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George Zoran
Top Prospect
Canada
55 Posts |
 Posted - 01/05/2006 : 10:50:47
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The NHL and NBC recently announced a new deal to broadcast games starting later this month. Finally some coverage in the US somewhere other than on the lowly Outdoor Life Network (OLN). This is great news for hockey for a number of reasons.
First, the deal means more revenue which in turn means a higher salary cap for next season. The league has already announced that revenue projections should allow for the high end of the cap the reach 45 million. A higher cap will allow teams to continue to spend money to improve their clubs and will provide some flexibility when signing free agents.
Second, NBC has selected some good talent for its broadcast team. Ray Ferraro has turned into an excellent analyst on both radio and television and his wife Cammi Granato can hopefully attract more female fans to the game. Recently let go from the CBC, Chris Cuthbert is one of the most talented broadcasters in Canada gets another shot at broadcasting. Other familiar names include John Davidson, Brian Hayward, and Pierre McGuire.
Third, NBC’s coverage includes games that hockey fans want to see. Due to the NHL’s new scheduling philosophy and without the NHL cable package, most fans miss out on seeing Sidney Crosby, Jaromir Jagr, Ilya Kovalchuk, and many other superstars. Additionally, Canadian fans tend to miss out on some great games and end up suffering through another Toronto – Boston contest due to the CBC’s blundering commitment to showing every Toronto Maple Leafs game possible. Highlights of NBC’s game schedule include Crosby and the Penguins hosting the Flyers on Jan. 21 and the Red Wings visiting the Avalanche on Jan. 28.
The fourth and final reason you should check out NBC’s coverage of the NHL is that every game is broadcast in high definition - the next best thing to seeing it live. Overall, I think this deal is good for both the game and its fans. Just so long as they don’t try that glowing puck gimmick again.
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NHL coming to NBC… 
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