Where does Tampa Bay end up in the media pecking order of the NHL's Final Four?
by Cassie McClellan on May 15, 2011 5:08 PM EDT
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Let's play a little game of speculation.
We all know how the NHL and the traditional media regards the Tampa Bay Lightning. Not only is it a "South-least" Division team, but it's also one of those supposedly "unworthy" Sun Belt teams. While the arrival of Steven Yzerman has stemmed some of the ridicule and hate, it's still there.
Would it surprise you to find out that the Vancouver Canucks and the San Jose Sharks are thought of in a similar way?
Vancouver's the red-headed step-child of the six Canadian-based teams. (No offense to redheads - I'm the only brunette in a family of gingers and blondes, myself.) They're the lone bastion of NHL hockey on the Canadian West Coast. So, due to its location and time zone, primarily, it's often as overlooked and ignored as the Tampa Bay Lightning. And on top of that, they're the only Canadian-based NHL team without their names on the Stanley Cup, so they definitely rank as second tier in the eyes of most of the traditional hockey media - despite having had an awesome regular season record this year.
And as for the San Jose Sharks...well, we all know how they're a running joke in playoffs. I mean, when a very good team falls out in the first round, who does everyone think of? San Jose, that's who. Not only that, they're one of those fellow ‘90s expansion teams that no one seems to like. And they could be lumped into that Sun Belt category - that is, a place where it doesn't snow or freeze enough to skate outside. So they get little respect as well.
Out of the teams in the NHL's Final Four, the only one that's got a storied history and is an Original Six team that's located in a "proper" hockey area, are the Boston Bruins. Of the teams left, they're naturally the darlings of the NHL. They're everything the NHL and its tradition media loves, and are located in the ratings-rich northeastern United States, which is also a part of the Eastern Time Zone.
So here's the speculation part: If the Lightning were to beat the Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals, who gets to play the favorite?
If San Jose wins the West and plays Tampa Bay, can the media take them seriously with all of their previous playoff failures? If Vancouver wins the West and plays Tampa Bay, will the media even care about the Finals? And if Tampa Bay wins the East, does that make them the automatic media favorite, despite having had three dismal seasons and a new GM and coaching staff?
Boston, if they make it to the Stanley Cup Finals, will automatically be the favorite. That almost goes without saying. The Detroit Red Wings versus the Boston Bruins would've likely been their ideal, in fact - two Original Six teams going at it to win the most storied trophy in all of sports. It's like a ratings dream come true.
In a pinch, they'll settle for Boston and San Jose because of the Joe Thornton drama angle. Tampa Bay versus San Jose gives the NHL and its media some Dan Boyle revenge sort of story. And Vancouver versus Tampa Bay only has Mattias Ohlund going for It, and - no disrespect to Mr. Ohlund - he's not exactly a very well-known name. But there's not a lot that they can do with Vancouver versus Boston, I don't think, other than be all over Boston like a bad date.
The best that the NHL can hope for is San Jose versus Boston in the Stanley Cup Finals. And, at worst, Vancouver versus Tampa Bay. Any way you slice it, though, it's a coast-to-coast matchup that's going to highlight a lot of travel.
So, outside of Boston, who would the NHL favor in terms of marketing? It's an interesting question, if you think about it. And one that could really show where the league's interests truly lie.
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Remember this
San Jose might be in a non-traditional market, but they are in a RICH Market in the Silicon Valley region of the US.
With no offense intended to Vancouver, the perception I keep getting from Canadian fans is that Vancouver is Vancouver. But I could see the country rallying around bringing the Cup “Home” to where it “Belongs”….
…meaning the same narrative as the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals. Calgary was a rallying point for a country while Tampa Bay was all on it’s own (or at least, that’s how my Flames-fan friend would describe things).
In all cases, it’s worth repeating that the weaker perception of these markets is part of the NHL’s marketing failings. The focus being so squarely on the Northeast hurts exposing the rest of the teams in league to the fans… Be they teams in the South, mid-west, Canadian Rockies, or Pacific.
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Raw Charge.
I would think Yzerman would have some effect
apparently I’m in a vast minority…
fortunately the games are not media driven, they will get played. and if the Lightning make the finals I can’t imagine that real puck heads would be too diappointed. Stevie Y, new management, there is some decent star power, and the franchise does have it’s name on the Cup.
Original six, blechh. Yeah Detroit and Chicago have won recent Cups, but so many others have won it since even the Rags and Habs last won (93 and 94)…what does original 6 really mean in practical terms? Sure it’s history, but beyond that it’s close to meaningless.
