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Eleven of its playoff games have been decided in the final minute, or in overtime. That includes seven overtime contests and four last-minute scores in regulation to decide games.Two series required ultimate seventh games. And the second round of its playoffs just commenced.
How can any league lose with a postseason like this one? Easy. See the one I'm talking about, the NHL.
There is no shame for the NHL's postseason games, whose second round started with a crescendo last weekend as the two brightest stars in the league, Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby, led their teams, the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins, to meet each other. Their second meeting Monday night produced something witnessed in an NHL playoff game only three times before -- each player recorded a hat trick.
Unfortunately, it was closer to being the proverbial tree falling in the woods with nobody around. The game was on Versus, formerly OLN, a network that goes to only two-thirds of all cable subscribers in the country.
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WASHINGTON - MAY 04: Shaone Morrisonn #26 and Simeon Varlamov #40 of the Washington Capitals drops Jordan Staal #11 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinal Round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 4, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Len Redkoles/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Shaone Morrisonn;Jordan Staal;Simeon Varlamov
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WASHINGTON - MAY 04: Simeon Varlamov #40 of the Washington Capitals stops a shot on goal by a member the Pittsburgh Penguins during Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinal Round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 4, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Len Redkoles/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Simeon Varlamov
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WASHINGTON - MAY 04: Alexander Semin #28 of the Washington Capitals attempts a wrap around shot on goal against Kris Letang #58 and Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinal Round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 4, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Len Redkoles/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Alexander Semin;Kris Letang;Marc-Andre Fleury
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WASHINGTON - MAY 04: Brooks Laich #21 of the Washington Capitals sets up a scoring attempt against Hall Gill #2 and Marc-Andre Fleury #29 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinal Round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 4, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Len Redkoles/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Brooks Laich;Hall Gill;Marc-Andre Fleury
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WASHINGTON - MAY 04: Simeon Varlamov #40 and Mike Green #52 of the Washington Capitals watches Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins first goal of the game during Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinal Round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 4, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Len Redkoles/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Simeon Varlamov;Mike Green;Sidney Crosby
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WASHINGTON - MAY 04: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals skates the puck past Hall Gill #2 of the Pittsburgh Penguins during Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinal Round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 4, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Len Redkoles/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Alex Ovechkin;Hall Gill
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WASHINGTON - MAY 04: Head Coach Jim Zorn of the Washington Redskins with his family celebrates Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals hat trick against the Pittsburgh Penguins during Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinal Round of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 4, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Len Redkoles/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Jim Zorn
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Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) scores his third goal of the game Washington Capitals goalie Simeon Varlamov (40) during the third period of Game 2 of an NHL hockey second-round playoff series, Monday, May 4, 2009 in Washington. Also in in the play are Capitals' Tom Poti (3) and David Steckel (39) and Penguins Evgeni Malkin (71) from Russia. The Capitals won 4-3. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
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WASHINGTON -MAY 4: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals awaits a pass during Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins on May 4, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Alex Ovechkin
NHLI via Getty Images
WASHINGTON -MAY 4: Alex Ovechkin #8 of the Washington Capitals skates the puck up the ice during Game Two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Pittsburgh Penguins on May 4, 2009 at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/NHLI via Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Alex Ovechkin
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This is the deal NHL commissioner Gary Bettman cut at the end of his league's season-killing lockout in 2005. It was supposed to be a quid pro quo thing where Versus could use the NHL to entice baseball and football to move a few games its way. Didn't happen. Nonetheless, the NHL extended its deal with Versus. Now it is paying for it.
If you were on the road for business on Monday and wanted to watch the game in your hotel room, chances were greatest that your hotel television wouldn't carry Versus. The nearest sports bar would, maybe.
Imagine the NFL playoffs not being available almost everywhere. Or the baseball playoffs. Or the NBA postseason. Can't because they aren't. The NFL has several networks on which to show its games, and so do baseball and the NBA. The NHL is on NBC come the weekend. Even the Stanley Cup Finals this season aren't scheduled to be on a major network until after Versus airs Games 1 and 2.
The choir around most every pro hockey rink in the country the past few days sang the song about the Ovechkin-Crosby matchup, which pits the last two league MVPs, as being just what hockey needs. But what hockey still needs is a broader TV deal so everyone can be enchanted by Ovie, Sid and an NHL postseason that is, dare it be said in the wake of the NBA's epic Celtics-Bulls' battle, more thrilling this year than pro basketball's.
Kevin B. Blackistone is a panelist on ESPN's Around the Horn and the Shirley Povich Chair in Sports Journalism at the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. A former award-winning sports columnist for The Dallas Morning News, he currently lives in Silver Spring, Md.
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bettman and the owners should be deeply ashamed. Rather than grow the sport, they've opted for the Invisible Network (a.k.a. Versus) which no one can watch. Please, please, please come to your senses and get back on ESPN.
I'm surprised that you refrained from calling Versus racist.
Nobody cares about the NHL anyway. It's like that MMA fighting they put on the same station. The NHL
is a red-neck sport anyway. It will always survive, but it will never be as popular as the other major league sports.
Hey *******JERK,
A red-neck sport????,haha sounds like you
*******love the *******NBA
Dear Don5565,
I will try not be insulting as many are on aol comments but your "cross the board" comment displays not only your lack of knowledge of the sport, but also your lack of education in the grassroots beginings of hockey. Let me guess, your idea of a real sport is one that constantly promotes its athletes that have police records, drug charges, doping or steroids and much more to say the least. How about women beating or carrying guns around?
The real reason the NHL is on Versus is because ESPN did a bad job marketing the product, thus Bettman took them elsewhere. I dont agree with it but at least he made a move.
Your comments pretty much dictate or appear to pose you as a "CARD CARRYING" red neck. I suggest some anger management courses or perhaps going to one of these games you apparently so despise. Perhaps the best thing for you is a little education. Try it, you might like it.
Have a nice day and long live the NHL.
Great hockey - I love the playoffs. This website has awesome jerseys from your favorite teams! tomkshoes.com http://tomkshoes.com
I don't know, but I kind of like the fact that us hockey fans are all alone. Not only are hockey players the best conditioned and skilled of any of the big three, but the players and fans are the greatest. It's our little secret!
I became a fan of the NHL a few years back, but now that i am a full blown fan, I wish everyone saw the greatness in this sport. Its a constant fast moving game that doesn't bore you with endless commercials.....that is whats wrong with the NBA....too many timeouts....too many commercials...the last five minutes of every game takes 5 years to finish.....these athletes are professionals, why do they need to draw up a play at the end of every game.....is the conditioning that bad...