NHL Schedule

[inkman]

Can they seriously think opening on Thursday when there is football and post season baseball taking place is a good idea?

[TheMatrix31]

Aren't they opening on Wednesday, technically? A fuller slate on Thursday, sure, but there are four games on Wednesday and there won't be any playoff baseball or football that night.

[inkman]

Aren't they opening on Wednesday, technically? A fuller slate on Thursday, sure, but there are four games on Wednesday and there won't be any playoff baseball or football that night.

Let me be clear then, why are the Sabres starting on Thursday? Sure us die hards will tune in but your average fan has a lot of alternatives.

[Hoss]

There was going to be postseason baseball scheduled for a while. The football is a non-factor.

It's two cities that don't have hockey teams and they can't just skip every Sunday and thursday.

[LTS]

Let me be clear then, why are the Sabres starting on Thursday? Sure us die hards will tune in but your average fan has a lot of alternatives.

 

Perhaps because Buffalo fans have been shown to watch out of market hockey games more frequently than the citizens within the town they are playing. Who, in Buffalo, is going to pulled away for football? The baseball argument can be rejected since October is playoff baseball and there are games pretty much every night of the week.

 

Much ado about nothing in my opinion. The season opener for the Sabres with Reinhart in the lineup will be well attended and viewed in Buffalo and by Sabres fans everywhere.

[inkman]

There was going to be postseason baseball scheduled for a while. The football is a non-factor.

It's two cities that don't have hockey teams and they can't just skip every Sunday and thursday.

They should try...at all costs

 

 

 

Perhaps because Buffalo fans have been shown to watch out of market hockey games more frequently than the citizens within the town they are playing. Who, in Buffalo, is going to pulled away for football? The baseball argument can be rejected since October is playoff baseball and there are games pretty much every night of the week.

 

Much ado about nothing in my opinion. The season opener for the Sabres with Reinhart in the lineup will be well attended and viewed in Buffalo and by Sabres fans everywhere.

Here's the thing, we don't represent most Sabres fans. Most fans think tallinder is still on the team...from his first stint. These fans will be elsewhere on Thursday night and so will I if the other games are more interesting. The NHL can't compete with the big 3 but here they are lining up opening night with a myriad of programming choices. It just seems fool hardy...but perhaps inevitable.

[Drunkard]

They should try...at all costs

 

 

Here's the thing, we don't represent most Sabres fans. Most fans think tallinder is still on the team...from his first stint. These fans will be elsewhere on Thursday night and so will I if the other games are more interesting. The NHL can't compete with the big 3 but here they are lining up opening night with a myriad of programming choices. It just seems fool hardy...but perhaps inevitable.

Exactly. Even tailgating at Sabres games in NC you'll see guys wearing Bills jerseys who are probably still looking for Peca and Hasek on the ice. An out of touch quasi-Sabres fan is still infinitely better than a knowledgeable Canes fan though.

[LastPommerFan]

So is the suggestion that the NHL should schedule only Tuesday-Wednesday-Friday games to avoid conflicts with Football?

[SwampD]

They should try...at all costs

 

 

Here's the thing, we don't represent most Sabres fans. Most fans think tallinder is still on the team...from his first stint. These fans will be elsewhere on Thursday night and so will I if the other games are more interesting. The NHL can't compete with the big 3 but here they are lining up opening night with a myriad of programming choices. It just seems fool hardy...but perhaps inevitable.

These fans don't even know the season starts this week, or care.

[Hoss]

So is the suggestion that the NHL should schedule only Tuesday-Wednesday-Friday games to avoid conflicts with Football?

 

Essentially.

[inkman]

So is the suggestion that the NHL should schedule only Tuesday-Wednesday-Friday games to avoid conflicts with Football?

During football season, hell yeah. I understand the need for Saturday games but in a sport absolutely struggling to gain acceptance among the masses; why reduce the chances for success? I think overlapping with the NBA is inevitable and their fans bases are least likely to have a conflict. To go head to head with the NFL and post season MLB is rating suicide.

 

It's starts at the top in the NHL and until they start to realize that all their capital gains the last decade have come from a surging Canadian dollar and a super fanatic Canadian fan base; the NHL will lose. They need to copy the NFL. Make Saturday NHL day and have games from 11 am - 2 am. Monopolize a fan bases time. How pumped would you be if you could tune into hockey each and every week all day Saturday?

[LastPommerFan]

During football season, hell yeah. I understand the need for Saturday games but in a sport absolutely struggling to gain acceptance among the masses; why reduce the chances for success? I think overlapping with the NBA is inevitable and their fans bases are least likely to have a conflict. To go head to head with the NFL and post season MLB is rating suicide.

 

It's starts at the top in the NHL and until they start to realize that all their capital gains the last decade have come from a surging Canadian dollar and a super fanatic Canadian fan base; the NHL will lose. They need to copy the NFL. Make Saturday NHL day and have games from 11 am - 2 am. Monopolize a fan bases time. How pumped would you be if you could tune into hockey each and every week all day Saturday?

 

It depends, what time does Notre Dame play?

[inkman]

It depends, what time does Notre Dame play?

Ugh there is no hope for you

[MattPie]

It depends, what time does Notre Dame play?

