Toronto seems the perfect place to begin such an endeavor -- blogging about hockey for FanHouse.This is hockey heaven. I just checked into my hotel room, and two playoff games (Boston-Montreal; Calgary-Chicago) are on the TV, with the Sharks-Ducks to follow. Every playoff game is aired here, while in the U.S., several of the series are seriously slighted -- the Bruins are on Versus just once.
And good luck getting Versus in a hotel room in the U.S.
The sports highlight shows in Canada start with hockey and stay hockey-heavy. The newspapers are chock full of playoff action. In the U.S., well, let's just say it's much easier to avoid seeing a hockey score if you're waiting to watch it on your DVR. Within about 3 minutes of turning on the TV here, I'd inadvertently seen the Red Wings' score, and I'd planned to watch the game on my Slingbox.
The Slingbox is really the way to go for the traveling NHL fan in the U.S., thanks to the Center Ice package, but it would be awfully nice to turn on a TV anywhere and see a full slate o' hockey, especially this time of year.
Our fair land slights hockey in all media. NHL PR directors must have chuckled when they saw the piece in the Wall Street Journal the other day about the shrinking numbers of baseball writers in the press box. The NHL has been dealing with this for years. Few newspapers are even traveling with their local teams anymore. My newspaper, the San Francisco Chronicle, decided to stop covering the Sharks on a regular basis, even at home, several years ago.
Despite a lifelong allegiance to the Red Wings, I've harbored a secret hope that the Sharks might win a Stanley Cup just so we would consider assigning them a beat writer again. This very well could be the year they do it, but given recent cutbacks at the Chronicle, I'm now just hoping that the paper sends a columnist to all of San Jose's home and road playoff games. Even that is not a sure thing.
Meanwhile, I'll enjoy my four days in Canada, where I'm staying at a hotel attached to a baseball stadium -- and glued to TSN and CBC. If I had one of those rooms that look right out onto the field, I'd be tempted to just stay there for the weekend.
Susan Slusser has been the Oakland A's beat writer for the San Francisco Chronicle for more than a decade, along with providing occasional hockey coverage and appearing regularly on ESPN2's "First Take" and Comcast SportsNet California. She also has worked for the Dallas Morning News, the Orlando Sentinel and the Sacramento Bee, primarily covering baseball and the NBA.
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CHICAGO - APRIL 16: The Chicago Blackhawks pile on Martin Havlat #24 after Havlat scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give the Blackhawks a 3-2 win against the Calgary Flames during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 16, 2009 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
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CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 16: Fans wave red towels in celebration after the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Calgary Flames during game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 16, 2009 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Bill Smith/NHLI via Getty Images)
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CHICAGO - APRIL 16: Duncan Keith #2, Andrew Ladd #16 and Brent Seabrook #7 of the Chicago Blackhawks mob Martin Havlat #24 after Havlat scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give the Blackhawks a 3-2 win against the Calgary Flames during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 16, 2009 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Duncan Keith;Andrew Ladd;Martin Havlat;Brent Seabrook
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CHICAGO - APRIL 16: Goalie Miikka Kiprusoff #34 of the Calgary Flames looks at the puck in the back of the net after Martin Havlat #24 of the Chicago Blackhawks scored the game-winning goal in overtime during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 16, 2009 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The Blackhawks won 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Miikka Kiprusoff
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CHICAGO - APRIL 16: Goalie Miikka Kiprusoff #34 of the Calgary Flames gives up the game-winning goal in overtime on a shot by Martin Havlat #24 of the Chicago Blackhawks as Andrew Ladd #16 of the Blackhawks and Jordan Leopold #40 of the Flames look on during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 16, 2009 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Blackhawks won 3-2 in OT. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Miikka Kiprusoff;Andrew Ladd;Jordan Leopold
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CHICAGO - APRIL 16: Martin Havlat #24 of the Chicago Blackhawks celebrates with Dustin Byfuglien #33 and Jonathan Toews #19 after Havlat scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give the Blackhawks a 3-2 win against the Calgary Flames during Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs on April 16, 2009 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Martin Havlat;Jonathan Toews;Dustin Byfuglien
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Chicago Blackhawks' Martin Havlat celebrates after he scored 12 seconds into the overtime period of Game 1 of their NHL Western conference quarterfinal hockey game against the Calgary Flames in Chicago April 16, 2009. REUTERS/Jeff Haynes (UNITED STATES SPORT ICE HOCKEY IMAGE OF THE DAY TOP PICTURE)
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Chicago Blackhawks' Martin Havlat, left, of the Czech Republic, celebrates with Brent Seabrook after scoring against the Calgary Flames during overtime of a first-round NHL hockey playoff game Thursday, April 16, 2009, in Chicago. The Blackhawks won 3-2. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
AP
San Jose Sharks head coach Todd McClellan, top, instructs his team against the Anaheim Ducks during the first period of a first-round NHL hockey playoff game in San Jose, Calif. Thursday, April 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
AP
Anaheim Ducks right wing Teemu Selanne, of Finland, left, passes the puck as San Jose Sharks center Marcel Goc, of Germany, center, and left wing Travis Moen pursue the play during the first period of a first-round NHL hockey playoff game in San Jose, Calif. Thursday, April 16, 2009. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
AP
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-17-2009 @ 8:48AM
wawcomputer said...
Oh for the good old days when I could get CBC on my C band dish in the back yard. There is no comparison in the coverage. The nitwits at Versus decided to have post game interviews and hilights of the Detroit-Columbus game last night instead of going right to the Hawks-Flames game! Almost 1/2 the second period was missed. This is the best you can do for your fans Mr. Bettman?
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