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Tue May 06, 2008 2:50 pm EDT

Versus concerns in the Western Conference Playoffs

By Greg Wyshynski

In Dallas, the first four Western Conference Finals games between the Stars and the Detroit Red Wings will only be available locally on Versus; in Detroit, it's three of the first four. This has become a fairly bitter pill to swallow for the fans that do not have Versus currently in their cable package -- or as we like to call them here, "the majority" -- with one going as far as to say that "The NHL is dead to me. Don't send any cards." As Mike Heika wrote today on his Dallas Stars blog, "Versus jumped on board with the NHL to make money, so you have to get on board with Versus if you want to continue to be a fan." Sad, but true; especially for those of us that aren't offered Center Ice. Versus can boast about being in "more than 72 million homes," but how many of them have the network tiered in basic cable packages? Shouldn't hockey fans have the same easy access to their championship rounds as fans of basketball, baseball and football?

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36 Comments

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  1. mike
    1. Posted by mike Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:26 pm EDT

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    Stop whining.
  2. michaell
    2. Posted by michaell Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:23 pm EDT

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    Phew. This transplanted Michigander has ONE THING ONLY to thank for having Comcast in Chicago -- we got Versus. So, technically, Comcast doesn't suck 100%
  3. starbartzz
    3. Posted by starbartzz Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:39 pm EDT

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    The NHL needs to go back to ESPN.
  4. R F
    4. Posted by R F Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:44 pm EDT

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    That's what happens when a butthead named Buttman runs the league.
  5. Hockey Fan
    5. Posted by Hockey Fan Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:30 pm EDT

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    Need to let the normal club TV announcers do all of the games. Those guys on ESPN, NBC, and VERSUS are bozos
  6. D_X
    6. Posted by D_X Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:50 pm EDT

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    I just plain don't like the VS broadcasting crew, I get VS with my directv package...but I'll listen to the game on the radio instead.
    I don't like the idea of a neutral party calling the game...the last couple games I watched on VS had no emotion, one way or the other. And it's just plain boring...there were times when the color commentator was telling a story, and there was a fantastic scoring chance...but he just continued talking, totally neglecting the play.
    I feel bad for the people who don't get VS...but in my opinion, you're not missing much.
  7. TerryP
    7. Posted by TerryP Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:57 pm EDT

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    at least i am lucky enough to have versus in austin, texas. there was one game in the last series that was not carried in our market on anything but the hockey center ice package. i am totally fed up with trying to work really hard to "find" a hockey play off game. it's worse that jerry jones with his nfl network not showing the cowboys last year. i guess it's my problem that i like hockey. it's not a popular sport like baseball is on television.
  8. Jim S
    8. Posted by Jim S Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:43 pm EDT

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    D_X...I totally agree. It seems like those guys are so stuck on the storyline of the game that they dont even care whats happening during it. During the Flyers vs Caps series in the first 4 games when Ovechkin did nothing but play bad defense and turn the puck over all they kept talkign about was how great the guy is. I get it he's a great player but they were so focused on letting the idiot fan, that doesnt know the guy is sick, know how great of a season and how bright a future he has ahead of him. They are so focused on talking about how great the fans are in cities that dont care about hockey, just to hype it up to convince people that hockey is big everywhere, that they forget that its a great 2-2 game with 5 mins left. I swear those guys have a list of things they are going to talk about no matter how much it interferes with the game itself...stories from each team and players past, stats about the regular season that doesnt matter, and then they pick 1 player from the game and its like he is their feature player and no matter how terrible of a game he has, they will talk him up to no end.
  9. Kenny
    9. Posted by Kenny Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:49 pm EDT

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    While I have VS it's insane to not let fans see the game on a local / non-cable channel. How many potential long term fans is the NHL losing because they didn't give them a chance to see their team in the playoffs? Everyone knows that there will be people jumping on the bandwagon this time of year and if the NHL was smart they would want to try and accomodate every single one of them. Most of them will not be long term fans but it is possible for people to fall in love with a team, with a sport during a playoff run and stay fans forever. NHL is just plain stupid and their deal with VS only proves my point.
  10. Patrick Edward Maycroft
    10. Posted by Patrick Edward Maycroft Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:29 pm EDT

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    nhl here in michigan used to be on wxsp and upn local over the air network screw cable! put nit back on real tv
  11. a2geekgirl
    11. Posted by a2geekgirl Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:43 pm EDT

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    I too have VS and have constant issues with the signal on the digital version of their channel ended up so garbled that you can't even tell a hockey game is on. Why even bother offering it in digital if you can't get the signal right. As for the commentators, they wouldn't be so bad if they actually had half a clue about the game. I have watched them mis-identify players, talk over the play, make stupid assumptions regarding on and off ice conduct of the players and just flat out not have a good grasp of the concept of hockey at all. Have any of these guys actually even put on a hockey skate? I mean seriously. I can call an offsides play quicker than they can and I'm a girl. Being in MI my only hope was that CBC was broadcasting the games, but alas, I am stuck with not only a non digital signal for the games, but crap commentary too. I'd rather have the Fox puck back than have to watch another game on VS.
  12. Robert K
    12. Posted by Robert K Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:49 pm EDT

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    how about when NBC has the games and in cleveland we get the indians on sundays, way to go bettman
  13. lsraney@...
    13. Posted by lsraney@... Thu Sep 03, 2009 6:58 pm EDT

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    Hey- When Hockey came back from strike, NO ONE wanted to buy the TV rights- ESPN said NO THANKS- at least Versus stepped up and struck a revenue sharing deal with NHL- so if they can now finally make a little return on thier investment risk, good for them. You have only one entity to blame- The NHL !!!
  14. JesusForHire
    14. Posted by JesusForHire Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:25 pm EDT

