Here's what Minnesota's three consecutive years of missing the postseason get them:
-9 Versus/NBC Sports Network games
-1 of those (2/19 against Boston) might be on NBC as part of a NBC/VS flex doubleheader
-Spot on Hockey Day in America for the second consecutive year
-2 HNIC games (seems like less than usual for a team in a division with 3 Canadian teams - maybe it's the Winnipeg effect?)
Thoughts? Concerns? East Coast Bias?
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Blog: First Round Bust: A Cast of Thousands celebrating a rather dodgy track record of Minnesota Wild Drafting.
"Will beats skill when skill doesn't have enough will."
-Doug Woog
I believe we were on versus 9 times last year too..
Considering the usual east coast bias & us being know for not playing exciting hockey Ive been surprised how much coverage we get nationally the last 2 seasons. I think we were in the top 10 for most games with national coverage last year but I could be mistaken..
I was considering getting GameCenter Live to watch the Habs and Jets, but Montreal's on NHL Network seventeen ****ing times, and when you add in 6 games on Vs. that would black me out of 23 of their 82 games. That's almost a third of the season! And nobody even has NHL Network anyway! Winnipeg's situation isn't as bad, with only 3 blackouts, but unfortunately one of them is opening night.
Quote:
Originally Posted by codemanh
Bah. 9 games i'll have to stream unless I'm home. No VS in college which is to be expected.
This. I've never understood the desire for national games; Vs. just makes them a pain.
Did a little research. This year's national TV schedule is the same as last year on both the US and Canadian fronts, which is amazing given how the Wild took part in a few of the lowest-rated Versus games. Minnesota shows up more than a team like LA although it appears the NHL Network evens the playing field - it's all about star and playoff power - regardless of market.
I don't have cable so I use Game Center for my hockey fix. They mentioned after NHL and NBC signed the deal, they might get rid of blackout restrictions. Now that the schedule is officially released, I inquired about blackouts. I'll let you guys know what they say.
So when is the Wild's broadcast schedule going to be released?
I believe there's an article on Wild.com saying we'll be on national tv 10 times this year and it gives the dates as well. It's also listed on the Wild's schedule on Wild.com. I assume all the games with blanks next to them mean either FSN or KSTC/45. I think we're on Versus 9 times and NBC once in terms of national coverage. Versus must like the Xcel as 6 of the 9 games involving the Wild are at home. I don't blame them
I believe there's an article on Wild.com saying we'll be on national tv 10 times this year and it gives the dates as well. It's also listed on the Wild's schedule on Wild.com. I assume all the games with blanks next to them mean either FSN or KSTC/45. I think we're on Versus 9 times and NBC once in terms of national coverage. Versus must like the Xcel as 6 of the 9 games involving the Wild are at home. I don't blame them
Of course, i just stopped looking... The Strib search is pathetic.
That's as close as I got (and even linked to that exact Russo blog in my FRB article on this subject) but "it's believed..." is not the same "it's confirmed..." Hope to see something more concrete in the next few weeks.
