NHL business

[Hockey Widow]

Word beginning to leak out that the PA will exercise its escalator. This will allow the cap to increase to about $74m.

Nothing official that I can find so just early leaks/rumours at this point.

[Tciso]

Word beginning to leak out that the PA will exercise its escalator. This will allow the cap to increase to about $74m.

Nothing official that I can find so just early leaks/rumours at this point.

Some of the UFA's just got more expensive.

[Topper]

and escrow will be increasing

what a shell game

[Hockey Widow]

Apparently PA has decided to use the escalator but are still communicating with their base to make sure it is palatable for everyone before formally announcing. Cap should be around 73.5M.

So teams will get about 2M more to spend.

[Hockey Widow]

Is there any question that the SC presentation is superior to basketball and their lame as presentation?

[Cornuck]

Is there any question that the SC presentation is superior to basketball and their lame as presentation?

Superior to all presentations, but then maybe I'm biased.

[Hockey Widow]

Stroumbo out, MCLean back in?

https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2 ... schuk.html

Seems the experiment is over for HNIC. Ratings have plummeted since Stroumbo took over as he failed to deliver the promised younger generation. Nothing confirmed by Rogers yet.

I know, not NHL news but didn't know where else to put it.

Never thought I'd be happy with Ron back!

[SKYO]

Christ 30 years of MacLean is enough.

Bring on some diversity like Andi Petrillo, or someone not white? aha, at least try something different to jazz HNIC up.

[Blob Mckenzie]

They should poach James Duthie and Chris Cuthbert from TSN.

[Hockey Widow]

Lets get an analytics guy on. He can break down every play by the numbers!

Seriously, they do need to do something. A 5 billion dollar investment going down the drain. I know I'm not alone in no longer watching the intermissions. Could not stomach them anymore.

It's not just George that has to go. Get rid of Kypreos as well and that semi bald reporter piece of shiit, Cox isn't it? Hell Murphy would be better.

[BurningBeard]

If they want to mix it up and attract a new audience with a host that's not a hockey "insider", I would have gone with something truly off the wall like Jay Onrait and Dan O'Toole. That would get people talking and watching, even if it was a train wreck. Supplement them with some hockey guys that know what they're talking about.

The problem with Strombo is he fucking tries too hard to be "edgy" and "cool" and it comes off as fake as shit. It's bad enough I have to watch Healy and Kypreos on the panel, they add a host who also acts like someone I'd like to see punched in the face. Who in their right mind thinks a younger audience wants to see Stombo and Kypreos in suits, on a fake ice surface, try to check each other on set? Who are they fucking kidding? For that matter, who on the panel has a personality that is actually likable? Think about that.

Hockey Night takes itself way too seriously. That's the real problem. They want to try something different, but they don't know what to do, and they're obviously terrified of damaging their brand. It's sad.

[Mickey107]

Yes, it is indeed a mess. Hard to listen to. Hard to take seriously.
Kypreos knows absolutely nothing. He was bad enough when he was less serious and more of a comedian but now he has taken on this more of a self proclaimed hockey expert role and it's pathetic, (puke).
When Cassie Canpbell is on, I watch. I listen. She knows the game and it shows. When she interviews players, she gets respect from them and more candid answers, I wonder why?
Not afraid to ask the tough questions either.
Don't know if she's got the time to take a bigger role but she should be offered one.

This situation of Ron having to hurry up Don is just plain getting sad know.

I remember when I was 4 years old, when the Saturday night broadcast was over and if I was allowed to stay up, I got to watch Gunsmoke and see Matt Dillion shoot someone.

[Island Nucklehead]

How much of their ratings slump is due to the fact that most of the Canadian teams are terrible right now?

Do people really say "Well the __________ are playing tonight, I'd watch but that fuck-head Strombo really kills it for me" ? Doubtful.

Strombo seemed far too smart for the crew of meat-sacks he's forced to set up every night. MacLean is a boob, but he's been doing that forever. I find the whole Rogers experience, the walk-talk with the hockey sticks on fake ice, whatever the fuck that puck-wall Elliot plays with is, and just the "NFL-wannabe" nature of the program is a turnoff, more-so than who sets up the argument between Friedman and Kypreos.

[5thhorseman]

^ Agree with that. Nowadays, doesn't everyone just PVR the game and start watching 45 minutes later if they want to skip the commercials and intermission crap. So shouldn't really affect ratings.

[herb]

They should poach James Duthie and Chris Cuthbert from TSN.

TSN's production value still blows SN out of the water. I'm frankly quite surprised SN hasn't poached anybody really from TSN.

TSN does a better job with CFL broadcasts than Rogers does with hockey.