T.C. wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 10:14 am seemed to me like they'd mention her, try to toss to her, then immediately continue talking over her. when she did talk, seemed like she was having a hard time hearing herself, so she was kind of hesitant and stuttering a bit. she's not experienced, give her a minute.

It's the second round of the playoffs though. Surely there's other and more appropriate times for her to get her feet wet.

T.C. wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 10:14 am seemed to me like they'd mention her, try to toss to her, then immediately continue talking over her. when she did talk, seemed like she was having a hard time hearing herself, so she was kind of hesitant and stuttering a bit. she's not experienced, give her a minute.

Sounds like she's going to have a lot more time to hone her announcing skills next year:


I agree though, she'll get better as she's still very green.

good for them; it'd be awesome if they could create a truly viable league for women's hockey. Start small, like 6 - 8 teams and then build from there.

bradleygt89 wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 10:55 am good for them; it'd be awesome if they could create a truly viable league for women's hockey. Start small, like 6 - 8 teams and then build from there.

It will only work if the NHL provides a lot of financial and other types of support. That's why the WNBA has lasted. I'm not sure if they're there yet, but the players are right in that they basically have to blow the remaining league up and start from scratch to make it possible.

Dave's a mess wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 11:13 am

bradleygt89 wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 10:55 am good for them; it'd be awesome if they could create a truly viable league for women's hockey. Start small, like 6 - 8 teams and then build from there.

It will only work if the NHL provides a lot of financial and other types of support. That's why the WNBA has lasted. I'm not sure if they're there yet, but the players are right in that they basically have to blow the remaining league up and start from scratch to make it possible.

Do people want this or are they demanding to be subsidized for a product nobody wants?

How many sports fans do you know who watch the WNBA?

In the end, it's all about business.

BluesSK wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 12:22 pm

Dave's a mess wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 11:13 am

bradleygt89 wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 10:55 am good for them; it'd be awesome if they could create a truly viable league for women's hockey. Start small, like 6 - 8 teams and then build from there.

It will only work if the NHL provides a lot of financial and other types of support. That's why the WNBA has lasted. I'm not sure if they're there yet, but the players are right in that they basically have to blow the remaining league up and start from scratch to make it possible.

Do people want this or are they demanding to be subsidized for a product nobody wants?

How many sports fans do you know who watch the WNBA?

In the end, it's all about business.

That is a very fair question. If I'm being perfectly honest, the likelihood of me watching is really low. I assume there's a reason the NHL would back it in the right situation, and maybe it's a matter as simple as goodwill, though that's not something the league has ever appeared that interested in. The WNBA was good long term in "grow the game" type way. The NHL would benefit from that, but again, they don't seem to be the group that really things 20 years down the road.

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 10:28 am

T.C. wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 10:14 am seemed to me like they'd mention her, try to toss to her, then immediately continue talking over her. when she did talk, seemed like she was having a hard time hearing herself, so she was kind of hesitant and stuttering a bit. she's not experienced, give her a minute.

It's the second round of the playoffs though. Surely there's other and more appropriate times for her to get her feet wet.

fully agree. i'm just saying, since they are clearly rolling with this dumb idea, we don't have a lot of choice.

and don't call me shirley.

Dave's a mess wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 12:47 pm

BluesSK wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 12:22 pm

Dave's a mess wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 11:13 am

It will only work if the NHL provides a lot of financial and other types of support. That's why the WNBA has lasted. I'm not sure if they're there yet, but the players are right in that they basically have to blow the remaining league up and start from scratch to make it possible.

Do people want this or are they demanding to be subsidized for a product nobody wants?

How many sports fans do you know who watch the WNBA?

In the end, it's all about business.

That is a very fair question. If I'm being perfectly honest, the likelihood of me watching is really low. I assume there's a reason the NHL would back it in the right situation, and maybe it's a matter as simple as goodwill, though that's not something the league has ever appeared that interested in. The WNBA was good long term in "grow the game" type way. The NHL would benefit from that, but again, they don't seem to be the group that really things 20 years down the road.

we cannot assume we (male hockey fans) are the target market though. I'm sure if St. Louis or Florida had a team, I'd watch a few games just out of curiosity. I do enjoy the women's hockey during the Olympics and when they have the international tournaments I try to watch a bit of it.

not being pc or whatever, just saying the truth: my daughters at age 7 have already started making the comments that 'there aren't girls who play hockey' so when i showed them Kendra at the ASG or we see women's hockey being played, it does make a difference and they get very excited about it. Then they go back to playing Roblox or some other thing on their tablets. I need to get one of those non-ice ice rinks built in my backyard....

