AHL- Apolyton Hockey League 07/08: VI They brought their ****in' toys with 'em!

[snoopy369]

Their refs have ads on their backs...

[Asher]

Holy ****...

Alexander Ovechkin signs a 13-year contract for $124M...

[notyoueither]

There are some really stupid owners and managers in the NHL.

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Asher
Holy ****...

Alexander Ovechkin signs a 13-year contract for $124M...

wow

That Phaneuf contract of 30 million over 5 years is sounding downright thrifty compared to that.

I know the guy is talented but I don't see where he is worth so very much more than everyone else

[Flubber]

Originally posted by Sparrowhawk
Flubber any chance we will get to see the first 8-0-0 week this week? Off to a great start so far!

(though last time I played you I was trouncing you early in the week and you came back to tie me on the weekend so I won't start counting chickens just yet!)

* Sparrowhawk

As I speak its 4-4 but thats mostly because my players had games with ealier starts than yours-- I expect you will take a few categories off before the night is out

[Sparrowhawk]

Even better yet.....it is 3-4 for you at the end of the night! :s

Nabakov beating Luongo may have a big effect on my week as that game alone put you up in save percentage and tied us in wins. If Luongo had won with a better save percentage it would be 5-3 for me still with a lead of 2 wins. But what if's don't win hockey pools, a good night for you, not so good for me.

It'll be interesting to see how it plays out!

/me

[mrboo123]

how the hell am I leading Asher 7-1? Perry is having a good week, but I doubt the score will last past Saturday.

[Asher]

Originally posted by mrboo123
how the hell am I leading Asher 7-1? Perry is having a good week, but I doubt the score will last past Saturday.

My team has been brutal this week and yours has been very good.

Crosby had no points in a 4-1 win last night, for instance.

[Asher]

Canadian viewership is down this year...some more than others:

Canucks: Down 20%

Flames: Down 3%

Oilers: Down 30%

Leafs: Down 3% (that's it?)

Ottawa Senators: Up 17%

Montreal Canadiens: Down 9%.

[notyoueither]

The Canucks are boooring, no surprise that Nyquil sales are down in the lower mainland.

The Oilers are evening out after a brutal season following a once in a generation cinderella run.

The Leafs are curious. They are down nationally on HNIC, but are up over the pre-lockout numbers regionally.

Overall, I think there is more hockey spread out over more options, so the value to the CBC of HNIC is going to erode. Good thing the league just got a new contract from them.

[notyoueither]

What's more interesting is the regional numbers in the US. Hockey is doing very well in a majority of markets.

[Asher]

Where are those?

[notyoueither]

http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080110.wspttruth10/GSStory/GlobeSportsHockey/home

U.S. hockey viewership shows signs of life again
WILLIAM HOUSTON

From Friday's Globe and Mail

E-mail William Houston | Read Bio | Latest Columns
January 10, 2008 at 8:27 PM EST

After two lean, postlockout years, the NHL is beginning to make gains in U.S. television.

Hockey audiences won't challenge the numbers produced by football, baseball and basketball any time soon, but the bleeding caused by the cancelled 2004-05 season has stopped.

At the midway point of this season, national audiences on Versus are up 32 per cent from this time last year.

Versus is drawing numbers comparable with ESPN2's viewership in 2003-04, which was the last year of its deal with the NHL.

Regionally, the audiences on Fox Sports Net have increased 25 per cent. FSN, which airs regional telecasts in 14 markets, has seen huge increases for the Minnesota Wild (114 per cent), St. Louis Blues (103 per cent) and Detroit Red Wings (50 per cent).

On the downside, audiences for the Atlanta Thrashers have dropped 50 per cent. The Phoenix Coyotes numbers are down 35 per cent. Viewership for the Tampa Bay Lightning has declined 31 per cent and the Dallas Stars are in the hole by 29 per cent.

All of these results reflect team performances, the one exception being the Stars, which are second in the Western Conference but, nevertheless, losing viewers.

In the season of 2003-04, before the lockout, FSN earned an average rating of 1.1 (percentage of the potential audience watching) for its hockey telecasts. After the lockout, in 2005-06, the rating dropped to 0.96. Then it climbed to 1.0 in 2006-07. If the audience trend continues, FSN will be back to a 1.1 by the end of this season.

