[jjgold]

Amazing how dead this sport is, zero talk on forums also about it. You would never know they were playing unless you looked in the newspaper or espn.

[goldengoat]

nhl is 2nd rate

it barely matters since they lost the espn deal

[gummo]

They could use a Daniel Stern running the show there.

[Mudcat]

Beware the Predators of Nashville!

[jjgold]

Volume of hockey betting at books is very very low also. I bet most books do not even need it up everyday.

[LT Profits]

This is a real shame because I love hockey myself. I am in the minroity however in that I do handicap the sport every day and end up betting it at least 4 days a week. Keep those UNDERS coming in!

[Mudcat]

They could use a Daniel Stern running the show there.

FYI - Daniel Stern was the goofy, bug-eyed actor from the Home Alone and City Slickers movies. You probably mean David Stern (although I'm sure you could find a lot of people who would say Daniel Stern could do a better job than Gary Bettman.)

[betbetter]

nhl is 2nd rate

it barely matters since they lost the espn deal

To you maybe.

The NHL will sell in excess of 40 million tickets this year league-wide.
Saturday night games on CBC in Canada match and exceed the per-capita numbers for MNF in the US.
The grass-roots level for minor-hockey participation and parent volunteers is a model for competitive sports.
Listen to a TV interview with an NHL player and compare to one with an NBA or NFL player and you be the judge of who's contributing to a more healthy environment for kids looking up to sports heroes.
The NHL will never sell wholesale in the USA, those of us that know the game realize that. We don't need you for the league and the game to thrive. The NHL and the Stanley Cup have been competed in and for since the turn of the century.

Ignorance breeds contempt.

Fastest game in the world. Only Americans that can play it are trained up here in the Major junior leagues, and you need our boys to fill the NCAA ranks.
Some of the greatest moments in sports history come from the NHL and international hockey.

To judge a sport by how how many degenerates see a lean on it speaks for itself.

Go and see Montreal and Toronto live, the hype, the atmosphere, the buzz and the price matches anything football or baseball or basketball has to offer. With a heckuva lot more class I might add.

[bigboydan]

nhl is 2nd rate

it barely matters since they lost the espn deal

The sad part is your right according to most people accept for the true puck heads like myself.

The less attention put on this sport the better it is for us cappers though IMO. It makes it easier to find the value before it's gone unlike hoops, bases, and football.

[turnip]

like betbetter says, hockey = life to A LOT of people

it's the all star break now that's why there is not much going on...

[BuddyBear]

They still play hockey?

[VegasDave]

Amazing how dead this sport is, zero talk on forums also about it. You would never know they were playing unless you looked in the newspaper or espn.

And even if you turn on ESPN (aka NFL and NBA Live), you wouldn't know it existed.

And picked up a copy of the LA Times? Ha.

It is sad that no one cares about hockey. I love it. From a betting standpoint, too, it may just be my imagination, but I feel like it is a very winnable sport. The lines don't seem as tough as say pro basketball and pro football. You can get the better team money line at even or + odds quite often, and some favorites -1.5 are an absolute steal.

[Dark Horse]

Go and see Montreal and Toronto live, the hype, the atmosphere, the buzz and the price matches anything football or baseball or basketball has to offer. With a heckuva lot more class I might add.

Go to Europe and South America and see the soccer hype.

Soccer and hockey don't translate to the US, where sports are commercial driven. Football, basketball, and baseball all have one thing in common: very regular breaks; i.e. room for commercials. That's why we get a steady diet, and get into those sports. Hockey has two intermissions, which, from a US perspective, places it a level above soccer. But mainstream? Only if they add timeouts.

[Mudcat]

Go and see . . . Toronto live, the hype, the atmosphere, the buzz . . .

Wandering a bit off topic now but I can't agree with that.

As a city, Toronto is insane about the Leafs and the hype/buzz are definitely there (to the point of being completely annoying if you're not a Leafs fan). However live games at the ACC are more of a corporate shmooze-fest than an electrifying sports event. So many of the best seats are occupied by suits more worried about conducting business than watching the game.

It's too bad there wasn't a way to get the best seats to the real fans.

Some of the greatest moments in sports history come from the NHL and international hockey.

I agree with that. If I looked at my top sports moments of my lifetime, the top 4 (at least) would all be from international hockey. There would be some NHL moments not too far down.

[JED]

Amazing how dead this sport is, zero talk on forums also about it. You would never know they were playing unless you looked in the newspaper or espn.

Hank, you start the same thread every year

[Stumpage]

I agree with that. If I looked at my top sports moments of my lifetime, the top 4 (at least) would all be from international hockey. There would be some NHL moments not too far down.

Speaking of International hockey, for anyone whose followed the sport for a while, you'll no doubt recall this one (Ok, not a great moment, but certainly memorable).....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCTTDpBEqOQ

Just for some trivia, listen to some of the names on both sides and some will be quite familiar to those who have followed the NHL over the years.

[jjgold]

Hockey should just vanish

[Mudcat]

Stumpage, it's too bad they don't have the audio feed from the CBC coverage with Don Cherry and Brian Williams during that infamous brawl. As I recall that got pretty colorful with William trying to say what a disgrace it was and Cherry saying, "Screw that! Kick their asses boys!"

They seemed on the verge of a scrap of their own. Remember that?

[Stumpage]

That's classic, Mudcat. Unfortunately I don't recall that, but it doesn't surprise me. I've often thought that Cherry wanted to go at Maclean a few times as well over the years, at least in their earlier days...'Course, it could just be an act...If I remember correctly as well, I believe Cherry started selling his Christmas "Rock and sock 'em hockey fights" series soon after this megabrawl as well.