As much as I would like to see the Wings celebrate the Cup on home ice, this thing needs to be wrapped up on Tuesday night... To bad we could not do a back to back like last weekend with the Wings momentum in affect. But with 2.5 days rest, Pavel and everybody should be well rested and ready to break out the champaign in Pittsburgh as they did last year.
I think the Wings lose game 6...oh..., 5-3 Then come back home for some more 3-1, 4-1 they were never in the game kinda finish. For greater rejoicing, you understand.
and there was much rejoicing (yay!) and then they ate Robin's minstrels and there was much rejoicing (yay!!!) ...still funny after all these years!
The crystal ball is very clear this morning. The Red Wings will win game six by a score of 4-2. Heinrik Zetterburg will score the last goal at 19:38 of the 3rd period...an open netter. He will be chosen the MVP and the Wings get the Stanley Cup.
Draper closing in on fifth Stanley Cup - 06/07/2009 With little fanfare, Osgood continues to succeed - 06/07/2009 Hossa can validate decision to sign with Wings - 06/07/2009
I wonder if Bettman had anything to do with this? NBC blocks Joe Vision broadcast of Red Wings-Penguins | detnews.com | The Detroit News
Its all about rating points to the broadcast TV stations (NBC, ABC CBS & Fox) as they lose advertising revenue to the cable channels, but whose to say how many of those 19,000 or so thousand fans that were going to watch it at the Joe will actually watch it at home on their own TV's?? Some are families of two or more who may watch it on one TV and others still might watch it in a sports bar or at someone else's viewing party, so I think NBC is jut making a big to do out of nothing and Bettman is probably endorsing it. Probably a third or more of the folks going to the Joe were probably going to Tivo the game anyway so they still would get some delayed viewing points out of it anyway....
The Wings will lose out on the concessions. In the current market in Detroit, this is a real slap in the face from the NHL. They are such idiots.
Right now at espn.com, they are taking a poll asking which team is the most dominant in sports for the last 10 years. One of the four teams is the Red Wings! ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports
It's bad business sense. Bad PR for the league and the network. Ultimately, it's the customer who pays both, and should be treated as king.
Why the NHL wants to go head to head with the NBA on the same night is beyond me..another Bettman idea. The current ESPN Poll shows that 51% will watch NBA Finals game, 25% will watch the Cup and 24% will flip back and forth. Only Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia had more people watching Hockey than the basketball. Michigan had the highest amount of people (72% that will be tuning into the hockey game where as only 49% of the fans in Pennsylvania will tune in to it??) ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports see poll in the middle..
I was thinking the same thing Dre. I was wondering why in the heck the NHL and NBC would wanna go head to head with hoops. The more I pondered it though, I kinda see where Bettman is going with this. It's a roll of the dice and it just might pay off for him and his league. It's no secret that interest and viewership is waaaaaay down in regard to the NHL. It's also no secret that playoff hockey can be downright infectious. It's widely known that many people feel that there's nothing more exciting in sports than an NHL playoff nail-biter. I think Bettman is placing a small bet (pun intended) that could have a HUGE payoff. If the Wings & Pens happen to put together one of those "all-time classic" playoff games this evening, those channel flipping 24% out there might just get hooked on his league and playoff hockey for good! There's gonna be a lot of sports fans sitting on their couches this evening and Bettman seems like he's trying to take advantage of it. ...Or he coulda waited until tomorrow, only to get smoked in the ratings by some lame-ass reality show or something. Personally, I'm a hoops fan first! ...but I fully aknowledge that there's something to be said for a 1-1 triple overtime thrilla in the NHL playoffs. -And it certainly doesn't hurt that the best team (Wings) and the most promoted player (Cindy Crosby) are at the center of it all.
Wings look like crap. Ericsson is a goof. Everyone looks tired and out of sync. Wings were sharper on less rest.
