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ESPN is receiving a tremendous amount of backlash from hockey and sports fans alike for how it handled the showing of both its primetime Sunday Night Baseball game between the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox and an NHL Stanley Cup Western Conference Semi-Final Playoff contest between the Edmonton Oilers and Las Vegas Knights. ESPN scheduled the baseball game at 7 pm E.T. and the NHL playoff game at 10:00 pm E.T. The baseball matchup ended up being a slaughter; the St. Louis Cardinals rolled the Boston Red Sox 9-1 in the bottom of the ninth, as fate would have it this was during the same time that the Oilers and Knights were supposed to face off and instead of transitioning the baseball game over to ESPN 2 (which would have been the logical thing to do) sports fans were forced to watch the conclusion of the dreadful contest.
Instead of hockey fans watching Las Vegas Knights’ right winger Reilly Smith score the opening goal in the game’s opening minute or Conor McDavid’s goal to respond, they had to endure a grossly underwhelming baseball game in May at that. So to salvage the coverage the worldwide leader had lost, they decided to split the screen, essentially showing both games at once. So naturally, this decision left the sports world wondering how much does ESPN care about Hockey if they were willing to split a game six-elimination game in the Stanley Cup Western Conference Semi-Finals for a laugher of a May MLB game.
NHL’s History with ESPN
Whether it’s music, movies, or sports, the 90s are seen by most as the golden era, and the same could be said for ESPN’s relationship with Hockey. Before its 2004 departure from the network, the NHL premiered some of the greatest games the league has ever premiered on ESPN—for example, the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals matchup between the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers. Captain Mark Messier guarantees a Rangers win in Game 6 to force a Game 7. Messier erupts after going down 2-1 entering the third period, delivering the Rangers the lead and eventual win. He scored the game-winning goal from a rebounded Alex Kovalev shot on the Devils’ Martin Brodeur. The game was aired on ESPN’s National Hockey Night, and hockey fans everywhere can still hear Gary Thorne’s call, shouting, “DO YOU BELIEVE IT? DO YOU BELIEVE IT?!!”
You may remember the 1996 Game 7 Western Conference Semi-final matchup between the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues. It was a back-and-forth series between two teams that featured hockey greats like The Great One, Wayne Gretzky, Steve Yzerman, and Nicklas Lidstrom, to name a few. The game eventually went to double overtime, with Yzerman hitting the game-winning goal capitalizing off Gretzky’s inability to handle a turnover. So Gary Thorne is on the call again SCOOOOOORRREEE!!! STEVE YZERMAN!!! DETROIT WINS!!
“Clear the puck! Come on!”
The NHL returned to ESPN to start the 2021-2022 season through a seven-year media rights deal paying a little over $400 million to the NHL annually. ESPN has shown some of the greatest hockey games, as mentioned above, and although those games are over two decades, they mean something to hockey fans everywhere. Though baseball takes priority over playoff hockey, ESPN owes it to its viewers to honor its scheduling obligations. Given its history on the network, the Stanley Cup playoffs deserve a full screen.
NHL FAQs
How do you play NHL Survivor Pool?
In an NHL survivor pool, members choose one team from the Saturday games (or games for that week). Each team can only be picked once throughout the season. If they win, the member moves on to the next week. If they lose, the member is eliminated. The last member standing is the winner.
What is NHL Survivor Pool?
In an NHL survivor pool, each member picks one NHL team to win for the week. Each team can only be chosen once during the season. If their pick wins, the member moves on to the following week. If they do not win, the member is disqualified. The last one standing wins.
How to make an NHL pool?
You can just use a hockey pool hosting service like RunYourPool where we do all the work for you! Just sign up to create your own pool, customize your pool settings and invite your friends to play!
How do you play NHL Pick'em Pool?
In NHL Pick'em pools, members will pick the winner of games. The pool commissioner has options to have members pick all games or a specific amount. For each correct pick during regular season, members receive one point. The person with the most points at the end of season wins. Administrators can choose to have 'best bet' picks or 'confidence' points as well.
What is NHL Pick'em Pool?
NHL Pick'em pools have members select the outright winner of each game. The specific amount of games picked is up to the pool commissioner. For every correct pick, members receive one point. These pools typically end in the regular season, as the person with the most points wins. Also, commissioners can choose to have 'confidence' points or 'best bet ' picks.
How to set up an NHL pool?
To set up an NHL pool, you'll need to first choose a pool type like Survivor or Pick'em. Then, you'll need to set the ground rules. As pool commissioner, you'll enforce these rules and make sure the game runs smoothly throughout the season. Many commissioners use pool hosting sites like RunYourPool to make it easier and more engaging.
How to run a weekly NHL pool?
In order to run an NHL pool, you must first crown yourself as Pool Commissioner. Begin by picking a game type like Survivor or Pick'Em. You'll want to establish rules before inviting friends, family, and colleagues to join. As commissioner, you make the rules and also need to enforce them equally and fairly.
How do you play NHL Playoff Pools Power Ranking?
To play in an NHL Playoffs Power Ranking Pool, you need to assign a point value to each NHL team from highest (16) to lowest (1). When a team wins, they receive points based on the number you assigned to them! The member with the most points at the end of the playoffs wins.
What is NHL Playoff Pools Power Ranking?
An NHL Playoff Power Ranking Pool involves all members ranking all 16 NHL teams competing in the NHL Playoffs from strongest (16 points) to weakest (1 point). Members are awarded the number of points assigned to an NHL team when that team wins!
How to run an NHL pool?
How you decide to run a hockey pool varies greatly depending on the game type. In each case, however, you'll want to determine the rules and settings before you begin inviting members to join you. You'll want to clearly establish how score will be kept, how tiebreakers work, and how winners are decided before anything else.
