NHL on deathbed

Low Stanley Cup ratings show hockey on its way out

By Michael Kinney

MOORE, Okla. — The old adage goes, if a tree falls and no one’s around, does it make a sound?

That same question can be transferred over to the National Hockey League. If no one watches one of the most exciting and interesting Stanley Cup finals in championship history, can it still be relevant?

That is the question that will plague the NHL long after the confetti in downtown Raleigh is swept up. The Carolina Hurricanes won the 2006 Stanley Cup in a thrilling Game 7 over Edmonton. They allowed the Oilers to come back from being down 3-1 and tie the series, before taking the crown.

From all accounts, it was a great series that had everything. Overtimes, late scores, fights and controversy. But, like 99 percent of the country, I wouldn’t know. I didn’t watch one millisecond of the Stanley Cup or the playoffs this year.

And the ratings for the series bear this out. In the lowest rated finals in recent NHL history the Stanley Cup was almost non-existent to much of the country. Reruns of the Teletubbies would have done better in the Cup’s time slot.

There are too many reasons to go into on why the Stanley Cup was a ratings failure this year. So, I will limit them to just a few.

First, what channel were the playoffs on? The last few games were broadcast on NBC, but before then they were the Outdoor/Life Channel (OLN). I have no clue where that is on my television.

Secondly, the NHL had the misfortune of going head to head with several other sporting events that captured the world’s attention. The World Cup, the U.S. Open, major league baseball and, at the forefront, the NBA playoffs. There was no room for hockey in the nation’s water cooler talk.

And finally, the most important reason hockey was not watched this summer - no one cared. Hockey has gone the way of the dinosaur, Studabakers and pet rocks.

If you do not live in one of the northern states or Canada, the game of hockey has no bearing on your life.

This is how much respect the NHL gets in this country. ESPN, which used to televise the Stanley Cup, decided not to buy the rights this year and is showing the World Domino Championships instead. Dominos gets more play and probably better ratings than the Stanley Cup. That should be a sign to NHL officials that their sport is dying right in front of them. But since no one is there to see it, no one will know until it’s too late.



Michael Kinney writes for The American in Moore, Okla.

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