Steve Palumbo: Teemu Selanne Believes the NHL Needs ESPN + Another Must See Lockout Video

The NHL should be on ESPN. They can market the game better and simply it reaches more households.

I may sound silly but even getting more NHL guys in ESPN commercials would help market the game and the characters in it. NBC can't do that.

The NHL should be on ESPN. They can market the game better and simply it reaches more households.

I may sound silly but even getting more NHL guys in ESPN commercials would help market the game and the characters in it. NBC can't do that.
- Fountain-San

I'll never forget the new jersey devil mascot commercial that they had. That thing was golden.

If teemu wants it this way, then it must be the right way.

The nhl needs espn.

As much as i hate it, theyre the only true "all sports" station on tv. Part of the reason the nhl falls behind nascar in america is because its not on espn.

Exposer is priceless and people dont care about a sport they cant even find on there TV.

Even if ESPN had teh NHL, more people would watch the Lebron James "Decision" vs Stanley cup finals. Another sports channel would be a breath of fresh air. The crap ESPN puts on TV is just terrible. The NHL is better with without it. If NBC is smart they can grow this channel and move it in the rigt direction.

Even if ESPN had teh NHL, more people would watch the Lebron James "Decision" vs Stanley cup finals. Another sports channel would be a breath of fresh air. The crap ESPN puts on TV is just terrible. The NHL is better with without it. If NBC is smart they can grow this channel and move it in the rigt direction.
- sammy87

Jury is still out on nbc. But ita hard to grow a product that isnt playing any games.

That video was horrendous... with the exception of the last part with the dude talking.

The NHL should be on ESPN. They can market the game better and simply it reaches more households.
- Fountain-San

The nhl needs espn.

As much as i hate it, theyre the only true "all sports" station on tv. Part of the reason the nhl falls behind nascar in america is because its not on espn.
- TrueBlue9182

The NHL doesn't need ESPN - and more importantly, ESPN doesn't really care if it has the NHL or not. Look at all of the money ESPN is spending on the NFL [$1.1-$1.3 billion per year], MLB [new contract is ~$700 million per year], and the NBA [~$900 million per year, games split with ABC]. Then look at the attention being paid to NCAA football [it has all the BCS games and virtually all the bowl games] and NCAA basketball [it would desperately love to have the men's basketball tournament] and even HS football and basketball. Where does the NHL fit in there?

Heck, in the 2005 bidding ESPN proposed $60 million for 45 games [15 regular-season, all on ESPN2] and only guaranteed the ASG and the first two games of the Finals on ESPN. This after it whittled down the number of games it was going to show in the final 2 years pre-lockout and the league had to try and spin that as a positive [which no one bought]. This last time around, they dropped out at $85 million per; even TNT went higher.

The NHL needs to go back to a network where it's going to be shoved off on ESPN2 between midnight and 6pm maybe once a week? It can do [and is doing] better elsewhere, thanks. ESPN's interest in the league is primarily limited to "can we keep it off of someone else's network?" After that, it really doesn't care much at all; the way it treated the league in the last 10 years has shown that to be more than true.

Steve Palumbo: Teemu Selanne Believes the NHL Needs ESPN + Another Must See Lockout Video
- Steve Palumbo

ESPN has all the say in sports in the US.

If a sport is on ESPN, it's going to grow. Since Bettman walked away, ESPN has shown very brief clips of the NHL and a lot of times, none at all.

Sure, the league wouldn't have had great TV dollars, but they would've benefited elsewhere in terms of revenue and all that stuff staying on ESPN. Who knows, there's a good chance NBCSports eventually rivals ESPN. If NBCSports can manage to get on national TV, they could do so. The big thing is whether NBC can attract a football, baseball, and/or basketball deal. If they manage to do that, then they can take a run at ESPN. Until then, they are going to play second fiddle.

Teemu is a munger...

I must agree with Selanne's comments. The fact is that "most" hockey fans, have but a general appreciation for all sports. Thus ESPN comes into the picture, I not only speak for myself when I say this, besides some HBO programming the only TV I watch is nationally televised sports games and ESPN along with ESPN 2. ESPN controls what the viewer see's, even if it is not of any significance to their favorite team. I can't tell you how exhausting it was watching ESPN this summer cover the Tebow and Manning saga's and their seasons hadn't even started. But when the 8th seed Kings won the cup they felt a one minute highlight did them justice. The truth is no matter how irrelevant tebow and manning were/are to my interests i continued to watch ESPN, why cause i love sports. does anyone remember when the NFL locked out? It was the number one headline on ESPN day in and day out untill the dispute ended. I have yet to see any news on the NHL lockout in recent weeks. Exposure is the best thing for a sport which is one of the reasons why the NFL which has its own ESPN tv show NFL live is the number one sport in America. I will never forget watching game 6 Philly Tampa ECF in 2004 a game that was shown on ESPN and was commentated by none other then gary thorne and bill clement, the game was filled with memorable moments and esp. for me the desired outcome was a plus and hearing gary say "We've got a game 7" after gagne scored in OT, if you have not seen it please youtube it. The NHL should go back ESPN in order to gain exposure and educate fans about one of the most exciting sports in the world. It makes me sick when i hear from the average sports fan "I like when they fight" thats all people know, and that would change with ESPN