1972!!!
1967!!!
Boston will be the media darling, should they advance
but according to the BoDog odds Tina posted yesterday, they’d actually be an underdog to Vancouver.
I do think the media would prefer the Canucks as a sort of country rallying-point. I wonder if the city focus from last year’s Olympics will help at all. A sort of Canada rallies around Vancouver Redux.
With a San Jose/Tampa final, the major storyline would be the Sharks trying to overcome history. I don’t know who that makes the media darling, but that’s the storyline.
by Incipient_Senescence on May 15, 2011 6:30 PM EDT reply actions
The Poll
Results have been artificially inflated. San Jose has 2 votes. Someone hacked the system and added 400.
Typing is an adventure, and reading should be, too!
Raw Charge.
either way.... the finals will suck for the teams competing in it...
from a geographic standpoint… if and when the lightning make the finals… the entire US will be tuned in for the games… East coast vs West coast literally…. hours of travel time to go inbetween each city. 2800 miles separate SJ and Tampa and 3200 miles separate vancouver and tampa… thats by going pretty direct routes… more like 3000 and 3500 flight miles…. i wouldnt be surprised if there was an extra day off inbetween games 2 and 3 and the back and forth games considering the distance.
i think the focus will center around tampa in all honesty. everyone has jumped on our bandwagon cuz we have disposed of the two most hated teams in the NHL by the fans in PIt and Wash and if we get rid of boston too we will have everyone behind us cuz they the dirtiest team in the league.
When the media can't bring itself to get behind a specific team...
they will instead market specific players. Case in point: Ryan Kesler. Granted he has been playing well, but the media (both in the US and Canada) has been slobbering over him to a ridiculous degree. If San Jose wins, the focus will be on Thornton. Since Stamkos isn’t lighting it up, it’s much harder for the media to give Tampa any attention or credit whatsoever.
by In All Kinds of Weather on May 15, 2011 8:00 PM EDT reply actions
wait...
I disagree. Roloson has been getting tons of coverage on NHL Network since his game 7 goose egg.
"System Trumps Chumps" - Tampa t
by tankerkevo on May 15, 2011 9:14 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Location, location, location
They’ll reluctantly, begrudgingly “embrace” the Lightning simply because the farther west you go, the less they care. Simple test: when was the last time you saw the scheduled start time of a game between two teams in ANY sport pushed back to accomodate viewers out west?
Also, they’ll never admit it on air or in print, but the “working media” loves visiting Tampa…for reasons that have nothing to do with sports.
National Game
Face it: per capita there are more hockey fans in the Great White North than in the United States. There, it’s a mainstay. Here, it’s considered a fringe sport, less interesting to some Americans than WSP or other “sports” on ESPN.
In the case of Boston exiting the playoffs, the NHL will be all over the story line of Vancouver exorcising their lackluster-play and underachieving demons as the only Canadian team to contend for the Cup since Demers’ Canadiens beat Melrose’s Kings in ’93.
All of Canada would cheer for the Canucks, no matter Anglo, Francophone, or Sikh.
"[The Lightning] are uncanny. When they want to get a goal, it's like they just snap their fingers or hit a button. They just dial it up. You can see it. It's like they flip a switch. When they are down, it's just like they think, 'we know we are going to score.' I don't know what it is, it leaves [the opposition] flabbergasted." - Mike Knuble, 3 May 2011
I think
a lot of Canadians would welcome the End of Days before they would be happy with a Canucks Cup win.
People die people die people die people die go ahead sleep tight in your beds remember what the wise man said
That’s a surprise to me. As a Canadian, your perspective is obviously different than mine, but I would find it hard to believe the ’Nucks not getting some Canada love if they make it to the Finals.
"[The Lightning] are uncanny. When they want to get a goal, it's like they just snap their fingers or hit a button. They just dial it up. You can see it. It's like they flip a switch. When they are down, it's just like they think, 'we know we are going to score.' I don't know what it is, it leaves [the opposition] flabbergasted." - Mike Knuble, 3 May 2011
Oh, the Canucks will. Canada can hardly ignore their lone team in playoffs. But they’ll get recognition only grudgingly.
Win or lose, I'm proud of these guys.
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.
by Cassie McClellan on May 16, 2011 7:50 AM EDT up reply actions
There may be more per capita...
