Making Must-See TV

The NHL Network is rightly revered among us hockey fans but we've all seen its plethora of flaws. Last week Matt at View From My Seats wrote that "there's so much potential" and he is absolutely right. But, as was also mentioned in the piece, the league has cheaped out on the follow through and "the bottom line is that the league (and apparently Comcast) needs to spend some time and money to make the product better."

VFMS suggest an improved set and better personalities for On The Fly. While the set definitely needs expansion, the bland broadcasters are just fine with me. I don't want Sportscenter attitude and catch phrases. We love our humble, low-key hockey stars so why do we need to get all Stu Scott and put the puck up where momma keeps the cookie jar?

As for the rest of the programming, we agree in that it needs work. First off, there is no reason to play the same in-house promos 18 times an hour. It wouldn't take too much to make some vignettes promoting individual teams. Hell, make the teams themselves produce them. It was a nice change when they aired the 'Great Day For Hockey' spots for the Pens. Then they went away and we are right back to Chris Simpson imitating a bobble head doll as she interviews Jarome Iginla, Zdeno Chara climbing a mountain and Patrik Elias making the world a better place talking about the troubles in Belize (I still say he got that hepatitis from hanging out with Mmmmaaarrrtttyyy and his in-laws). The Cup raising spot remains my favourite commercial of all time but by the end of the playoffs last season I had to admit that I was sick of it. I'd hear that piano piece start and change the commercial. If the local scrap metal buyers can produce their own advertising on the cheap, the National Hockey League can too.

Now that I addressed the commercial breaks, how about some show ideas? I was actually considering putting together true show pitches but don't have the time and sadly feel they would fall upon deaf ears with the powers that be. I don't think they will with you guys so here are a few, with basic breakdowns. All can be done quite cost effectively by the way ... all names are negotiable:

*Home Ice Advantage: Virtually a travel show, this gives an inside look at each of the NHL's buildings (and beyond perhaps). Not only will you get a history lesson and guided tour by a player or personality, you would also get inside tips from season ticket holders - where the best food is, the best views, the minutia that makes each barn special. MLB Network has the Cathedrals Of The Game, and let's face it, hockey arenas provide a much bigger advantage for the home team than baseball does. So let's take a look how and why.

*The Locker Room: A look at everything that goes into getting on the ice. It would include a look the newest, coolest equipment out there. Sure there would be some product placement by league sponsors, but it could be done in an informative way - how to pick the stick curve that suits your shot? how should your skates fit? what should you look for in a helmet? And once you have that, what ways should you train? What kind of exercises should you do? Drills? If working at Sports Authority for years taught me anything, it's that most people don't have a clue.

*Puck Stuff: Like Sal's Puck Junk blog, it would cover memorabilia. While his site centers on cards, it could go even further with everything from board games to jerseys. The game-worn sweater market is huge, take a trip to the MeiGrey summer sale. Thousands of people go on YouTube to watch box-breaks for the newest Upper Deck line, so why not include something like that? Patrick Roy is said to be a huuuge card collector, have him give a tour of his set up. Get a tour of the manufacturing plants for some of this stuff. Press Pass TV did it with Mitchell & Ness and it was nerd-tastic.

*Ye Olde Hockey Pub: Writers, bloggers, former players ... this is where the personality should come out. A Best Damned Sports Show Period with the hockey (J.R.!) without much of the duchebaggery. Think the ramblings of your house league buddies meet the Hot Stove meet The Sports Reporters. Hell, even get John Saunders to host it. If he can handle Lupica, he surely can take care of Wyshynski. NHL Live was at its best when it was EJ with Donny Pucks for a reason - they know the game, they love the game and they deftly handled the topics of the day. Now add a few beers, a set that doesn't include the NHL Store's checkout girl picking at her thong and some strong personalities butting heads while playing rod hockey.

*International Match Of The Week: Well, this isn't really a program but why couldn't the NHL air a Swedish/Finnish/Swiss/Czech league game? (No Russians, not with the Ice Cold War going on.) Every once so rarely (too rarely) we are treated to junior or minor league matches, so why not see them play on the other side of the pond? As I saw in Switzerland and England (and read in Tropic of Hockey), there is a planet of pucks out there so let's see it. The NHL needs to realize that promoting the sport of hockey - even if it isn't their own games - can only be good for them in the long run.

What do you think? Would you tune in?

Advice To File Away

Luckily next year we won't be subjected to the awfulness that is the Versus All Star Skills experience due to the Olympics, but here is some advice for the network (or, hopefully, their replacements) for the 2011 broadcast:

*The biggest thing is that less is more. Less replays, less camera angles, less graphics, less announcers.

*On that last note, Versus has gotten it right by mic'ing players. Marc Savard did a much, much better job giving colour and insight than Brian Engblom did. Engblom was completely useless and got in the way of Doc calling the action. One of the best parts of the skills is that the players are out on the ice actually having fun. Letting them talk actually shows that these guys have personality and only helps sell the game. Listening to Engblom does not.

