Around The NHL 2022-23 Regular Season

[Brawndo]

29 minutes ago, tom webster said:

I do not think building capacity is linked to available seats but I don’t think they drop that low. I could see 15-16K, however.

I wonder if party decks are placed behind the nets in the 100s 

[mjd1001]

There are things that can change the viewership, but too many people want to think they aren't an issue, or that they don't matter.  

1.) Advertising. To those who watch the games its not a big deal. Some like commercials (its the time to get up and use the restroom or get a drink/food.  I have always thought that way.  However recently (about 10 years ago) I started to get back into F1 racing and watch the races.  1.5 hours per race and ZERO commercials during it.  I also was a slightly-more-than-casual Nascar fan.  After watching F1 races that are over in less than 2 hours with no commercials, I SERIOUSLY find it harder to want to sit down and tune into a Nascar race.   To many fans who just love hockey its no big deal, but getting bashed over the head with commercials, ads on the board, ads on the ice, ads on the unis and helmets, AND having every commerical break sponsored by a company, a timeout 'brought to you by' a company, even injury timeouts in sports being sponsored, to SOME casual fans it can get to you (and yes, I know it is in most North American sports, but maybe the 'fringe' sports like the NHL and Nascar are the first ones where it is showing a viewership decline over the last decade or two)

2.) I'd like to see more teams make the playoffs (I know that is an opposite opinion than most, but for me it would help). This year is slightly different in the east, but over the past few years, it has been only half way though the seasons and the teams in the playoffs have pretty much been decided. Tradionalists don't like what the NBA and the MLB have done with their play in games, but do someting like that.  It gives you incentive and a reward for finishing in the top of the league but yet gives the bottom teams a 'path' to get into the playoffs.  Do the bottom teams deserve that? Probably not, but the fanbases do.

3.) this is a big one for me and it doesn't have to do with the existing fans of the team but aquiring new fans. The antiquated, old fashion broadcast model.  Younger people don't have cable. There are exceptions, but I have a step daughter, 2 nieces, 2 nephews, and a 2nd cousin that are all under 26 years old...and to my knowledge ZERO of them have cable TV. They all are fans of the Sabres or at least casually follow them. But, living in the home market, you know what they can't do? Watch the Sabres live unless they have a traditional Cable TV package OR something like youtube TV (which mimicks traditional cable).  Just about EVERY NHL game is on Huluplus/ESPN, but NOT your home team.  So, you have a larger percentage of people under 35 in this country without cable or a cable-like package, who don't watch the games (lower local ratings) and end up following the sport a bit less.  Solution?  If you have a national deal where every NHL game (just about) is on Espn /Hulu plus...how about including local games? or at the very least offer a small monthly fee on those services to get the local games?

This really drives me nuts because I talked to my nephew over the holidays who was a big Sabres fan, still follow the team, but when I talked to him he said that him and his roomates now 'kinda' follow the sabres but not that much anymore because they can't watch the games.  I'm sure the blackout rules don't only apply to Buffalo but the entire league. Black out the local games on your streaming package, not only will many young fans not watch their local team, but it reduces overall interest in the entire league to them.

Edited February 2, 2023 by mjd1001

[Contempt]

4 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Why is this funny? #love

Because with Jack and now this issue it's the first thing that popped into my head. 

[shrader]

Do ratings mean much of anything anymore now that so much is streamed?

[kas23]

NHL games should be available to a more traditional streaming service, like Netflix, Apple+, Amazon Prime, or even Disney+. People who subscribe to ESPN likely do for reasons besides NHL games, so content goes wasted. I would like to watch games, but I’m not subscribing to ESPN just for this. 

[Contempt]

19 minutes ago, shrader said:

Do ratings mean much of anything anymore now that so much is streamed?

They track online usage as well. Differently. But yes ratings still matter.

[Eleven]

56 minutes ago, shrader said:

Do ratings mean much of anything anymore now that so much is streamed?

They do if the teams are going to pay the players

[bunomatic]

Not sure its been mentioned but part of the reason could be that during lockdowns maybe peoples priorities changed or they realized they didn’t need/ or miss it.

 

[Eleven]

19 minutes ago, bunomatic said:

Not sure its been mentioned but part of the reason could be that during lockdowns maybe peoples priorities changed or they realized they didn’t need/ or miss it.

 

In very many different ways, we all changed priorities.  But people still watch the NFL, which is an inferior tv product, or baseball, or love after lockup or whatever.

[triumph_communes]

ESPN cutting the local pre and post game out of the coverage really takes a huge part of watching hockey away for me. You lose the sense of community when you do that. 
 

plus these national broadcasts are awful. 

[bunomatic]

1 hour ago, Eleven said:

In very many different ways, we all changed priorities.  But people still watch the NFL, which is an inferior tv product, or baseball, or love after lockup or whatever.

Yeah true. 

[Eleven]

Brunette was in a golf cart?!

