Like it or not, NBC is necessary

“NBC doesn’t deserve game 7.” “The NHL manufactured game 7.” “NBC loves Sid.”

There’s a lot of garbage floating around the blogosphere this morning about the events of Game 6 and about the upcoming Game 7 on Friday night, most of it coming from people who have deeply, deeply invested themselves in the proceedings emotionally. I think a lot of us are just happy to have one more game to watch this year.

The NHL fan in general is probably tired of Detroit (especially in the Western Conference) being here seemingly every year, and they’re probably sick of seeing Sydney Crosby every single Sunday on NBC’s game of the week. I know I am; But this Stanley Cup Final has delivered in a big way for the game that we love and I think it’s a series that should be celebrated by the hockey fan. We essentially get Hockey-Super Bowl on Friday, and NBC is even going to do us the honor of broadcasting it to all 6 million of us that give a rat’s ass.

The notion that NBC doesn’t deserve Game 7 is a confusing one to me, though I understand the underlying emotional impetus of the sentiment. It’s not uncommon to feel that being the big fish in a small pond is a better arrangement. Loyalty and all of that come in to play. There are those who say that “Hockey is a fringe sport that should cater to it’s hard core fans first and foremost. It’s never going to be as big as the other major sports.” Well, OK…but this is a business. The league is a money making venture. The games are on television so that money can be made. Period. I don’t buy the notion that you can alienate hard core hockey fans in the United States. Where else are you gonna go? You want your hockey. We all do.

Even with record numbers for a Versus broadcast in Game 5…

NEW YORK, N.Y. (June 8, 2009)–VERSUS, the exclusive cable television home of the National Hockey League (NHL), garnered a 2.8 national HH rating and averaged 3,448,431 viewers for its Game 4 telecast of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final on Thursday, June 4, when the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings at Mellon Arena to even the series 2-2. The game, which peaked at a 3.4 HH rating between 10:15 and 10:30 p.m., was the highest-rated and most-watched Stanley Cup Final game on cable since 2002. VERSUS, for the 8:00-10:45 p.m. time period, was the top-rated cable network in the country among all key male demos. LINK

…NBC is the better choice.

3.4 million viewers on Versus. When the true numbers come in for Game 6, how many will it be? 5 million? 6 million? You’ve got to get on NBC as often as you can if you’re the NHL. Maybe they’re not the girl you came to the dance with, but you’ve got a much better chance of scoring, so to speak.

The Sports Business Daily says the ratings for Game 6 were down 6.8% from last years’ Game 6. I wonder if the fact that last year they got “that there big ‘ol metal cup out” and paraded it around the ice had anything to do with it. Considering that the NHL went up against the NBA head to head this year during Game 6, and the Cup stayed in the case, the 6.8% drop looks like a victory to me.

How is it that last season the NBA Finals started the day after the NHL finals concluded? And this time around they’re practically neck and neck? The number of playoff games in either sport can vary wildly from year to year, and this year the NHL got stuck between NBC (and the new Jay Leno prime time show) and the NBA. I don’t know that there’s much the NHL can do. Starting a week or two earlier wouldn’t solve much because the NBA playoffs would still be happening (a greater number of games even, in earlier rounds) and NBC would still be finishing up the prime time television season. A week later and you could still have the NBA; A month later and you risk unbearable ice in July for the Finals. What can you do?

As for the idea out there in Wing land that the NHL wanted a game 7, or wants Sid to have a ring: Well, let’s just stack up all the things Kronwall and Holmstrom get away with out there against the entire Penguin roster and see what the score is. Kronwall should still be in the box this afternoon for all his interference, to which a blind eye is turned.