As usual, fingers point south of the border. NHL lackeys are accused of sucking up to ESPN – the network apparently prefers afternoon games – and shafting hockey’s true constituency: the loyal armchair jocks of the north. Reporters note that Canadian television numbers drop significantly for afternoon games.
How this comprises a disservice to the viewer is not made clear. After all, the games are still on right across the country. Games involving Canadian teams are on the CBC, an over-the-air network available to anyone with a 12-inch portable and a set of rabbit ears. If people would rather spend their Saturday and Sunday afternoons shopping or golfing, that’s says as much about their priorities as it does about the politics of sports broadcasting.
Convenient though the target may be, the big, bad American networks can’t be blamed for everything. The Toronto Globe and Mail reports that everyone, ESPN included, wanted game four of the San Jose-Calgary series played on a Saturday night (May 15). But the Calgary Saddledome is unavailable. Several months ago, the arena accepted a booking for a rock ‘n roll nostalgia show by Paulie and the Greaseballs. Paulie himself, a Flames fan, offered last week to move the gig. But team officials said it was too late. So the Flames and Sharks face the indignity of a Sunday afternoon skate.
How does the team respond to this terrible blow to the Canadian cultural fabric? "I think we're just happy to be having games," a Flames official told the Globe.