OMG! I knew there was synthetic ice out there, but didn't know it came in small and relatively inexpensive packages like this! So cool:

bradleygt89 wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 3:47 pm

Dave's a mess wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 12:47 pm

BluesSK wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 12:22 pm

Do people want this or are they demanding to be subsidized for a product nobody wants?

How many sports fans do you know who watch the WNBA?

In the end, it's all about business.

That is a very fair question. If I'm being perfectly honest, the likelihood of me watching is really low. I assume there's a reason the NHL would back it in the right situation, and maybe it's a matter as simple as goodwill, though that's not something the league has ever appeared that interested in. The WNBA was good long term in "grow the game" type way. The NHL would benefit from that, but again, they don't seem to be the group that really things 20 years down the road.

we cannot assume we (male hockey fans) are the target market though. I'm sure if St. Louis or Florida had a team, I'd watch a few games just out of curiosity. I do enjoy the women's hockey during the Olympics and when they have the international tournaments I try to watch a bit of it.

not being pc or whatever, just saying the truth: my daughters at age 7 have already started making the comments that 'there aren't girls who play hockey' so when i showed them Kendra at the ASG or we see women's hockey being played, it does make a difference and they get very excited about it. Then they go back to playing Roblox or some other thing on their tablets. I need to get one of those non-ice ice rinks built in my backyard....

All valid points and I agree with them. I just am not sure the NHL will stick with things long term if they back a new league and it under performs expectations. I meant it more as a comment on the NHL than the women's game.

Dave's a mess wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 4:12 pm

bradleygt89 wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 3:47 pm

Dave's a mess wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 12:47 pm

That is a very fair question. If I'm being perfectly honest, the likelihood of me watching is really low. I assume there's a reason the NHL would back it in the right situation, and maybe it's a matter as simple as goodwill, though that's not something the league has ever appeared that interested in. The WNBA was good long term in "grow the game" type way. The NHL would benefit from that, but again, they don't seem to be the group that really things 20 years down the road.

we cannot assume we (male hockey fans) are the target market though. I'm sure if St. Louis or Florida had a team, I'd watch a few games just out of curiosity. I do enjoy the women's hockey during the Olympics and when they have the international tournaments I try to watch a bit of it.

not being pc or whatever, just saying the truth: my daughters at age 7 have already started making the comments that 'there aren't girls who play hockey' so when i showed them Kendra at the ASG or we see women's hockey being played, it does make a difference and they get very excited about it. Then they go back to playing Roblox or some other thing on their tablets. I need to get one of those non-ice ice rinks built in my backyard....

All valid points and I agree with them. I just am not sure the NHL will stick with things long term if they back a new league and it under performs expectations. I meant it more as a comment on the NHL than the women's game.

I don't have a problem with women having a WNHL or whatever but I don't know a single woman who ever mention the other women's leagues.

The only time I hear any chatter about women's hockey is Olympics related and only if it's Canada vs. USA

I would love for my daughter to be more interested in hockey but honestly, it is so expensive and the sacrifices families make is so great.

Nobody is watching women's pro hockey....the target audience is families with girls in the 8-14 age range. Even if the NHL got involved it's still got failure written all over it.

NHLTIM wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 6:49 pm Nobody is watching women's pro hockey....the target audience is families with girls in the 8-14 age range. Even if the NHL got involved it's still got failure written all over it.

Gotta agree.

If you could pick your ideal play-by-play, color, and rink side announce team...who would they be?

If we are being honest, it's not like the men's league is wildly successful and on in every household. It has a great fanbase but it's still a niche sport, if you will. I would imagine a majority of hockey fans in the US mostly only watch their team play. So I don't know what the expectations for a woman's league are, but if they are high, they will fall short.

I would be happy to be completely wrong.

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 8:30 pm If we are being honest, it's not like the men's league is wildly successful and on in every household. It has a great fanbase but it's still a niche sport, if you will. I would imagine a majority of hockey fans in the US mostly only watch their team play. So I don't know what the expectations for a woman's league are, but if they are high, they will fall short.

I would be happy to be completely wrong.