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    I totally agree with everyone's comments about how terrible the announcers are on VS, NBC, etc. I'm a Dallas Stars fan, so I have to have my Ralph and Razor calling the game.
    I run the radio simulcast audio for the games on VS and then just pause the game on my DVR and synch up the radio audio with the game action on screen. That's the only way to go. It just sucks that if I then replay the game later I don't have the radio broadcast to play back with it, unless I actually start recording that too.
  15. shane m
    15. Posted by shane m Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:06 pm EDT

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    nbc is crap plain and simple. think of the great sports its shows now. stupid horse racing o and lets not forget the pride of collage football.notre dame {lol} the nhl should have never left espn. i would rather be hit in the face with a puck than watch hockey on that channel. versus is even worst half the time my versus hd does not even have sound. which may not be a bad thing if you think of it {lol}. thats why thank god i live in detroit and can watch games on cbc at least canada knows how to broadcast hockey. which besides maple syrup is the only thing canada has ever gottin right. but as long as bettmen is in charge the game will suffer. but remember the game of hockey will survive..... no matter how much damage the NHL does to it.
  16. Wyshynski
    16. Posted by Wyshynski Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:13 pm EDT

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    @ Kenny -- "How many potential long term fans is the NHL losing because they didn't give them a chance to see their team in the playoffs?"
    And that's the issue. The NHL went for the money, thought Versus was going to become a sports player by bringing in the NFL or MLB, and it didn't. It was a money decision then, it's a money decision now, and fans be damned.
  17. wingnut
    17. Posted by wingnut Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:47 pm EDT

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    Since Versus took over I have missed watching the Red Wings playoff games on TV. I do not have versus and probably never will. I have been a fan for over 50 years and this how the NHL Treats its' fans. No wonder the game is in trouble. They change the rules constantly. They put in a salary cap, even though recent teams such as Calgary, Edmonton, Tampa Bay, Carolina all won with low team salaries. The salary cap has not lowered ticket prices significantly. Now the Canadien dollar is way up in value, what other excuses can they use to keep their southern franchises. It is only a matter of time before Bettman ruins the game and we are back to the original six, maybe seven, maybe 12 if lucky. Maybe the Canadien teams with the higher currency can aide the US teams. No let us change more rules and have the new NHL, maybe like Arena Football.
  18. Karl
    18. Posted by Karl Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:06 pm EDT

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    There are some very intelligent comments here. The vs announcers are horrible and the nhl can barely expect to keep the fans they have not having championship games available. Kinda makes you wonder why bettman is still running the show.
  19. Todd S
    19. Posted by Todd S Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:46 pm EDT

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    The versus crew is so Anti Red Wings I turn the sound off and listen to Ken Cal call the game on the radio. They are idiots!!!!
  20. Someone who works for a living
    20. Posted by Someone who works for a living Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:18 pm EDT

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    Well, except for the fact that we can actually get the game on TV here in northern MI, Versus is no treat. Those guys, with the exception of Game 4/Round 2 are idiots. It is possible that the announcers were forced into giving credit where credit is due since Detroit so solidly trounced Colorado. They don't know much that is accurate about the Redwings, and half the time they don't give the calls for penalities and explain the game. We'd much rather watch it on Fox. As for never giving credit to the Redwings unless it hits them square between the eyes, they desire a gold medal if that is a contest or whatever. It is nice to root for the underdog, but come on... Give me Fox anyday of the week.
  21. mongo9347
    21. Posted by mongo9347 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:48 pm EDT

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    i have directv and versus. game 5 of the stars/sharks series was on vs only. it was broadcast on their non hd channel. they were replaying golf on their hd channel. glad to know that they are committed to the nhl. give me ralph and razor!
  22. Mattchew
    22. Posted by Mattchew Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:07 pm EDT

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    another thing he did was the crap about the octipus.....this guy needs to just leave. hes ruining a great sport.
  23. Renee
    23. Posted by Renee Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:08 pm EDT

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    I think it's really crappy that just b/c I don't have VS I cannot watch those games. I am a huge Stars fan and I am seriously dissapointed. Sad actually that they would do that to fans. Especially since hockey needs all the fans it can get. They are certainly not enticing any new fans.
  24. Jay
    24. Posted by Jay Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:56 pm EDT

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    What's more annoying, is that MOST of the vs games are exclusive, even to the center ice package. Which blows for me stuck here in Wisconsin. I ponied up for center ice, and got most the regular season games, but don't get squat on the playoffs since I don't get vs. At least I got most my regular season games, sure would of like to have that 8-2 game on TAPE! All I know is they SHOULD be on center ICE, no matter what, even if it's just streaming the Versus feed! I know the NHL needed the check to cash, but again, bettman is missing a huge chance to put Hockey front and center. Dallas is a big market, tv wise and Dallas-Detroit should be a huge cross market draw. It's gonna be some damn good hockey, both teams are fast, skilled, and hungry (and generally clean playing).
    Oh well, the OWNERS are to blame, they need to punt out Bettman, and move some teams back to Canada!
  25. nerwj
    25. Posted by nerwj Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:36 pm EDT

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    I didn't realize that so many people were missing VS so I guess I've finally found something that is OK with Time Warner. This is no different than the NFL with it's damn NFLNetwork with the exception of customers can get together, petition their carrier and get the channel picked up. Not an immediate fix but should be good for next season. This NFLNetwork/cable providier lawsuit will probably take years to figure out and we get screwed in the meantime!

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