2024-25 NHL Thread

[Arn]

Tonight is actually a perfect example. They’re doing all 32 teams. 16 games. Great idea. Genuinely I like the idea.

On a Tuesday night. With the games starting all after 6pm ET and all on at more or less the same time or running concurrently. This kind of ruins the idea.

Do it on a Saturday.

Do 4 games at lunch time ET, 4 games at 4pm ET, 4 games at 7pm ET, 4 games (west coast games) at 10pm ET.

You have hockey on alllll day. You open up those first 8 games to the European TV market as well.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

That I agree with.

Even with a 7pm start, I struggle to stay up on a Tuesday to watch the Leafs game.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Tonight is actually a perfect example. They’re doing all 32 teams. 16 games. Great idea. Genuinely I like the idea.

On a Tuesday night. With the games starting all after 6pm ET and all on at more or less the same time or running concurrently. This kind of ruins the idea.

Do it on a Saturday.

Do 4 games at lunch time ET, 4 games at 4pm ET, 4 games at 7pm ET, 4 games (west coast games) at 10pm ET.

You have hockey on alllll day. You open up those first 8 games to the European TV market as well.

It's just so bizarre to me that the NHL advertises days like yesterday as like "oh my god, we're doing staggering starts, this is amazing come check it out!" and then just like never does it again all season.

 

[Guru Tugginmypuddah]

I don't envy the NHL schedule makers. All the buildings in the NHL are multi use, including most having NBA teams as well as concerts and what not. Trying to line all that up with what else is going on around the league as well as trying to build some sort of narrative is a herculean task.

Contrast that to NFL, MLB and even soccer stadiums that sit empty most of the time.

 

[bustaheims]

I don't envy the NHL schedule makers. All the buildings in the NHL are multi use, including most having NBA teams as well as concerts and what not. Trying to line all that up with what else is going on around the league as well as trying to build some sort of narrative is a herculean task.

Contrast that to NFL, MLB and even soccer stadiums that sit empty most of the time.

Yup. NHL and NBA schedule makers have it the hardest of the major sports in North America. Getting a day like yesterday together requires a lot of advanced planning.

Would be great it they can run something similar multiple times a year, but, it might not be feasible. Certainly, it's not easy.

 

[Arn]

I don't envy the NHL schedule makers. All the buildings in the NHL are multi use, including most having NBA teams as well as concerts and what not. Trying to line all that up with what else is going on around the league as well as trying to build some sort of narrative is a herculean task.

Contrast that to NFL, MLB and even soccer stadiums that sit empty most of the time.

That’s a very good point and certainly would suggest a reason why it’s easier to do on a Tuesday to be fair.

I’m sure there could be a way they could get all their teams (well half of them) to book an arena for, say, two Saturdays or a Saturday and Sunday (sixteen of them one, the other 16 for another) over the whole season even if it did mean getting the booking in a year in advance or something.

Maybe make the first one early in the season as this Tuesday was or even a bit earlier before the NBA starts and the second one late in the season after NFL has finished up.

I think it would be a great marketing opportunity as much as anything. Like the old Hockey Day in Canada triple headers but on steroids.