Very true about the NHL. And I wouldn't expect a woman's league to draw more than say an ECHL or at best AHL levels for the first few years. i don't think we should have WBNA expectations, but who knows, maybe down the road it will. Its about selling the game. They'll need their own version of a Brett Hull, Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and other stars who have put made the NHL as popular today as it is.

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 8:25 pm If you could pick your ideal play-by-play, color, and rink side announce team...who would they be?

PBP: Gord Miller
Color: Joe Micheletti
Ringside: Chicken Parm

Game 4 was completely unlistenable for me. It sounded like someone brought their daughter to work and let her call the game.

I can’t believe NBCSN would have someone that green call a playoff game. What an embarrassment. All for the sake of political correctness. Completely unqualified.

I turned on Kerbs on the NHL app, and just dealt with the 30 second delay. Still annoying with the delay, but it wasn’t shattering glass in my ears anymore.

stlsportster wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 3:34 am Game 4 was completely unlistenable for me. It sounded like someone brought their daughter to work and let her call the game.

I can’t believe NBCSN would have someone that green call a playoff game. What an embarrassment. All for the sake of political correctness. Completely unqualified.

I turned on Kerbs on the NHL app, and just dealt with the 30 second delay. Still annoying with the delay, but it wasn’t shattering glass in my ears anymore.

Dave's a mess wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 10:40 amSounds like she's going to have a lot more time to hone her announcing skills next year:

Hmmmmmm ... This could put a kink in The JMCs' plans to kick off our 2019-20 road trip season watching the NWHL's 2019 champion Minnesota Whitecaps play at home.

bradleygt89 wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 3:55 pm OMG! I knew there was synthetic ice out there, but didn't know it came in small and relatively inexpensive packages like this! So cool:

People who learned to skate on real ice will be VERY disappointed and even flummoxed by the experience of the current technologies of the synthetic version. I certainly wouldn't encourage it as a cheaper or more widely accessible introduction to children who may later get into hockey or figure skating or any other ice sport. They'd be better off learning to "skate" in their socks on polished wood floors. Save the techno for the mini-explosion of municipal "ice skating ribbons" coming to a city near you.

JMC-STL wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 6:20 am

bradleygt89 wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 3:55 pm OMG! I knew there was synthetic ice out there, but didn't know it came in small and relatively inexpensive packages like this! So cool:

People who learned to skate on real ice will be VERY disappointed and even flummoxed by the experience of the current technologies of the synthetic version. I certainly wouldn't encourage it as a cheaper or more widely accessible introduction to children who may later get into hockey or figure skating or any other ice sport. They'd be better off learning to "skate" in their socks on polished wood floors. Save the techno for the mini-explosion of municipal "ice skating ribbons" coming to a city near you.

If there was ice more readily available down here, that'd be great. But from the reviews I've read, from folks who DO have real ice options, this new version mentioned in the YouTube video is very good and a good substitute for the real thing. Obviously nothing is as great as real ice, but if it helps them learn to skate a bit or have fun, that's all that matters

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 8:25 pm If you could pick your ideal play-by-play, color, and rink side announce team...who would they be?

I don't have an easy answer for this anymore. There are a lot of announcers that I think are just fine, but few I get particularly excited about when I hear them on the call. But for the sake of this exercise, let's go with:

PxP: Joe Beninati (Caps local)
Color: Tyson Nash?
Rinkside: Ray Ferraro

There are a bunch of color guys that are fine. Nash, Chris Mason in Nashville, Daryl Reaugh in Dallas, old friend Joe Micheletti all do well in their own different ways. As long as it's not a guy calling his local team. For instance Eddie O is perfectly fine unless its in a Hawks game that's an NBC broadcast. I still remember him trying to bend over backwards defending Seabrook for the Backes hit in the playoffs a few years ago.

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 8:25 pm If you could pick your ideal play-by-play, color, and rink side announce team...who would they be?

Gord Miller - best PBP guy in the league as far as i'm concerned
Eddie O - He might be a Hawks homer but he's good
Pierre Mcguire - Still the best rink side guy

NHLTIM wrote: Fri May 03, 2019 9:20 am

Dread_Pirate_Westley wrote: Thu May 02, 2019 8:25 pm If you could pick your ideal play-by-play, color, and rink side announce team...who would they be?

Gord Miller - best PBP guy in the league as far as i'm concerned
Eddie O - He might be a Hawks homer but he's good
Pierre Mcguire - Still the best rink side guy

Who knew Tim worked for NBC all this time!