…but the size of the U.S. market (around 10 times as large) kinda makes up that difference I’d think. That said, should the Canucks make it to the finals, Canada will be behind them pretty solidly. Since Montreal last won it there’s a 18 year dry spell for the Cup belonging to a Canadian team. For as rabidly as Canadians follow hockey, that’s a monkey they’d all like to have off their backs.
What’s been galling me has been the way the announcers call the Lightning games. I get it that earlier on we were getting the repeat from the Pittsburgh and Washington local sportscasts…but the Boston game 1 commentary on Saturday was so one-sided. The Game 1 recap on the NHL Network was all “how Boston LOST Game 1” as opposed to “how Tampa Bay WON Game 1”. The impression was that Tampa Bay won only because Boston didn’t try or something. It’s pretty patronizing and hard to stomach as a Lightning fan.
Oh, they'll get
some love, but the whole country will NOT be rallying around the Canucks. Guaranteed.
People die people die people die people die go ahead sleep tight in your beds remember what the wise man said
Oh, I know. I used to live out there, too, remember? I know how it is with Vancouver.
Win or lose, I'm proud of these guys.
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.
by Cassie McClellan on May 16, 2011 1:08 PM EDT up reply actions
Yep
I remember. One of the few Washingtonians I’ve encountered who actually likes hockey. ;)
People die people die people die people die go ahead sleep tight in your beds remember what the wise man said
There’d be a whole lot more if Vancouver decided to market the team south of the border. Or, at the very least, broadcast games on a regular basis in Washington State, Oregon, and Idaho – and probably Alaska, too, for that matter. It’s almost a media blackout once you cross the border, and that’s mostly the Canucks’ fault.
Win or lose, I'm proud of these guys.
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.
by Cassie McClellan on May 16, 2011 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions
You're right.
Other than the Jazz, what goes on sportswise in the region in the winter? Does college basketball draw that well?
On the other hand, do we know that the Canucks haven’t tried marketing themselves across the border? Perhaps media in Washington, Oregon and Idaho have said thanks, but no.
People die people die people die people die go ahead sleep tight in your beds remember what the wise man said
I dated a girl from Idaho last year
And there were some Spokane Chiefs fans, but nobody even cared about the NHL. As Cassie said, I’m guessing that’s a marketing problem. About 15 years ago, the Indianapolis Colts got half of Tennessee to cheer for them because of their aggressive marketing in the region after drafting one of our favorite players.
by Incipient_Senescence on May 16, 2011 3:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Aaauughhh!
I can’t believe I forgot the American based teams in the Dub.
People die people die people die people die go ahead sleep tight in your beds remember what the wise man said
The newspapers in Seattle and Tacoma pick up AP stories about the Canucks all the time. And frequently, particularly when the Canucks are doing well, they’ll get highlights on the news stations. Remember, there are two successful WHL teams in the greater Seattle area, so there’s some interest in the sport. (Not to mention WHL teams in Portland, Kennewick (WA), and Spokane.) There’s interest in the sport, but no exposure to it at the NHL level – unless it’s something like Versus or NBC.
Win or lose, I'm proud of these guys.
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.
by Cassie McClellan on May 16, 2011 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions
See above.
Yes, I am a dope.
People die people die people die people die go ahead sleep tight in your beds remember what the wise man said
Hey!
There are more than just her! I personally would love to see an NHL team in Seattle. Not that it’ll happen.
"[The Lightning] are uncanny. When they want to get a goal, it's like they just snap their fingers or hit a button. They just dial it up. You can see it. It's like they flip a switch. When they are down, it's just like they think, 'we know we are going to score.' I don't know what it is, it leaves [the opposition] flabbergasted." - Mike Knuble, 3 May 2011
by MTBoltFan on May 16, 2011 4:55 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
the market has more potential than Winnipeg
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Go Bolts! Out West, go Preds! Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on May 16, 2011 4:59 PM EDT up reply actions
Isn't potential
what got Phoenix and Atlanta teams?
People die people die people die people die go ahead sleep tight in your beds remember what the wise man said
fair point
but, as was mentioned before, Seattle, in addition to being a larger market, already has a hockey base with the WHL.
Heel for school, Vol for life!
Go Bolts! Out West, go Preds! Southern hockey solidarity!
by Incipient_Senescence on May 16, 2011 5:17 PM EDT up reply actions
by “hockey base” you mean “incentive for people to not go but still see hockey if the seattle metrostars are bad”
Hockey Blog Adventure: New Post: Round 1: NO HABS NO (I'm also on Twitter.) GO BRUINS! (and Wild!)
by Cornelius Hardenbergh on May 16, 2011 5:29 PM EDT up reply actions
Is that supposed to be Sounder FC? “Metrostars”?
