NHL : Is It at an All-Time Low?

So a few Sunday's ago I found myself watching Fox NFL Sunday. They just recapped the 1pm eastern games and they left FOX. So what do they start showing on TV?

Bull-riding.

That's right I said it. Bull-riding.

That same night. I was watching ESPN2. Just got done watching some college hoops. What comes on TV afterward? Drag Racing. That's right I said it. Drag Racing.

Remember the good ol' days of ESPN Thursday Night Hockey!

I miss the awesome commentating team of Gary Thorne and Bill Clement. I specifically remember in '99 when the Dallas Stars won the Stanley Cup hearing Gary Thorne's "Brett Hull SCORE SCORE SCORE!" I mean that was when hockey was awesome to watch.

They don't even show hockey on ESPN anymore. In fact, they don't even show hockey on Sportscenter at all anymore. So now all of us are screwed into getting NHL Center Ice or NHL Gamecenter on nhl.com. Every single game on Versus is either a match-up showing how good Alexander Semin, Alexander Ovechkin, or Sidney Crosby is, and I'm getting bored with it.

Sportscenter only shows Capitals and Penguins highlights...and who hosts them.

Matthew Barnaby. The same Matthew Barnaby who is famous for doing nothing else but fighting and being a pest to goaltenders. At least Barry Melrose knew what he was talking about. Don't get me wrong, I like Barnaby, but seriously? You couldn't get someone like him with more talent than that? 

Hockey had an awesome night last night. Four Hat Tricks. A great game played by Craig Anderson. And what do they show? "Look at this wonderful pass by Crosby, to Petr Sykora to help him get the hat trick."

Seriously. How is re-runs of "The World Series of Poker" more entertaining than a good ol' Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Rangers fight fest? This years Winter Classic is looking to be really good. Hopefully NBC does a good job of advertising it because the NHL sure needs a boost of hope, or we are gonna be light years away from getting the NHL to be glorified and awesome again.