posted by FlyersRule
All Habs
As if today isn’t going to be stressful enough – the Flyers have found a way, yet again, to back themselves into a playoff corner and have allowed their post-season potential to come down to one final game against the Rangers. Win and we’re in. Lose and, well…join Tiger on the links.
In addition, today’s game isn’t just important to the Flyers and the Rangers – other teams in the Eastern Conference (particularly the Montreal Canadiens) will be watching closely to find out who their first-round opponent will be. So to say that this is a “big game” is an understatement – right? Newsworthy? Yes. Noteworthy? You bet.
Which brings me to the reason that this quiet, sunny Spring morning has me steaming mad and appalled with American views on sports. I would wager a lot of money that all of my Canadian friends opened their Sunday newspapers this morning, turned to the Sports section, and leisurely sipped their coffee while reading headline after headline recapping yesterday’s games and forecasting today’s matchups. There were probably some blurbs about the upcoming playoffs. I bet there might even be some mentions of the 2010 Draft, the lottery, the minor leagues, etc etc etc. Heck – I bet there’s even a mention of the implications of today’s Flyers/Rangers game.
Guess what greeted me on the front page of my Sports section? Top headline – the Phillies win over the Astros last night. OK, I can understand that one. Next – coverage of The Masters, including a preview of today’s final round and the Woods/Mickelson showdown. OK, I’ll give them that one as well. So surely, the final article on the front page is about the Flyers game, right? Nope – it’s about how one particular Penn State quarterback still needs some fine-tuning before this fall’s football season starts. In fact, there isn’t a SINGLE MENTION of today’s hockey game ANYWHERE in the Sports section. The only hockey news is buried on page 5 and includes yesterday’s scores, league standings, player stats for league leaders, and a couple of sentences announcing that the Bruins clinched a playoff berth yesterday. Folks, I live outside of PHILADELPHIA. Granted, my newspaper is not one of the major Philly rags – but it’s a major newspaper nonetheless.
*the author’s next few statements have been censored by the FCC and consists of lots of BEEPS…please stand by*
Y’know, I could understand if I were a fan of some obscure sport like badminton, table tennis or water polo – then yes, it would make sense to not really find much in the way of coverage in my newspaper. But hockey? The NHL? Give me a break people! Oh hey look – there’s an article here about college softball. COLLEGE SOFTBALL?!? *more BEEPS…cover your ears kiddies* This is like Game 7 in the playoffs – do or die – and should capture the attention of anyone who calls themselves a sports fan, much less a hockey fan, in the greater Philadelphia and New York areas.
It’s bad enough that we have such shoddy television coverage of the sport that most of the rest of the WORLD is obsessed with – for that matter, Hockey Night in Canada should be a mandatory broadcast on at least one sports network in every country. But when I can’t even pick up a newspaper to find interviews, analysis, predictions, etc. the day my team is about to face its biggest challenge of the season yet, with everything on the line…well I throw my hands up in disgust. It’s pathetic. An utter travesty.
Maybe someday Americans will wake up and appreciate this finest of all sports – in the meantime, I’ll continue to rely on my only real source for hockey news…blogs like this one! Thankfully there’s a place like this for hockey fans from all over the world to commune…especially when, like me, you can’t rely on the media to give you any support. (perhaps I should forward this to my Sports Editor…..)