Hooray for NHL on NBC!

Cafe Society
1

I saw the Colorado Avalanche in Philadelphia to take on the Fliers this afternoon on NBC’s first NHL broadcast in 30 years. I was highly impressed. First of all, the game was fantastic. It was a nail-biter almost the whole way through, although I must say the Flyers didn’t blow me away the way I thought they would–I hadn’t had a chance to see them yet this season.

But besides the game, I was thoroughly impressed by the NHL on NBC package. First off, it was just fantastic that the NHL finally had the big-network feel in the regular season again that it’s missed for a long time laboring under ESPN, OLN and FSN regional coverage. Everything else from the camera work to the production to the color commentary to the in-studio analysis was excellent. The ice rink in the studio was a nice touch, although at times it felt like they were just in an empty building, the only people who cared about NHL on NBC. But–it was nice when they used the rink in the second intermission to demonstrate the efficacy of a player’s spin move with a live dramatization.

So, did anyone else see the game? What did you think? Are any other Dopers as excited about Saturday afternoons on NBC as I am?

2

We had the Stars vs Bruins. But, yeah, I did a double take. Afternoon game, on tv?

3

Oooh, did they have the glowing puck?

4

I had an even better time, because we had NY-Detroit, which was in HIGH DEFINITION!! HD hockey kicks ass folks!

5

up here in canada, eh, we get nbc. and i understand that nhl on nbc is aimed at an american audience. and i’m all for maximizing that market potential. but hockey (other than the international flavour…) on saturday afternoon? heresy.

6

BTW, here is the NHL on NBC schedule for this season, for those who didn’t see it coming.

Por que? Is this a Canadian thing?

Anyway, I’ll take hockey on network TV whenever I can get it, personally.

7

Yeah, hockey has been on Saturday afternoons for a while (since the late 90s at least, when Fox was the network broadcaster).

8

It’s Saturday night, you heretics.

9

Fooey. Have you been to America? We’ll take all the broadcast network hockey we can get, Saturday night or not.

10

In Boston, the Bruins have scheduled Saturday matinees for as long as I can remember (and that’s a long time). Yes, I know aboot Hockey Night in Canada and its great tradition, so it makes me wonder if any of the other Original Six (the American teams, perhaps) have a Saturday matinee.

11

Well, the Wings/Rangers was a Saturday matinee, but we all knew that already so I’ll move on. I don’t know about Saturday matinees, but the Wings play a few Sunday matinees every season.

I’m glad to hear that the broadcast went well. I was at work, so I had the Wings/Rangers on good ole am radio. It’s a nice change of pace. My question: Would you say that the NBC broadcast was better or worse than the team at OLN, because I’ve just about had it with OLNs crap broadcasts?

12

Saturday night might be time for HNIC in Canada, but Saturday matinees are pretty common south of the border, partially because of network TV scheduling and partially because U.S hockey teams often share arenas with NBA teams.

13

Oh, it was NO CONTEST! NBC kicked the crap out of OLN.

14

Here’s another vote that NBC kicked OLN’s ass six ways to Sunday.

15

Glad to hear it. I’m not sure it’d be possible to be worse than OLN, but I had to check. Last game I watched there, a loose puck at center ice somehow became a two on one rush. :confused: Where the heck did they dig up those people?