NHL Playoffs: Gary Bettman, NHL Miss Opportunity To Showcase Game 7

From the blue spotlight on FOX to Gary Thorne on ESPN, that is when the National Hockey League was at its brightest.

VERSUS and NBC have been horrible for the average hockey fan. Some people don’t get VERSUS yet almost all of the important playoff games are played on that network.

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Boston Bruins matched up in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Friday.

The NHL would have competed with boxing and softball on ESPN, and they would have dominated those sports. Yet, Gary Bettman has missed another glorious opportunity to showcase his sport at the highest level by carrying the game on VERSUS.

I have been defending the NHL for their playoffs compared to the NBA because the NHL is more exciting night in and night out. The NHL carries the greatest postseason of any sport.

After the Penguins got bounced in the first round, I haven’t even watched more than a few games. Some of the reasons were that I lost my cable service that had VERSUS when I left college, neither of my parents have the channel and I didn’t feel like watching games online.

I have watched the NBA more because it is on mainstream TV. Other than a few segments on ESPN, hockey doesn’t even get talked about. ESPN draws in the average fan more than any other network because people always watch SportsCenter.

The NHL and NBC/VERSUS should do one of two things: carry more NBC games or allow VERSUS to be on cable.

People have been screaming about VERSUS for years. If fans really want to watch the games they will find a way, but the bottom line is that they shouldn’t have to do that.