The NHL and Versus released the schedule today of what games will be aired on the Bull-riding channel. Puck Daddy does an excellent job of breaking down the schedule in terms of how many times a team is shown for next season. How many of you are surprised that the Kings are shown ZERO TIMES?
No one? That’s what I thought.
I really don’t like to bag on other markets/cities outside of the Pacific Division because I have mad respect for everyone. But Buffalo? 9 times?? REALLY? 7 times for Boston?? St. Louis 5 times???
In the Pacific Division only the Dallas Stars get a bit of love by having 4 games aired nationally. The rest?
San Jose – 3
Phoenix – 1
Anaheim – 1
Los Angeles – 0
Zero. ZERO! Oh my god, really? Look, I’m not whining and complaining about this because I’ll be able to watch almost all of the games myself. What I’m angry about is the fact that the NHL and Versus are essentially telling hockey fans that the Kings, Flames, and Oilers are not relevant. I find it hard to believe that they wouldn’t air ANY games from 2 of the 6 Canadian teams. I know that the eastern teams are the big hockey markets that draw in the biggest numbers, but how does that create exposure for other teams? In a league where certain markets aren’t perceived as being relevant, the NHL and Versus have made it clear that they think so as well.
Fully Clips
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Lake Show Life
Lasorda's Lair
Reign of Troy
Rink Royalty
Three words…East Coast Bias. It’s what we have to endure when you love sports and are living on he west coast. Look at the college football rankings every year. In baseball, how much more do I need to know about the Redsox and Yankees. The only popular team on the left coast is the L.A. Lakers. (and that is because they have dominated the sport in virtually avery decade). The easy excuse the media will give us is that they can’t stay up late enough to watch west coast games. If your job is to cover sports then you should be happy to stay up late and watch, right???
Thanks for the comment, socalyard. I agree and I’ve heard it before, east coast bias. The NHL headquarters are in New York and Toronto, which are the biggest markets that draw in the most money. It’s hard to make hockey relevant on the west coast when the exposure is limited. I always find it odd when I hear national analysts talking about the Kings. I always wonder if they’re even watching the Kings on a regular basis.