backend of my cable lineup and I never remember to seek it out :dunno:
The future of the NHL in America rests on the NHL getting back on ESPN...
ESPN put on solid productions of Hockey. Lots of people think that Hockey really needs to be seen in person to be enjoyed
Total bullshit. The only people that think that are the players and the arena operators
Hockey is a great sport to watch on television. ESPN knew what the fuck they were doing. The NHL was dumb to even leave ESPN. Even if ESPN lowballed the NHL with broadcast rights back in the day, so what. ESPN's 24 hr hype and promotion machine is impossible to go against.
I think I have Versus, but I really don't know. It's put way at the backend of my cable lineup and I never remember to seek it out :dunno:
The future of the NHL in America rests on the NHL getting back on ESPN...
I don't really care too much for hockey, but ESPN really did a kick ass job back in the day with the NHL. Their presentation drew me in, even if the game itself wasn't too appealing to me. I've watched a grand total of zero regular season games on Versus. And now I don't even get it no more with Directv. And NBC treats it like the flu.
That's a really good point. Thorne/Clement really were the heart and soul of the entire ESPN/NHL union, and I really do miss them, although I will say Thorne is a great baseball guy too.
I read somewhere at the start of the season that the contract with VS was up the end of this year.I hope so,everyone has espn. Not evryone can get vs,comcast or the fox sportsnetwork feeds without a dish. Clement and Thorne were great and with all of the resources espn has at its disposal it made the broadcast so much better.
Jagger69
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
Yes and once in a while Steve Levy would fill in for Thorne. The broadcasts were great (although I'd still have to rank Dan Kelly and Mike Emrick the best ever). I have DirecTV so I don't even have access to Versus although I do get the NHL channel but it just isn't the same. I've lost track of the game over the last few years simply because it isn't visible enough. What a shame. I miss it....a lot.
I'm not going to overdo it and say ESPN did a stellar job selling the NHL...I was frequently annoyed with their coverage...but with the NHL on VS hockey has been effectively supplanted in the national dialog by NASCAR, Golf, Bowling, and Arena fuckin Football.
Aside from the loyal fans who pack the arenas, hockey is no longer treated as one of the four major sports. Despite having hands down the most coveted trophy in all of sports. More history than any sport short of baseball. Robust farm leagues that often dominate sports coverage in their local markets. Olympic hockey drew ratings on par with the NFL playoffs. The outdoor Winter Classic in Boston is a now instant tradition, with stadium owners across the country clamoring for the next outdoor game. And its the rare sport with a large and active base of fervent female fans.
There is so much that can appeal to so many...but with Bettman at the helm we're left feeling excited anytime the Today Show gets in a passing reference to the NHL, only to find out the next moment that the story is about a particularly brutal act of on-ice violence. Cue Bob Costas with a tired 'Slap Shot' reference...everybody chuckle.
Steve Yzerman for Commish.
Aside from the loyal fans who pack the arenas, hockey is no longer treated as one of the four major sports. Despite having hands down the most coveted trophy in all of sports. More history than any sport short of baseball. Robust farm leagues that often dominate sports coverage in their local markets. Olympic hockey drew ratings on par with the NFL playoffs. The outdoor Winter Classic in Boston is a now instant tradition, with stadium owners across the country clamoring for the next outdoor game. And its the rare sport with a large and active base of fervent female fans.
There is so much that can appeal to so many...but with Bettman at the helm we're left feeling excited anytime the Today Show gets in a passing reference to the NHL, only to find out the next moment that the story is about a particularly brutal act of on-ice violence. Cue Bob Costas with a tired 'Slap Shot' reference...everybody chuckle.
Steve Yzerman for Commish.
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