IIHF World ChampionshipDiscuss International Tournaments like the WJC, Olympics, and World Cup, as they take place, or discuss past tournaments. performances.
Good article. An interesting bonus the tournament got this year is the lack of actual NHL hockey meant that the coverage on NHL.com was pretty much wall-to-wall. Those that were already NHL fans, but maybe not too familiar with the tournament itself, recieved a pretty good introduction through constant reports, blogs, analysis, and video on the world's top hockey website (after HF, of course ).
The USA just needed to get more competitive in international hockey and the fans followed. It should snowball as international hockey is great to watch and America is producing more starts to watch as well.
If you want to watch the Team Finland's games, SM-Liiga and NHL you basically have to buy three packages, costing somewhere in the region of 40-60 euros a month. Though next season SM-Liiga and NHL are on one network but it's still not going to be cheap.
24,95€ ($32,90)/month for MTV3 Total, which hockey-wise only brings you national team games.
If you want to see SM-Liiga, you have to buy UrhoTV. The online service is rubbish, so I won't even check the prices. TV access fee is 19,95€ ($26,30)/month. And hockey is basically all Urho has, the rest is useless.
NHL and HockeyAllsvenskan? Then it's again 19,95€/month for Nelonen Pro.
KHL or Elitserien? I have no idea anymore who has those rights...
You can see why us Finnish sportsfans are a bit irritated by the pay-TV scenery. It's 65€/month + all extra fees if you want to see more than one league.
Well there you go. That doesn't sound unreasonable to me.
Maybe it doesn't, but paying for watching TV isn't really a part of Finnish culture. Probably has something to do with the fact that we already have to pay a fee for the right to own a TV...
The US interest in the tourney is growing in the hockey community. However
its still non - existent as a sports news worthy item. This writer is going way overboard.
24,95€ ($32,90)/month for MTV3 Total, which hockey-wise only brings you national team games.
If you want to see SM-Liiga, you have to buy UrhoTV. The online service is rubbish, so I won't even check the prices. TV access fee is 19,95€ ($26,30)/month. And hockey is basically all Urho has, the rest is useless.
NHL and HockeyAllsvenskan? Then it's again 19,95€/month for Nelonen Pro.
KHL or Elitserien? I have no idea anymore who has those rights...
You can see why us Finnish sportsfans are a bit irritated by the pay-TV scenery. It's 65€/month + all extra fees if you want to see more than one league.
you can watch on URHOs amazingly cheap and reliable online streaming service for 12 euros/game, 40 euros for 5 games or 70 euros for 10 games
they also have a season pass but they arent selling it right now, they probably want your first-born for it
I doubt many people watched in Finland, due to games being in the morning and on pay-tv. Hard core fans watched via pirate streams.
It's the same thing here, most the US games were on at 3am central time. Also, the games were on NHL network, which is usually on a pay for view monthly tier of satellite or cable TV, an extra 15 bucks a month or so. I gladly pay it , international hockey rules.
What kind of a hardcore fan doesn't pay for his or her hockey?
Yeah, international hockey is must see. I missed last year because I couldn't get the NHL Network . I switched up to get a provider that does. 13 bucks a month for me is a small price to pay .
Maybe it doesn't, but paying for watching TV isn't really a part of Finnish culture. Probably has something to do with the fact that we already have to pay a fee for the right to own a TV...
You have to pay for the right to own a TV? wow. I thought the USA had the market cornered on consumer tax abuse. People in the US gladly pay over 150 bucks a month for TV .They complain but in the end they pay.
The USA just needed to get more competitive in international hockey and the fans followed. It should snowball as international hockey is great to watch and America is producing more starts to watch as well.
We will see, they have said the same thing about golf and soccer. Never materialized. I love hockey , but have totally given up defending it to morons and the naysayers who don't know what the hell they are talking about. They just don't see the beauty in the game and a lot of them never will. I think it will grow in popularity to a certain point because more kids are playing than ever but it isn't going to get close to surpassing or matching the other big 3 sports , because half the country lives in warm climates.
The World Juniors def got a boost from the NHL lockout but it also did not help much that in NA it was 430am and 8am.
For the US it was worse because the games were on NHLnetwork and many people including me do not have that channel. I watched 1 group game on live stream, 1 rerun of the game on TV when at a friends and got up early to go to a friends to watch the WJC finals but i showed up 30 min late due to early morning and long drive. Yet I know many who was aware of the game, many who got up to watch and many who were happy.
People have to realize that twenty years ago this tournament was unknown even in Canada. It takes time, and for nations to have success at the event to turn on their fan base. Every great game that people watch will turn a group of people that aren't fans into casual fans or casual fans into true believers...and there are a lot of great games in this tourney. Every game and championship won is a new set of memories imprinted upon an impressionable new generation that tomorrow will become hockey's hardcover fans. It's a journey of a thousand steps, but make no mistake...we are on our way.
People have to realize that twenty years ago this tournament was unknown even in Canada. It takes time, and for nations to have success at the event to turn on their fan base. Every great game that people watch will turn a group of people that aren't fans into casual fans or casual fans into true believers...and there are a lot of great games in this tourney. Every game and championship won is a new set of memories imprinted upon an impressionable new generation that tomorrow will become hockey's hardcover fans. It's a journey of a thousand steps, but make no mistake...we are on our way.
I think its more that a lot of people who have been to WJHC realize that the tournament is not played at that high a level and that the reason it is big in Canada is because TSN found a way to get programming on around Christmas that could draw ratings while nothing else was on.
You have to pay for the right to own a TV? wow. I thought the USA had the market cornered on consumer tax abuse. People in the US gladly pay over 150 bucks a month for TV .They complain but in the end they pay.
I guess it's probably the same in Finland as here in Sweden -- we pay for independent public service radio and TV. Kind of like PBS in America I'd guess, but not nearly as ****** as I understand it.
On the flipside, you have to be insanely creative to spend 150$ a month for cable/sat in Sweden.
So probably better this year considering it didn't start at 3 am