Ugh there is no hope for you

 

I think he has a point, people would rather watch amateur football than the NHL in the fall. Come the last couple weeks of January (when the NFL is down to just Sunday play-off games) and for the rest of the season, all-day Saturday seems like a great idea. Or wait until after the SB and attempt to take over Sunday.

[Norcal]

October 25th Sabres v Sharks Reinhart/Zadorov 9th possible game, I'm hoping they make it so I can see them live!

[Derrico]

Sure there are fairweather fans of the Sabres (like anywhere). But I feel the Buffalo fan base has a great understanding of their current team. Look to the Prospects glorified scrimmage in June as an example. Sure it was free but the house was well over half full and it was only the young guns out there. People recognize the future of this team is in those prospects.

[Hoss]

This just seems like a pretty ridiculous notion. They're a multi-billion dollar business, and they aren't the peasants of any other domain.

Edited October 7, 2014 by Tankalicious

[frissonic]

October 25th Sabres v Sharks Reinhart/Zadorov 9th possible game, I'm hoping they make it so I can see them live!

 

i'm trying to find a way to get to this game. it's only a 12-hour drive from here, and i have a bunch of friends that want to go. haven't checked sharks website for tix yet. here's hoping!

[LGR4GM]

It depends, what time does Notre Dame play?

They have a football team?

 

 

Hockey is fine starting on Thursday. Most diehard football guys I know don't even watch the Thursday game unless it has fantasy implications. I will be firmly watching some hockey and enjoying.

[LTS]

They should try...at all costs

 

 

Here's the thing, we don't represent most Sabres fans. Most fans think tallinder is still on the team...from his first stint. These fans will be elsewhere on Thursday night and so will I if the other games are more interesting. The NHL can't compete with the big 3 but here they are lining up opening night with a myriad of programming choices. It just seems fool hardy...but perhaps inevitable.

 

Wait. So my point is that Buffalo fans love hockey so much that they commonly rank higher in viewership of games that occur in other markets. This board wouldn't swing that needle one iota either. Clearly, Buffalo has a passion for hockey. Those fans, that you refer to, are not the ones who show up in out of market television ratings. All the rest of the fans will be watching Sabres hockey this Thursday.

 

I don't see Thursday night football meaning enough to impact TV viewership in Buffalo. They will line up against playoff baseball until they choose to not play in October. Games are almost every night, if not every night, in baseball. They cannot avoid conflict with MLB.

 

Then again, opening night for NHL is tomorrow, not Thursday. However, I recognize that a LOT of teams are playing Thursday. So let's analyze who is playing and the impacts.

 

Columbus @ Buffalo - It appears that there Columbus may have a sizeable Colts fan base judging by a quick Internet search (there is a radio affiliate in Columbus for Colts games). Columbus is a football market too.

NJ @ Philly - Philly opens the night before but it is their home opener - no impact, I don't see NJ swinging on this one too much.

Anaheim @ Pittsburgh - I dunno, an inter-conference matchup to start the season? I think Pens fans will be full swing and the SoCal MLB contingent might have a Dodgers game if they they aren't Angels fans (Anaheim). No impact.

Montreal @ Washington - Football doesn't exist in Montreal, not NFL anyway :) - Washington? The Nats could be playing so I'll concede that.

Boston @ Detroit - no impact from a football standpoint on these fan bases

Florida @ Tampa - You have to have fans before this matters.

Rangers @ St. Louis - Cards could be playing, No conflicts in NY though.

Ottawa @ Nashville - Sens fans are tuning in and Preds fans... well, see Florida @ Tampa above.

Chicago @ Dallas - No real Chicago sports conflicts and while Houston fans show up in Dallas for football games, they'll probably not impact Stars viewership.

Colorado @ Minnesota - No one wants to think about football in Minnesota and they are Peyton drunk (or high) in Denver.

Calgary @ Edmonton - NFL, MLB, what?

Winnipeg @ Arizona - Winnipeg is in, Arizona? Hard to say but perhaps some influence.

 

I think the NHL is safe. Just me. Again, they could not have known who would be playing in the MLB playoffs so you have to discount that right away.

 

I did all of this because today is slow at work, not to pile on against you.. just having some fun. I just want hockey on TV.. now.

[inkman]

Good points being made, my main point is that it affects me. I want to watch other stuff, why are they doing this to me??

[TheMatrix31]

I'm a Texans fan actually so I'll be having the Texans game on my TV with the Sabres game on a stream on my computer. Hooray technology!

Edited October 8, 2014 by TheMatrix31

[LTS]

Good points being made, my main point is that it affects me. I want to watch other stuff, why are they doing this to me??

 

Penance is a bitch.

[Hoss]

Is there really no way they could get some afternoon games in for tomorrow? The fact that they had just one game tonight was really stupid, and then they have a Saturday where they all go at night... Yawn. All 30 teams play tomorrow.

Edited October 11, 2014 by Tankalicious

[inkman]

Is there really no way they could get some afternoon games in for tomorrow? The fact that they had just one game tonight was really stupid, and then they have a Saturday where they all go at night... Yawn. All 30 teams play tomorrow.

What about tonight? The NHL doesn't get it, period.