The NHL telecasts on Versus are drawing an average audience of 261,406, which is well above the 209,000 who watched the telecasts on ESPN2 in 2003-04.

However, when ESPN2 was airing games, the telecasts were blacked out in the local markets. Versus has the advantage of going into the local markets.

A TV source said the improved NHL numbers should be viewed cautiously.

"The hockey audiences are teeny to begin with," he said. "But, any time you increase an audience by a third or 25 per cent, you've got to be happy with it."

Why are the numbers up? The absence of prime-time content, as a result of the Hollywood writers' strike, is driving audiences to sports programming. Versus showcases Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby at every opportunity.

John Shannon, the NHL's head of broadcasting, feels the league's competitiveness has helped improve viewership.

Shannon also believes the buzz created by the outdoor Winter Classic in Buffalo on Jan. 1 has helped spark U.S. interest.

NBC's overnight rating of 2.6 for the outdoor game telecast has been downgraded to a national rating of 2.2 (or 3.8 million viewers), but it still ranks as the largest NHL rating in the United States since Fox's 2.2 for Wayne Gretzky's final game on April 18, 1999.

Going head to head against NBC's outdoor game telecast, the Gator Bowl on CBS earned a 2.6 rating and the Capital One Bowl on ABC a 9.1.

[notyoueither]

Numbers.

http://ted.aol.com/index.php?ID=1545

Tuesday, December 18, 2007
NHL TV Ratings Up
From SportsBusiness Daily
December 18, 2007

REGIONAL COVERAGE: Regional coverage for NHL teams is also seeing some healthy gains. For the first time, Comcast SportsNet Chicago has been able to air select Blackhawks home games, and the broadcasts are averaging a 0.93 HH rating for three telecasts. When compared to the year-ago period, Blackhawks telecasts are down 45% to date, averaging a 0.6 HH rating, but they are in the area where the team's telecasts usual finish the season. On the whole, CSN's telecasts for its four NHL teams are slightly up through the same period last year. On MSG, the Rangers are delivering a 1.08 HH rating through 23 telecasts, up 124% over the same point last year. The net has seen strong ratings in the male 18-34 demo, which is averaging a 1.4 HH rating, up from a 0.2 HH rating at the same point last season. Ratings on FSN are also seeing an increase from the same period last year, as the net is up 24.7% through 258 games, led by the Blues, who are seeing a 125% increase through 16 games on FSN Midwest. The following lists HH ratings for NHL teams in the U.S. to date, compared to the same period last season.

RSN RATINGS FOR NHL TEAMS IN U.S.

TEAM
NET
GMS
HH RATING
% +/-

Islanders
FSNY
22
0.25
176.0%

Devils
FSNY
22
0.36
138.0%

Blues
FSN Midwest
16
2.43
125.0%

Rangers
MSG
23
1.08
124.0%

Wild
FSN North
17
2.62
114.8%

Red Wings
FSN Detroit
27
4.64
56.8%

Flyers
CSN Philadelphia
n/a
2.30
28.0%

Penguins
FSN Pittsburgh
28
5.08
21.8%

Capitals
CSN Mid-Atlantic
n/a
0.50
12.0%

Sharks
FSN Bay Area
n/a
0.90
6.0%

Ducks
FSN Prime Ticket
18
0.27
-3.6%

Blue Jackets
FSN Ohio
29
1.04
-9.6%

Kings
FSN West
24
0.31
-11.4%

Panthers
FSN Florida
24
0.17
-22.7%

Lightning
Sun Sports
25
0.66
-25.8%

Stars
FSN Southwest
14
0.41
-34.9%

Blackhawks
CSN Chicago
n/a
0.60
-45.0%

Thrashers
SportSouth
20
0.18
-45.5%

Coyotes
FSN Arizona
16
0.23
-52.1%


NOTES: n/a = Ratings for the Hurricanes, Predators, Sabres, Bruins and Avalanche were not available at presstime.


Tags: Comcast, NHL, Ted Leonsis, Ted's Take, Washington Capitals

Posted by Ted on December 18, 2007 2:29:00 PM

[Asher]

Blackhawks are down? What?