[Thorner]

8 hours ago, Eleven said:

and

 

 

 

 

Playoff format is bad, ya. Should go back to 1-8 and re-seeding throughout 

[SDS]

Forced rivalries are a cure that’s worse than the disease. Rivalries occur organically. It’s not like rooster fighting were you just throw two teams on the ice a bunch and they automatically hate each other. It’s such a contrived way of looking at things.

[Eleven]

42 minutes ago, SDS said:

Forced rivalries are a cure that’s worse than the disease. Rivalries occur organically. It’s not like rooster fighting were you just throw two teams on the ice a bunch and they automatically hate each other. It’s such a contrived way of looking at things.

Right?  I wasn't raised to hate the Flyers, it just happened.  Same with the Sens, who didn't even exist until I was an adult (but not yet a grownup).

The Bruins, on the other hand, are inherently evil, as I started learning in CCD in 1st grade.  I believe it's in Paul's second letter to the Macedonians.

I know a lot of people here think of Toronto as a rival, but I don't.  They haven't been relevant in my lifetime other than 1999, and we know what happened then.

Also, ***** Boston.

Edited February 3, 2023 by Eleven

[HoosierDaddy]

1 hour ago, Eleven said:

Right?  I wasn't raised to hate the Flyers, it just happened.  Same with the Sens, who didn't even exist until I was an adult (but not yet a grownup).

The Bruins, on the other hand, are inherently evil, as I started learning in CCD in 1st grade.  I believe it's in Paul's second letter to the Macedonians.

I know a lot of people here think of Toronto as a rival, but I don't.  They haven't been relevant in my lifetime other than 1999, and we know what happened then.

Also, ***** Boston.

My formative years were the 81-93 Adams Division. Leafs were not in it. Bruins and Nodiques were my most hated teams. I always respected the Habs and the Whale didn’t matter much. 

[Thorner]

3 hours ago, Eleven said:

Right?  I wasn't raised to hate the Flyers, it just happened.  Same with the Sens, who didn't even exist until I was an adult (but not yet a grownup).

The Bruins, on the other hand, are inherently evil, as I started learning in CCD in 1st grade.  I believe it's in Paul's second letter to the Macedonians.

I know a lot of people here think of Toronto as a rival, but I don't.  They haven't been relevant in my lifetime other than 1999, and we know what happened then.

Also, ***** Boston.

Exactly. 

There’s no “angst” there for me, when it comes to the Leafs. I remember handling them in a playoff series but they’ve never beaten us in a game that’s mattered (yes, part of that lately is cause we haven’t gotten to the playoffs, but I digress.)

Just like I doubt the Sabres occupy rent space in the minds of Penguins fans, I truly don’t sweat the Leafs, at all. 

[Contempt]

6 hours ago, Thorny said:

Playoff format is bad, ya. Should go back to 1-8 and re-seeding throughout 

I agree.  I think too many places feel like they are out of it way too early in the season and these BS 3 point games make it too hard to make up any ground on people. The loser point needs to go away.  Go back to having ties or make the shootouts winner take all.

The schedule doesn't help either.  Remember the tension of a good home and home series with a division rival in mid-March?

[Taro T]

On 2/2/2023 at 10:17 AM, Brawndo said:

I wonder if party decks are placed behind the nets in the 100s 

Something of that nature will very likely happen.

When they were originally floating renovation / upgrade possibilities back pre-Covid, they were floating having tables in the 100's at center ice converting at least the lower half of the seats in 105 & 118 (?) into a very high end full service seating.

[Brawndo]

The Athletic did an informal poll of 16 All Star Players about 10 minute OT Sessions and expanding the playoffs. 
 

The results were 12-4 in favor of the 10 minute OT and 14-2 against expanding the playoff format. 

[Eleven]

57 minutes ago, Brawndo said:

The Athletic did an informal poll of 16 All Star Players about 10 minute OT Sessions and expanding the playoffs. 
 

The results were 12-4 in favor of the 10 minute OT and 14-2 against expanding the playoff format. 

I don't care for an expanded OT, but I am glad that the votes were against expanding the playoff format.  I think we all saw how ridiculous that was in 2020.

Edited February 3, 2023 by Eleven

[Stoner]

1 hour ago, Brawndo said:

The Athletic did an informal poll of 16 All Star Players about 10 minute OT Sessions and expanding the playoffs. 
 

The results were 12-4 in favor of the 10 minute OT and 14-2 against expanding the playoff format. 

Still three on three?

[Zamboni]

Hell, I would vote for shrinking the playoffs 

1st round best of three

2nd round best of five

3rd and finals best of seven

 

I would also vote for either bringing back ties, or have OT until someone scores like it is in the playoffs. Fire the shootouts into the sun. I hate a skills competition deciding games. Always have. But that’s just me.

[Brawndo]

2 hours ago, PASabreFan said:

Still three on three?

I believe so

[rickshaw]

Sabres need to kick the tires on Luke Schenn. He’d be a rental but he may solidify the back end enough to help down the stretch.