Comments on: NHL and NBC Sports Group sign 10-year broadcast deal

By: mattg629

mattg629 — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 03:10:57 +0000

Now, if NBC can buy The Atlanta Thrashers and keep em here, that would be great!

By: Janet Sunderland

Janet Sunderland — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 18:17:23 +0000

I receive NHL Center Ice, and I have the multi sports package with Dish Network. But, in order to receive the Versus channel I have to upgrade my Dish package from 200 to 250 channels, this means $10.00 more per month. It is ridiculous that Dish packages Versus this way. So, I am missing quality playoff games. I was really hoping the NHL would go with ESPN.

By: gocaps8

gocaps8 — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:32:23 +0000

I’m going for NHL Center Ice next season because I just don’t get enough out of market games here in D.C.

By: echolmberg

echolmberg — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:30:05 +0000

NBC & VS BADLY needs to improve the analysts. I am willing to give Roenick time to improve, but seriously Keith Jones? Eddie Olczyk? Brian Engblom? Terrible. Get some real talent.

By: sportsinhd

sportsinhd — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:19:22 +0000

The NHL desperately needs some sort of deal with ESPN. With hockey not on ESPN there’s no motivation for the “World Wide Leader” to talk about it on Sportscenter or shows like Pardon the Interruption. The NHL needs the exposure that ESPN can bring, even if the deal doesn’t net much (if any) cash. Some sort of “Game of the Week” on ESPN 2 would have been just fine with everything else on Versus. Versus just screams “Second Tier Sports League” to the majority of the American public. Even Major League Soccer is on ESPN.

Perhaps next year the NHL and Versus can fix the crappy/spotty playoff coverage we’re currently getting. As a Pens fan I want to be watching their first round series, which isn’t available outside of local markets and Canada. Lame. That would never happen with the NBA, MLB, or the NFL.

By: donttouchthedirtypenny

donttouchthedirtypenny — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 23:59:55 +0000

ESPN is becoming too big for it’s own good. NHL did fine going with Versus and NBC. Now they just need to get Mike Emerick to stop talking to the audience like we’re all novices and to stop trying to wax poetic like Robert Frost and talk seriously about the game.

By: kingjoe1

kingjoe1 — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 23:58:32 +0000

ESPN is a joke when it comes to the NHL. Their coverage is based upon what they show, and simply has become the sports version of MTV. VS and NBC have the success of the NHL in their minds and they will give it the coverage it deserves.
When it comes to real quality sports coverage, you simply turn on NHL TV, MLB TV or the NFL network. ESPN is simply a self-indulging wreck, full of lousy documentaries that they hype during their news segments. It rarely deserves a click from my remote.

By: daveincleveland

daveincleveland — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 23:34:10 +0000

It was a mistake to go with Versus to begin with. You had a league coming off of a lockout, waning in people’s minds, easily #4 in the “Big 4″ sports leagues, so to get the product in front of the viewers, you go with an obscure network that most don’t even get? Brilliant.

Versus has grown a little since then. However, it’s still not part of my cable package, and I’m not the only one.

That said, it would have been better to go back to ESPN. Bottom line, it’s a staple in any basic cable package, so that means more viewers… lots more viewers…. 20,000,000 more households get the network over Versus.

I guess getting eyes on the product still isn’t important.

By: hanktheking

hanktheking — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 19:12:33 +0000

I love it. I’m from Canada but there is no better broadcast out there than the one on Sunday mornings by NBC. Great for the game to take off the way it has recently!