I must agree with Selanne's comments. The fact is that "most" hockey fans, have but a general appreciation for all sports. Thus ESPN comes into the picture, I not only speak for myself when I say this, besides some HBO programming the only TV I watch is nationally televised sports games and ESPN along with ESPN 2. ESPN controls what the viewer see's, even if it is not of any significance to their favorite team. I can't tell you how exhausting it was watching ESPN this summer cover the Tebow and Manning saga's and their seasons hadn't even started. But when the 8th seed Kings won the cup they felt a one minute highlight did them justice. The truth is no matter how irrelevant tebow and manning were/are to my interests i continued to watch ESPN, why cause i love sports. does anyone remember when the NFL locked out? It was the number one headline on ESPN day in and day out untill the dispute ended. I have yet to see any news on the NHL lockout in recent weeks. Exposure is the best thing for a sport which is one of the reasons why the NFL which has its own ESPN tv show NFL live is the number one sport in America. I will never forget watching game 6 Philly Tampa ECF in 2004 a game that was shown on ESPN and was commentated by none other then gary thorne and bill clement, the game was filled with memorable moments and esp. for me the desired outcome was a plus and hearing gary say "We've got a game 7" after gagne scored in OT, if you have not seen it please youtube it. The NHL should go back ESPN in order to gain exposure and educate fans about one of the most exciting sports in the world. It makes me sick when i hear from the average sports fan "I like when they fight" thats all people know, and that would change with ESPN
- Flyers4Life88

I agree with pretty much all of this.

The only problem is their locked up with NBC, for better or worse. Even if they can negotiate to play just like a game a weeknight on ESPN, they will be best off. The only think is NBC will likely veto any kind of deal with ESPN, as they, I believe have exclusive rights.

Really though, if they get ESPN to broadcast a game every Wednesday night and maybe give them rights to some first round playoff games than NBC doesn't show, it would be beneficial to the NHL. Hell, even if ESPN pays a portion of the deal to NBC, it would benefit both NBC and the NHL.

The profile of NBCSN was greatly enhanced by the Olympics. It is also being grouped with the mainstream sports channels on the directv guide now.

NBCSN is a very good home for hockey. It will get the proper attention from the network.

If NBCSN did an "Inside the NFL" highlight show for hockey that would be great.

Not sure how any hockey fan in the states can complain about NBC, they pretty much showed every single playoff game within their family of networks. Can't ask for much more than that. Who cares if it was on CNBC, you know where to find it and watch it.

The profile of NBCSN was greatly enhanced by the Olympics. It is also being grouped with the mainstream sports channels on the directv guide now.

NBCSN is a very good home for hockey. It will get the proper attention from the network.

If NBCSN did an "Inside the NFL" highlight show for hockey that would be great.

Not sure how any hockey fan in the states can complain about NBC, they pretty much showed every single playoff game within their family of networks. Can't ask for much more than that. Who cares if it was on CNBC, you know where to find it and watch it.
- Gunner Staal

In my opinion it is more than that...when hockey isnt on NBCSN do you still watch whats on the network? No, you jump right to espn. i feel that ESPN has built a very strong relationship with its viewers that has taken years to build. guys like steve levy, scott van pelt, jon bucci, linda cohn stuart scott and new hottie lindsay czarniack are more then just sports casters they are icons in the industry and are just as important as the sports they talk about. with the exception of Doc emerick, who im still not all that emphatic for, i cant stand the broadcasters of the NHL games, joe benanatii or what ever the hell his name is shows no interest in the sport and does not engage the viewer, unlike my locals jim jackson steve coates former flyers ian lappeirie keith jones bill clement. ESPN has it with melrose and barnaby if it wasnt for his stupid DUI, those are guys that know the game, that love the game and want the viewer to love the game..

I'm clearly in the minority then, because the only things I watch on ESPN are MNF [on occasion] and maybe the odd college game that I might be interested in. Otherwise, I don't watch SportsCenter or poker anything or ESPN News or anything else ESPN-related.

BTW, Stuart Scott? He flat ass sucks; always has, always will. I blame him for the descent of ESPN and a slew of crappy shows that crossed the network years ago that had him in damn near every one of them. Levy has been increasingly marginalized over the years, Van Pelt is overrated, and Cohn got largely shoved to the back burner for several years ... and let's not forget the disaster that was Kenny Mayne on SportsCenter alongside Dan Patrick when Olbermann left. That was excruciating to watch.

