Carlos Zambrano's Return To The Rotation, Or The Blackhawks? Choices, Choices, Part Deux: Cubs vs. Astros Preview, Friday 6/4, 7:05 CT

However, let me please note this here. Hockey is a great sport. It’s the fastest team sport in NA, requires the ultimate in-shape athletes and the only sport where players change during the play. That said, it’s a tough TV sell though HD has really helped. Those of you who have not watched much on TV (HD specifically), please give it a chance. Those of you who have never gone to a game, give it a try. Even the AHL Chicago Wolves (hockey’s AAA equivalent – they’re the “Iowa Cubs” of the Atlanta Thrashers) put a good product out there and at a reasonable price.

The big part that drove a comment like yours is that IMO the sport, at least at the NHL level, has been poorly marketed for many years. It’s driven diehards like me absolutely nuts for more than 3 decades. MLB & NBA (NFL especially) have TV contracts set. The NHL has to take that step. Versus is not the answer. NBC’s coverage is good, but now it must expand. Having the Blackhawks in the finals will help boost the league’s branding. They must now start to run with this.

A big issue the NHL has to overcome is getting America interested (and this is an old story) in seeing teams outside the US & teams not normally associated with cold-weather sports. Canada’s sport only has 20% of the teams in Canada and the NHL has 40% of the teams in warmer climates. There’s the 20% who are original six and another 20% who are in colder hockey climates not in the O-6. The NHL has to learn how to balance that. They haven’t done nearly well enough IMO.

I truly believe there’s a person whom we all know of (Al likely knows him, or at least has met him a few times) that could help change all this down the road. It’s John McDonough. I believe John’s 5-year Blackhawks contract (He’s about half-way through) may be a stepping stone to the NHL front office. I can only hope that the right person gets in there because Gary Bettman (who obviously didn’t pick up too much from David Stern when he was in the NBA front office) simply hasn’t brought the NHL up far enough, quickly enough.

Go Blackhawks!

I hope things change before June 12, because now that hike is coming under weather problems as well.

Mount Washington is 6,288 feet high.

if they miss two replay calls. Again, if the manager argues enough in the game, they’re going to get tossed, so why not in this situation? Having there be some sort of penalty helps to offset overuse of a “replay flag” and it would also require some skill on the part of the manager. The manager would need to decide if it’s worth using a replay flag. Doing so helps build confidence on the part of their players, and maybe not doing so means that the manager needs to be effective at making his team understand why.

managers aren’t going to be using replay for every bang-bang play at a base or close catch diving catch or trap. They will be used when it makes a real difference in the game, probably meaning when a run would score.

so you better make it a good one. People have to get the NFL out of their heads, just because they do it that way doesn’t mean MLB has to. The games and dynamics are totally different.

One reply per game from each team will not slow the game down all that much. And for the most part, how many times do umps blow calls in a game on average?