NHL Playoffs

[notyoueither]

The only time I've seen the Habs this year on English TV is after the Leafs finish, maybe for the last half a period depending on start times.

This isn't the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. It's the Leafs fan club.

[Tingkai]

The HNIC will always show Leaf games over the Habs simply because of demographics. More people willl watch a Leafs game than a Canadiens game.

[notyoueither]

That's likely, but it also concedes the point.

[notyoueither]

I still think going to Philly for HNiC when the Habs were in thick and at home was going a ratings point too far.

[notyoueither]

They don't follow the Flames or Canucks to American cities for the late broadcasts. They show the home game of a Canadian team.

The NHL goes out of its way to schedule Canadian teams at home on Saturday nights for just that reason.

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by notyoueither
That's likely, but it also concedes the point.

Leafs games are good for CBC business, but that doesn't mean HNIC is necessarily a Leaf fan club.

David Shoalts at the Globe has some good comments about how sports journalists view home teams.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20051102.wshoaltsblog1102a/BNStory/Sports/home

[notyoueither]

What about Philly is 'in Canada'?

[Agathon]

radio canada always plays the habs

[Tingkai]

What team attracts the most Canadian viewers.

Having said that, this has long been a chicken and egg situation. Leaf games attract the most fans largely because so many Leaf games are shown that the Leafs have a large fan base.

The playoffs this year will give the other Canadian teams, except of course Vancouver, a chance to gain more fans.

[joncha]

Originally posted by Agathon
And it's nice to see that the disease of Western Alienation seems to extend to HNIC.

Extend to? I contend it has its roots there.

[Tingkai]

Originally posted by Agathon
radio canada always plays the habs

Well, yeah, but only on the French language broadcasts, non?

Or at least I can't remember the last time the English-language CBC Radio carried NHL games.

[notyoueither]

I don't know if it is possible for the Habs to gain more fans without population growth.

They are huge throughout the West.

I wouldn't complain if it was 4 games out of 5. But when it is 5 out of 5, and they chase the Leafs to American cities to show them one more time... they have gone too far, and in the immortal words of Dave Hodge when the CBC cut from a playoff game to curling, 'what a way to run a network'.

[Guynemer]

Did the Wings benefit from playing in a weak division? Unquestionably.

However, if I read the standings correctly, only Dallas and Carolina had a better record in non-division games. The Wings played everyone pretty damned good this year.



Avatar bet, NYE?

[Guynemer]

Incidentally, no city has even been host to the NHL and NBA champions in the same year. And until this year, no city had ever been host to the #1 overall seeds in the NHL and NBA in the same year.

This is the Red Wings' and Pistons' year, mark my words.

[Tingkai]

I look at the non-division statistics and see the Wings as being average compared to other division leaders.

Wins against non-division teams:
Stars 36
Hurricane 34
Wings 33
Sens 32
Devils 30
Flames 26

So the Wings finished way ahead in points thanks to the pathetic teams in their division, but really they're not much better than teams like the Sens or Canes.