I know a lot of Ranger fans aren't exactly looking forward to a potential first-round matchup with Pittsburgh. You may have read Zach state earlier that he's hoping for a date with the Flyers. Maybe some others are hoping to see the Capitals or Canadiens; they'd probably really like to meet Boston, but it's not feasible at this time.
Pittsburgh would probably be the toughest matchup for the Rangers. But it'd be a dream come true for the NHL, not to mention those of us who live and breathe the game. Imagine the marketing fiesta the NHL would have with this one. The biggest U.S. market takes on the biggest star in hockey. Two of the league's best young goalies in Henrik Lundqvist and Marc-Andre Fleury. Hell, most people would be entertained by Sean Avery and Jarko Ruutu trying to kill each other. Can't miss, right?
Well, that's part of the problem. If you look at this situation from an objective perspective, you might say to yourself that you'd rather see the Rangers and Penguins meet in the conference finals. After all, why waste such a marquee matchup in the second round when it could draw big ratings in the third? That's when you have to remind yourself of one fundamental fact - it doesn't matter when these teams play because nobody's really watching anyway.
Forget that ratings increased significantly this year, not just for all three local teams, but on Versus and NBC. We're still fighting an uphill battle against the mainstream sports media. For every sign of progress we see - Steve Somers began his WFAN radio show on Friday with a Rangers monologue - there's another reminder of where the sport really stands. In this case, it'd be a 20-20 Update just after Somers' monologue in which every MLB score was read before the NHL was even mentioned. That's right, the epic tilt between the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics took precedence over the deciding game in the Rangers-Devils series. And this is on a station that broadcasts Devils games!
With the NBA starting its playoffs this weekend, publicity will be even tougher to come by. Speaking of basketball, your lead sports story on Saturday? The Knicks' search for a new head coach. Never mind that Rangers actually had better ratings on MSG this year - and we all know how important the almighty ratings are. Even though I don't know a single person who watches the NBA regularly (same goes for a lot of people), the NBA always seems like it's such a bigger deal than the NHL. I'm not going to even pull out the ESPN card here, as tempting as it is; they've actually done a pretty good job with their playoff coverage so far. Then again, when you expect nothing and you get a little something, that little something seems like a pretty big deal.
That's where the Rangers and Penguins come in.
Everyone talks about how great it would be if Crosby's Penguins met up with Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals in the playoffs. Truth is, Pittsburgh would kill the Capitals at this point in time. You're talking about five games, maybe six. But the Rangers and Penguins? Now we're talking. You're looking at seven intense games with plenty of offense, great goaltending, and some pretty good physical play. You'll have two great fanbases filling up the arenas, getting fans and non-fans alike whipped into a frenzy, creating a great buzz about the series and giving the NHL some much-needed publicity. And that's all we're looking for right now. Sure, New York City and Pittsburgh isn't a great traditional rivalry, but once emotions reach a boiling point after two or three competitive games, it'll be the series to watch.
I'm not saying the Rangers and Penguins would solve the NHL's ratings problems. But it might be a pretty good start towards increasing the league's fanbase to a respectable level. At this point, anything that gets hockey a more prominent spot on the back pages of New York is a good thing.
Pittsburgh would probably be the toughest matchup for the Rangers. But it'd be a dream come true for the NHL, not to mention those of us who live and breathe the game. Imagine the marketing fiesta the NHL would have with this one. The biggest U.S. market takes on the biggest star in hockey. Two of the league's best young goalies in Henrik Lundqvist and Marc-Andre Fleury. Hell, most people would be entertained by Sean Avery and Jarko Ruutu trying to kill each other. Can't miss, right?
Well, that's part of the problem. If you look at this situation from an objective perspective, you might say to yourself that you'd rather see the Rangers and Penguins meet in the conference finals. After all, why waste such a marquee matchup in the second round when it could draw big ratings in the third? That's when you have to remind yourself of one fundamental fact - it doesn't matter when these teams play because nobody's really watching anyway.
Forget that ratings increased significantly this year, not just for all three local teams, but on Versus and NBC. We're still fighting an uphill battle against the mainstream sports media. For every sign of progress we see - Steve Somers began his WFAN radio show on Friday with a Rangers monologue - there's another reminder of where the sport really stands. In this case, it'd be a 20-20 Update just after Somers' monologue in which every MLB score was read before the NHL was even mentioned. That's right, the epic tilt between the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics took precedence over the deciding game in the Rangers-Devils series. And this is on a station that broadcasts Devils games!
With the NBA starting its playoffs this weekend, publicity will be even tougher to come by. Speaking of basketball, your lead sports story on Saturday? The Knicks' search for a new head coach. Never mind that Rangers actually had better ratings on MSG this year - and we all know how important the almighty ratings are. Even though I don't know a single person who watches the NBA regularly (same goes for a lot of people), the NBA always seems like it's such a bigger deal than the NHL. I'm not going to even pull out the ESPN card here, as tempting as it is; they've actually done a pretty good job with their playoff coverage so far. Then again, when you expect nothing and you get a little something, that little something seems like a pretty big deal.
That's where the Rangers and Penguins come in.
Everyone talks about how great it would be if Crosby's Penguins met up with Alexander Ovechkin and the Capitals in the playoffs. Truth is, Pittsburgh would kill the Capitals at this point in time. You're talking about five games, maybe six. But the Rangers and Penguins? Now we're talking. You're looking at seven intense games with plenty of offense, great goaltending, and some pretty good physical play. You'll have two great fanbases filling up the arenas, getting fans and non-fans alike whipped into a frenzy, creating a great buzz about the series and giving the NHL some much-needed publicity. And that's all we're looking for right now. Sure, New York City and Pittsburgh isn't a great traditional rivalry, but once emotions reach a boiling point after two or three competitive games, it'll be the series to watch.
I'm not saying the Rangers and Penguins would solve the NHL's ratings problems. But it might be a pretty good start towards increasing the league's fanbase to a respectable level. At this point, anything that gets hockey a more prominent spot on the back pages of New York is a good thing.
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