*When players like Zdeno Chara do something wonderful - like putting up their own money to make their event more exciting and charitable - it is the broadcaster's job to tell you that it is happening but not after the fact. Listening to Engblom and Doc go back and forth trying to figure out how much money was actually given to Right To Play as Chara was getting the trophy was infuriating. It was probably the best story to come out of the night and it should have been bandied about throughout the telecast or at least previewed with a short feature interviewing the players involved.

*An aside - as a friend pointed out to me, it would be nice if the entire ASG was for charity. Like NHL players need the extra stipends? But while that would never happen, the league itself should partner with the NHLPA to at least put money on the line for the YoungStars exhibition. Any kind of motivation would be nice as the kids clearly were out there killing time playing a boring game of shinny.

*Speaking of the YoungStars, if the rules stay the same - running time, six minute periods - then the host broadcaster would do well to actually save the replays for the breaks. Yes, it is common sense but the production clowns at Versus clearly doesn't have any as they missed half of the action and several of the goals.

*Trying to be fancy with tons of cameras also ends up in lost action. Versus made the mistake in using unorthodox angles to show the breakaway competition. It's cool to see the ice-level action, but that is what replays are for. Using the usual high-center ice game angle to show the live action would show just how different or special these plays are compared to the normal run-of-the-mill shootout attempts.

*What happened to the pin camera inside the targets for replays in the accuracy competition? It was always cool to see the puck coming right at the camera. Or did McDonalds not allow that this year?

*For the hardest shot competition, a ice-level super-slo-mo camera would have been perfect to show the sheer power of the shooters. Here is a simple fact: things look cool in super slow motion. There is an entire awesome show dedicated to that on the Discovery Channel.

*Hire a professional to man the audio boards. Whoever Versus had did a terrible job jockeying the levels and us fans at home paid the price. The audio tech would jarringly open and close mics so you didn't really hear what was going on. During the intros, we caught the ovation for Vinny04 but missed most of the boos for Kaberle and the Bruins.

*Getting back to the announcer part, do you really need to have talent talking during the breakaway contests? Just so they can go "wow," or explain what you just saw? Why not just keep the arena and player mics on so the television feel like they are there? Like I need Engblom telling me, "look, he's using props" as Ovie puts on a hat? I can see that, thanks. I would rather hear the players on the benches asking 'what the hell is he doing now' or something to that effect.

*And this is more for the league than for the broadcaster, but enough with the live rock music. The players are the spectacle, as you can see from the pic at the top of this post. We don't need some random woman who can hardly sing butchering rock classics with some organist playing like he is in Amadeus.

But whatever, as I said, this is just some thoughts to file away as there will be no All Star Game next year. Instead we will get to see the best players in the game actually trying as they play for national pride in the Olympics. That will be great and you can be assured that NBC, who didn't want the ASG, will handle them better than Versus handled Montreal.

A Word From Our Sponsors

Not my sponsors, I don't have any. I am referring to the Penguins commercial where they use Bob Johnson's famous "It's a great day for hockey" as the theme. It is a brilliant idea and it makes for a wonderful ad that celebrates Pens hockey. I may be behind the curve a little on it but I saw it tonight on the NHL Network and felt I had to share:

It almost made me hate them less, ... no, not really. But seriously, I got chills - especially thinking back to that my experience in that Fresh Air. The one ranks up there with the incredible Stanley Cup commercial and the underrated Braydon Coburn spot for Versus. Great work guys!

Broadcasting Bungles

Just a quick note: If you have NHL Center Ice or can find the game online, I suggest you check out the Phoenix Coyotes game in Anaheim right now. Prime Ticket is giving a preview to their new 'Rinkside' view. It has the standard play calling but uses only low cameras - the robos at either end atop the glass and handhelds in the corners and between the benches.

It is an attempt to give those at home a feel for the speed and intensity of the game and, personally, I think it is awful. You can't tell where the puck is most of the time and I think some of the cameramen are having the same problem as well. People complain about not being able to see the puck on the regular broadcasts and this isn't making it much easier.

And one last thing, while I am finding faults with mass media, the folks over at Yahoo! seem to have put up the wrong picture ...

How Did I Miss This?

This is incredible. Someone listened to me.

This summer I was throwing around ideas on how to improve hockey broadcasts and said this:

Now for the audio - turn up the mics. The sounds of the game are unique and spectacular. From the scrapes of skates on ice and puck on post to the cursing of the players and the jeers of the crowd, the sounds of the game are unique and spectacular and help give viewers a feeling like they are there and we all know that seeing hockey in person is the quickest way to sell someone on the game. And something I have been advocating is the use of the SAP feature or something of its ilk to allow viewers to just listen to the game and not have to hear the commentary. Most sports should have this ...

And the NHL, well FSN, actually did it. KuklasKorner, who pointed it out, has the embedded video and I gotta say it is a must watch/listen! The Ottawa Sun did a good write-up too. All of it proves that hockey, in its purest form, is one helluva entertaining sport. Magnificent!

