Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Must-See TV: Stanley Cup Finals on NBC

NBC has been showing the NHL Stanley Cup Finals in primetime this week, which as far as I know, has never been done before, or at least not in a very long time. Makes sense to me. Most network programs are done for the year, so there is more air time to fill during the summer months. It does seem odd to watch hockey in mid-June though.

Hockey is like the unwanted child in a family of major team sports, with basketball, baseball and football receiving more airtime and attention. NBC’s move to air the Stanley Cup Finals during primetime may be just the thing the NHL needs to showcase the sport and attract new fans. It will be interesting to see what ratings the games receive.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I used to LOVE hockey! Now the league and the Chicago team are boring in a lot of ways. It will never get back to where it once was mostly because it's an expensive sport to run, and no one really wants back it up with proper TV, etc.

Regina said...

Thanks for your comment, Bill. You are right, the Chicago team is boring. No one wants to see a bad, boring team in prime time.

But I do think the Stanley Cup series between Carolina and Edmonton is showing that maybe there is a place for hockey in primetime. Heck, I'm watching it, and I never thought I would. I'm fascinated by Edmonton. Are they the Cinderella team of the year or what?