I'm clearly in the minority then, because the only things I watch on ESPN are MNF
- Irish Blues[on occasion] and maybe the odd college game that I might be interested in. Otherwise, I don't watch SportsCenter or poker anything or ESPN News or anything else ESPN-related.

BTW, Stuart Scott? He flat ass sucks; always has, always will. I blame him for the descent of ESPN and a slew of crappy shows that crossed the network years ago that had him in damn near every one of them. Levy has been increasingly marginalized over the years, Van Pelt is overrated, and Cohn got largely shoved to the back burner for several years ... and let's not forget the disaster that was Kenny Mayne on SportsCenter alongside Dan Patrick when Olbermann left. That was excruciating to watch.

I'm the same as you. Outside of live sporting events ESPN has no use to me. So many better available outlets these days that are also easy to find.

I'm clearly in the minority then, because the only things I watch on ESPN are MNF
- Irish Blues[on occasion] and maybe the odd college game that I might be interested in. Otherwise, I don't watch SportsCenter or poker anything or ESPN News or anything else ESPN-related.

BTW, Stuart Scott? He flat ass sucks; always has, always will. I blame him for the descent of ESPN and a slew of crappy shows that crossed the network years ago that had him in damn near every one of them. Levy has been increasingly marginalized over the years, Van Pelt is overrated, and Cohn got largely shoved to the back burner for several years ... and let's not forget the disaster that was Kenny Mayne on SportsCenter alongside Dan Patrick when Olbermann left. That was excruciating to watch.

Im sorry you feel that way, we agree to disagree, and if Mr. scott sucked so bad how has he been employed by ESPN since 1993? wouldnt they have fired him when he led to their "descent" ESPN is not descending. it is ascending and will ALWAYS be the worldwide leader in sports. It is majority owned by the walt disney company, a company that had revenues of over 40 billion dollars and a net income of over 4.5 billion dollars. NBC Universal the company that owns NBCSN, had revenues of only 21 billion dollars. though that may seem like a good amount, the difference of 20 billion between the two companies reveals the truth that walt disney company has all the assets to ensure that ESPN never be challanged by any other sports network....

Im sorry you feel that way, we agree to disagree, and if Mr. scott sucked so bad how has he been employed by ESPN since 1993? wouldnt they have fired him when he led to their "descent" ESPN is not descending. it is ascending and will ALWAYS be the worldwide leader in sports. It is majority owned by the walt disney company, a company that had revenues of over 40 billion dollars and a net income of over 4.5 billion dollars. NBC Universal the company that owns NBCSN, had revenues of only 21 billion dollars. though that may seem like a good amount, the difference of 20 billion between the two companies reveals the truth that walt disney company has all the assets to ensure that ESPN never be challanged by any other sports network....
- Flyers4Life88

ESPN consistently insults its viewer's intelligence. Their programming appeals to the lowest common denominator.

ESPN consistently insults its viewer's intelligence. Their programming appeals to the lowest common denominator.
- Gunner Staal

I don't see your logic in any of this, it is very opinionated and lacks any factual evidence to back your outlandish claims. If you don't think ESPN talking about hockey wouldn't help the sport you are sadly, sadly, sadly mistaken and i am trying to neglect the fact that you are essentially a pens fan and still finds the nerve to complain about the sport when you have the 2 top players in the league.

I don't see your logic in any of this, it is very opinionated and lacks any factual evidence to back your outlandish claims. If you don't think ESPN talking about hockey wouldn't help the sport you are sadly, sadly, sadly mistaken and i am trying to neglect the fact that you are essentially a pens fan and still finds the nerve to complain about the sport when you have the 2 top players in the league.
- Flyers4Life88

Where did I complain about the sport of hockey?

If you have been happy with the direction that ESPN has taken its sports programming (not the live sporting events) in the last 5 years that speaks more about you than it does me.

Is (fill in the blank QB) elite, derp!

When will Tim Tebow start, derp!

Lebron Lebron Lebron, derp!

I love Selanne, but seriously? He really thinks that ESPN would have paid more for rights than NBC paid? The NHL got a huge deal from NBC, and they probably would not have gotten half that from ESPN.

I would however like to see games on both channels. Why not do a NBC/ESPN split much like the NBA also has games on TNT?

that video..

Is (fill in the blank QB) elite, derp!

When will Tim Tebow start, derp!

Lebron Lebron Lebron, derp!
- Gunner Staal

Agree with you here, but i wouldnt mind if in the middle of that was

"Hockey hockey hockey, derp"

The only way that happens is if espn has some hockey. Otherwise the nhl gets stuck on the ticker once every three weeks.

Honestly, if they covered hockey like they cover tebow and lebron no one would complain.

haha that video, the Pal.....that club is where you go cougar hunting

Other than perhaps a bit of bias towards certain teams (Penguins, Red Wings and Rangers), the network has done a very good job in general.

You forgot the Bruins, Flyers, Black Hawks and Capitals!