I Love Canada

The CBC said it will stream all of its 85 National Hockey League game telecasts this coming season for free at CBCSports.ca.

In addition to its "Hockey Night in Canada" telecasts, the public broadcaster for the first time will offer live and on-demand screening of NHL games via the Internet. The new service begins with the Sept. 29 matchup between the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings, set to take place in London.

This is fantastic because Vs. decided not to pick up coverage of the UK games so American hockey fans (yes there are plenty of us) will be able to tune in ...


Now, someone has to work on a way we can watch the upcoming Canada/Russia Super Series and get to see just how good our boys Alexei Cherepanov and Artem Anisimov really are. The tournament for players under 20 begins Aug. 27 and will feature four games in Russia and four in Canada. Somehow none of our Canadian kids made the team but that is alright, less of a chance for injury. For Cherry and Double-A its good as they will finally get some exposure that they weren't able to get playing in the Motherland. And hopefully, that will propel them to have good camps and the Rangers will at least give Double-A a shot to make the roster.

Well, It's My Day Off ...

So, of course, I am thinking about work. But being as I work in television and the main topic of this blog is hockey, a concurrence of matters isn't a bad thing.

What is on my mind is the possibility of the NHL picking ESPN to dance with yet again, after spurning it to dance with the ugly new kid in school (Versus). Granted the league is going back on its knees begging, pleading and likely doing more things carnal in nature, it is a good move but there should be some mandated elements to how ESPN can broadcast the game.

First off, hockey broadcasts now are very regimented - open at the top of the hour, commerical breaks soon after the periods' 15 and 5 minute mark (barring delays) and then usually three breaks during the intermission - one going in, one in the middle and one going out. And you know what, that's fine - leave it. Just don't start trying to shoehorn more advertising into the game itself. The score bug doesn't need to include the logo of McDonalds or Michelin or whatever.

And for that matter, the bug should not cover any more than 10% of the screen. Versus had that monstrous bug banner that covered the top, then would plug in lower thirds over score crawls so almost the entire picture was covered with crap that wasn't the game you tuned into (sorry I don't have any pictures but if you watched, you know what I am talking about). Game bugs should have the score and time, and that's it.

As for the actual shots of the game, the standard classic camera is the best. It has worked for all these years so directors with itchy trigger fingers shouldn't feel obligated to show tight shots of defensemen with the puck and then lose the play as he sends a breakout pass up-ice. Goal-cams are great for replays but never, ever should be used for live action. Depth of field is lost and its even harder than normal to follow the puck. Rail cam was a nice experiment but you couldn't really follow the play all that well and it blocked the view of people in the building so toss that away. Its great to have a ton of angles for replays, but don't screw with the game action.

Now for the audio - turn up the mics. The sounds of the game are unique and spectacular. From the scrapes of skates on ice and puck on post to the cursing of the players and the jeers of the crowd, the sounds of the game are unique and spectacular and help give viewers a feeling like they are there and we all know that seeing hockey in person is the quickest way to sell someone on the game. And something I have been advocating is the use of the SAP feature or something of its ilk to allow viewers to just listen to the game and not have to hear the commentary. Most sports should have this ...

To also help get people into the game, ESPN should also be forced to bring back NHL2nite. Versus never properly supported their coverage with nightly highlight shows that package up the magic into a half hour setting. There is no way fans get to see all of the top plays from the games they want in Sportscenter - hockey just isn't the cash cow that football, NASCAR, baseball, basketball is in North America. Plus it would be good to get some opinions and analysis again, rather than just being stuck with Brian Engblom in between periods.

Now some people would advocate for a return of the John Buccigross and Barry Melrose but I don't think so. I want Jeremy Roenick and a straight man who knows something about hockey. Bill Pidto was fine as the original host of the show, why not him again? Bucci is a fan of the game but he inserted himself and his music taste into his work and that was quite annoying. Melrose is a nice guy and at times gives good knowledge but he is very vanilla and I don't care what he has to say about players today - he wasn't the greatest player, he wasn't he greatest coach and he looks the same way he did when Patrick Roy made Gretz his bitch back in '93. Melrose will say whatever the producer tells him to say (I know that for a fact) and rarely steps out on a limb. Roenick is a loose cannon and that makes him exciting. And someone like that paired with a good straight man/foil makes for good tv - look at Hockey Night In Canada.

The league should also require a return of the theme song, which was solid. It stood out and was instantly recognizable, even if a knock off of the greatest. It is all about bringing the brand back and pretending that the lockout never happened (as the owners are already doing, giving these idiotic contracts out left and right - five years to Dustin Penner!).

ESPN has unfortunately become the primary source of sports information in America - beyond the local newspapers and tv stations - and their policy is to promote the hell out of whatever they have their hands in and ignore the rest. When hockey went to Versus they did their best to ignore the league when they couldn't find cause to berate it.

But beyond the huge shadow that the ugly corporate ESPN machine has cast over hockey, we should do our best to get the game back there if only because there were good people there, who did some good work and (occasionally) managed to capture the best the game had to offer, even in the darkest of times: