[SPORTSRULE99]

if they got more tv time
tehyd b up therre with baseball or basketball
i alos think espn shhuold adopt hockey games consedring they show evryhting else
where i live idk 1 person in my school or neighborrhood thats knows any thing bout hockey bsides me

[EmpireWF]

Chicken and the egg really. NHL needs better ratings on the stations they're on now to get better exposure.

It will take a while before the NHL can grow beyond what it is now stemming from the strike a couple of years back.

[blueandwhite]

as a canadian i cannot for the life of me understand why hockey has such a hard time in the US.
That's why a European league would be so exciting -there's no question about selling the game to europeans or changing the game to suit them - they (in general as there will always be those who don't appreciate it) appreciate the game en masse like Canadians.
It's in the blood of a Fin or a Swede or a Russian or a belarussian.

[Quality88]

Maybe the lack of interest is due to the fact only certain states have good conditions for Hockey? Just a thought.

[blueandwhite]

it could be - but how do explain texas and north carolina and florida and california? Once I thought that- but now hockey can take off in states where you never dreamed it would do well.

[EmpireWF]

If a casual fan turns it on, they may not understand the rules of the game. I never understood the offsides rule until only about 4-5 years ago. lol

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by blueandwhite

it could be - but how do explain texas and north carolina and tampa bay and San jose and anaheim? Once I thought that- but now hockey can take off in states where you never dreamed it would do well.

Good Point, I think Empire may be on to somethin. I used to be "hockey... kick ass, take names, and hand down beat downs". After watchin it more I could see the fenes in the game. The rules are the only hard part in the equation.

[blueandwhite]

yeah offside was the hardest for me to grasp too - but come on - baseball has so many rules and so many stats I get dizzy. yet i think it's a great sport.

[Quality88]

Originally Posted by blueandwhite

yeah offside was the hardest for me to grasp too - but come on - baseball has so many rules and so many stats I get dizzy. yet i think it's a great sport.

Maybe there just isn't room for two sports that ivolve hittin a small object with a stick Blue. I don't know. Hockey is alot bigger than it used to be. Maybe the season is to damn long. I'm amazed myself actually that it's not more popular.

[Gotham Dark Knight]

Originally Posted by SPORTSRULE99

if they got more tv time
tehyd b up therre with baseball or basketball
i alos think espn shhuold adopt hockey games consedring they show evryhting else
where i live idk 1 person in my school or neighborrhood thats knows any thing bout hockey bsides me

Well my man, it is Texas...I am not sure the NHL does well down there when Dallas is playoff bound and high school football is in championship mode...who do you follow?

[The Dude]

Originally Posted by Gotham Dark Knight

Well my man, it is Texas...I am not sure the NHL does well down there when Dallas is playoff bound and high school football is in championship mode...who do you follow?

High School Football obviously. There isn't a sport on the planet that I can see knocking the NFL off of it's place at the top of American Athletics. Although I'm sure that the Stars do well enough for themselves down there.

[SPORTSRULE99]

well i follow the hurricanes and sharks
my 2 favorite sports are basketball nad hockey
y?
cuz htere fast paced i kant watch a sloe game
teams i cheer 4 are 1s i left i like better
nhl=hurricanes51%/sharks 49%
nba=warriors70%/rockets 30%

[EmpireWF]

Personally, I get into the NHL season after the All-Star game if the Rangers are in the playoff chase.

I'd like to get more into the first half, but I just don't.

[Lefty Noob]

Underrated, hmm. My gut feeling is to say no. There was a good following for the game for the longest time, at least in this neck of the woods. Back when it was on ESPN and Fox (and the latter tried that glowing puck thing). People were really getting into it. I really don't know what happened between now and then to kill the game in the States. I know moving it off of ESPN was about the dumbest move possible - if they still had it on at night, I for one would still be watching the NHL.

[ThePundit]

I'm surprised that the NHL hasn't become more popular over the last decade for this reason:

So many more kids are playing ice hockey now than when I grew up. 25, 30 years ago, nobody played ice hockey here in NY. We played street hockey.

So I figured the NHL would become more popular - but it hasn't.