#26 — Vanek! with a Jurco

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This is the twenty-sixth post of Deke Dangle RPF Anon, a community for all your ice hockey anon meme needs.

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Comments

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

If Hawks fans on twitter could stop going "lol sucks to suck," that would be great. Having upwards of half the games on national television including the NHL Network means everything is blacked out and that's way too much Pierre on my television. It's also a questionable business model.

No McDavid on NBC? Dallas only four times? Subban only twice? It's bizarre and blatant selling out of the best product and future growth in favor of immediate ratings.

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

My team is in the Atlantic division, and because of his injury last season I've never actually seen McDavid play other than in highlight clips. I'll probably make more of an effort this year to watch when they play the Oilers, but it does feel like they're missing out on an opportunity to show off their next big star. I guess NBC won't care though until the Oilers are good enough to command a national audience.

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

It's probably the injury, but I feel like I barely saw him at all last year, despite watching a huge amount of games. Not having any face time on national television is going to make the hype machine really weird for casual fans.

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah I was actually thinking that if I hadn't sought out the highlight clips I would probably think he was wicked overhyped, even though I'm aware he's not. I hope he stays healthy this season and more people will see him play, but I feel like it has the potential of becoming a weird situation where nobody really knows how good he is until the Oilers make the playoffs and he dominates against their team. Like he could end up being...underrated? By some fans? Which I never would have thought before last season when the hype machine had no breaks.

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

If Hawks fans on twitter could stop going "lol sucks to suck," that would be great.

FTFY

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

Nope.

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, it's not realistic to hope that they will.

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

McDavid does not strike me as a guy who will ever be popular in the US, no matter how good he gets. He just doesn't have a star personality. Besides, last year they did have some Oilers games, and look how that turned out: no McDavid anyway.

I suspect the schedule was mostly finalized before the Subban trade.

Also, I'm not sure that trying to get the best ratings is "bizarre."

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

The way the schedule is constructed is strange. Short-term vs long-term ratings is debatable but not my preferred business model.

We're going to get years of media talking about how he's the best player in the league, might as well get him some games, since having a mayonnaise personality hasn't stopped Crosby.

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

Eh, I was going to make a similar point, also re: Crosby, but Crosby plays in the US, and that really makes a difference.

(also, not directed at you, since I don't know you, but I wish certain white people in this fandom would stop making Crosby mayonnaise jokes. The lack of self-awareness is strong.)

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

sa

But I still agree that omitting McDavid seems like a big oversight. Watching a generational player is a big draw for casual fans.

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

I think, for casual US fans, though, they'd want to market American star players. When people tune in for the Olympics, casual fans will watch the US.

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

Crosby does a ton for promoting hockey in Pittsburgh, down to putting sticks in kids' hands, so on a base level he's been instrumental in pushing hockey in the US. It doesn't really matter what his personality is like in terms of advertising/promo, he's creating an army of next-gen hockey fans in his program.

McDavid can never have that same effect because he's not on an American team.

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

Exactly. He's a Canadian star player on a Canadian team. If he ends up on an American team someday I expect it's much different.

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

ayrt

I'm not sure the kind of promotion that Crosby does in Pittsburgh really has much impact on hockey's popularity on a national level, though (except maybe influencing lots of Pittsburgh kids to play hockey, and some of them eventually reach the NHL), even though in Pittsburgh itself it obviously contributes massively to the market there. Crosby putting sticks in Pittsburgh kids' hands doesn't make people elsewhere more interested in watching hockey.

I'd guess that where Crosby playing in the US makes a difference is in the cultivation of geographical rivalries. It's clear that the broadcast schedule is determined not just by marketable teams, but marketable match ups, and those match ups are a draw specifically because Crosby being good and the Penguins being good have created new rivalries and made existing ones a bigger spectacle. Even if the Oilers and Flames both become great teams, that match up isn't going to get the US ratings of Pens-Caps.

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

Mayonnaise as a pejorative should be off-limits to white people imo

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

Crosby and mayo is a fucking meme ffs

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

Crosby is also on an American team.

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

DA

I think that makes a big difference. Also, as fun as it can be watching a generational talent develop, the Oilers aren't exactly the most fun to watch at the moment and a lot of people in US TV markets don't have that much investment in them. I think they'd probably do better drawing in casual viewers if they played more Buffalo or Toronto games for Eichel and Matthews.

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

Yep. He's boring, or he's projecting that. I would much rather they market someone like Gaudreau, who also has ties to the NY metro area and New England.

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

+1
A lot of BC fans in New England already know and love Gaudreau (and fans of other schools are at least aware of him from when he was beating them). A Bruins v Calgary game or a Flyers v Calgary game for the hometown factor would be perfect to show on NBC, since both of those fan bases are pretty big tv markets anyways, and they would be introduced to the rest of his teammates and maybe make more US hype for a Canadian team. They should hire me.

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah - the appeal of Gaudreau probably helps offset the ratings dip of it being a nonconference game. If you're drawing in some of the NY/Philly market, or New England, that's good.

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

If Hawks fans on twitter could stop going "lol sucks to suck,"

Wait, which team with 21 games didn't get out of the first round last year? HMM. But obviously things like playoff results has very little to do with this - see Buffalo and Boston, too. And then Pens have fewer nationally broadcast games this year than last year, despite having won the Cup this season vs going out in a miserable five games in the 2015 playoffs.

My only consolation is that I expect the Hawks to be mediocre at best next year, and they'll have lots of opportunities to suck on national television.

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

lmao, why would we stop doing that when you trash us for existing all the time?

Re: Hockey Media - nationally televised NHL games next year (in the US)

[(Anonymous)]

I see reading comprehension isn't your strong suit.