Stanley Cup Picks

i wonder how much of this is due to the bump from the olympics… or is it just that more people have versus now, so they can actually watch the games.

TV audience up from 2009

NEW YORK – U.S. viewership of the NHL playoffs increased 24 percent from 2009, the league's highest average first-round audience in 10 years.

The NHL said Friday that NBC and Versus combined to average 742,000 viewers per telecast. That's the most since ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 had 750,000 in 2000.

Versus averaged 595,000 viewers, a 35 percent increase from 2009 and the league's best showing on cable since ESPN/ESPN2 in 2001 (608,000). Versus averaged a .7 rating, up 75 percent from 2009.

NBC averaged 430,000 viewers for its four broadcasts, an 18 percent increase over 2009. Its 1.1 average rating was the best since 2006 and up 10 percent from last year.

The rating is the percentage of all homes with TVs, whether or not they are in use.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2010/news/story?id=5152366

I am actually watching less Stanley Cup Playoff action this year because of the Olympics.  It's just not measuring up.

what a difference two weeks make

vansmack wrote:
7 one goal games.  Even for somebody without a horse in the race, this has been some entertaining stuff.

yinzer wrote:
yinz guys catch any championship hockey going on at the historic igloo last night???  keep the cups coming.

Yeah, that 3-1 loss in the Igloo was booosssss

game 2

vansmack wrote:
Even for somebody without a horse in the race, this has been some entertaining stuff.

vansmack wrote:
I am actually watching less Stanley Cup Playoff action this year because of the Olympics. 

and how about because your ducks aren't in the playoffs? ;D

I was going to reply to shoeshine's quote with the following:

More like what a difference a year makes…

you lost me but ok

both of the western conference match ups are compelling in my opinion. i can see how the east is kind of zzzzz though

halak is having a ridiculous game.  currently in the second intermission, tied @ doughnuts.  anyone looking for some entertainment should consider dialing in the third period.

edit: perfectly screened shots notwithstanding. 

really liked this article: http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2010/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=5160556

fleury was better

and espn.com for hockey? they didnt even mention that dupuis grew up a nordiques fan. terrible

RatBastard wrote:
I is a Flyers fan and have been since the mid 70s.  Truth be told I was really surprised they won the 1st round series.  If everyone plays like they did in round 1 they can make it a little further.  We shall see.

at least Richards and Briere are trying to win.    I think its more that the B's are playing so well. Lets hope Krecji isnt out for long!

edit: or not. well without Krejci and Sturm…  i am afraid we have no chance at beating Pitt or Montreal. :( 

sweetcell wrote:
pens in 5.

nevermind.

great game tonight.  habs were out-shot, out-maneuvered, and just generally out-played… i'm still not sure how a few bursts of heroics managed to beat the sustained onslaught that the pens brought.  halak was lucky with the 4-5 shots that dinged off the posts.

GO HABS GO!

sweetcell wrote:

sweetcell wrote:
pens in 5.

nevermind.

great game tonight.  habs were out-shot, out-maneuvered, and just generally out-played… i'm still not sure how a few bursts of heroics managed to beat the sustained onslaught that the pens brought.  halak was lucky with the 4-5 shots that dinged off the posts.

GO HABS GO!

Any good goalie will tell you that a shot that goes off the post is one that he played correctly.  The pipes are a goalies best friend.

sweetcell wrote:

sweetcell wrote:
pens in 5.

nevermind.

great game tonight.  habs were out-shot, out-maneuvered, and just generally out-played… i'm still not sure how a few bursts of heroics managed to beat the sustained onslaught that the pens brought.  halak was lucky with the 4-5 shots that dinged off the posts.

GO HABS GO!

that was the best the habs have looked all series

RatBastard wrote:
Any good goalie will tell you that a shot that goes off the post is one that he played correctly.  The pipes are a goalies best friend.

sounds like hubris to me.  it's assuming the goalie actually had a play on the shot, which wasn't always the case last night.  halak was completely screened on one shot, he didn't know where the puck was until he heard "TING!" behind him.  on another, a great pass had halak sprawled and gave the shooter an open net - nothing halak could do.  it was luck that those shots weren't an inch and a half to the inside, they would have bounced in.

RatBastard wrote:
The pipes are a goalies best friend.

in the case of patrick roy, they really were… he had whole conversations with them ;D

sweetcell wrote:

RatBastard wrote:
The pipes are a goalies best friend.

in the case of patrick roy, they really were… he had whole conversations with them ;D

All goalies do that from my experiences.  Every team I played for we just let the goalie go do his thing and left him alone as long as he kept the puck out of the net.  I played center and would have several interesting conversations with the opposing goalie during the course of the game.  Anything to get under his skin and get him off his game.  Having taken that course of action, one had to learn to take evasive action quickly.  Getting whacked with a goalie stick is not exactly fun.

i need a magazine with half naked hockey players.

walkonby wrote:
i need a magazine with half naked hockey players.

best i can come up with for ya:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/Puck-Headlines-Measuring-true-MVPs-Ovechkin-be?urn=nhl,210182

http://www.towleroad.com/2010/02/canadian-hockeys-olympic-hero-sidney-crosbys-beefcake-shot.html

http://hockeyfortheladies.blogspot.com/ seems to have the hots for hockey players (specifically the penguins), but doesn't seem to deliver.

couldn't find anything as well done as that fifa/world cup spread.  maybe smackie knows of one?

does ov have a trap stamp?

sweetcell wrote:
maybe smackie knows of one?

Not touching this….