Typing is an adventure, and reading should be, too!
Raw Charge.
by John Fontana on May 16, 2011 8:30 PM EDT up reply actions
Well I didn’t think they’d go fully back to Metropolitans
Hockey Blog Adventure: New Post: Round 1: NO HABS NO (I'm also on Twitter.) GO BRUINS! (and Wild!)
by Cornelius Hardenbergh on May 17, 2011 9:21 AM EDT up reply actions
The Seattle Mets probably wouldn’t fly – but only because of the negative connotations of the New York Mets. ;o)
Win or lose, I'm proud of these guys.
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.
by Cassie McClellan on May 17, 2011 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions
Don't need to go
that far back. Seattle had a team called the Totems playing in the old Western League when I was a kid.
People die people die people die people die go ahead sleep tight in your beds remember what the wise man said
Yes. The city also has more Stanley Cup’s than Vancouver ;-) (teasing, and besides, that may soon be rectified)
Typing is an adventure, and reading should be, too!
Raw Charge.
by John Fontana on May 16, 2011 8:31 PM EDT up reply actions
Seattle?
Sorry, John, the Vancouver Millionaires won the cup in 1915. Two years before Seattle won.
People die people die people die people die go ahead sleep tight in your beds remember what the wise man said
....
Excuse me, where do you keep the crow? I think I have to eat a portion of it…
Typing is an adventure, and reading should be, too!
Raw Charge.
by John Fontana on May 16, 2011 9:29 PM EDT up reply actions
No worries, John.
Although I’m desperately fighting the urge to drop a smart ass comment. ;)
People die people die people die people die go ahead sleep tight in your beds remember what the wise man said
A California team, Southern California team.
Larger market, I’d gamble that’d be the choice.
But my hope is Vancouver and Boston.
I’ve followed Vancouver with a bit of interest, as well as Calgary and Edmonton, always happy when I see those teams are coming to Boston.
wait, how'd we get on Southern California?
by Incipient_Senescence on May 16, 2011 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions
I had a mental map of San Jose in my head and I had it a little more south and west of San Fran.
To think I love geography and botched that, ah well. Only part of California I’ve been to personally is the LA area, and friends there said San Jose was driving distance, so I pictured it a little closer.
I grew up on the West Coast (Greater Seattle Area), and “driving distance” is very subjective. For most out West, if you can drive there within one day, it’s “driving distance”. A four-hour drive is pretty much equal to about a two-hour drive on the East Coast. Roughly. It’s something like an six-hour drive from LA to San Francisco.
Win or lose, I'm proud of these guys.
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.
by Cassie McClellan on May 16, 2011 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions
Thanks for that.
Felt like a fool after I looked up where the city actually is.
Yeah, subjective use of “driving distance” for sure.
It’s all good. I’m a geographer. It’s my business to know these things. ;o)
Win or lose, I'm proud of these guys.
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.
by Cassie McClellan on May 16, 2011 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions
Five. I’ve done it with family.
Typing is an adventure, and reading should be, too!
Raw Charge.
by John Fontana on May 16, 2011 4:01 PM EDT up reply actions
San Jose is a southern burb of San Francisco, and that’s Central California.
Win or lose, I'm proud of these guys.
Raw Charge, an SBN Tampa Bay Lightning community. Follow me on Twitter: @dagmar27.
by Cassie McClellan on May 16, 2011 10:54 AM EDT up reply actions
To properly view this, you’ve gotta separate your Canadian media and TV interests from your US TV interests. TV is trying to get ratings, the rest of the media…is a little different.
Canadian TV: slobbering over Canucks/Bruins, Only Canadian Team Left vs. Original 6. Not that they don’t love them some Marty/Vinny/Stammer
Canadian media: probably wants to chill with Stevie Y a little more
NBC/Comcast: Boston/San Jose probably give them best possible finals ratings at this point
USA Media: varies by location, wouldn’t mind spending time in Tampa. I know when the bruins do their Florida swing each year, Andy Brickley gets a lot of sun.
Hockey Blog Adventure: New Post: Round 1: NO HABS NO (I'm also on Twitter.) GO BRUINS! (and Wild!)
by Cornelius Hardenbergh on May 16, 2011 10:48 AM EDT reply actions
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