The NHL Playoffs are about to begin.

My questions is outside of Canada does anyone care?

I am from Hockeytown USA originally and I don't! Maybe if the Wings make the Stanley Cup Finals my attitude will change but I doubt it :(

Way to capitolize on the Olympics hockey!

Just because you don't care and you come from a city arrogant enough to call itself Hockeytown USA doesn't mean that many people in the US aren't interested. I come from Hockeytahn and in Pittsburgh the Penguins are huge. They draw incredible ratings for every game. Granted hockey is not nearly the most popular sport in the US but there are plenty of people who care. It does beat out the NBA on a consistent basis.

Fair enough but tbh Pittsburg should be watching, you all have the defending champs and the biggest star today.  What about people from say Pheonix, are ya'll watching?

2009 NHL and NBA Finals tv rating

NBA- 8.4

NHL- 3.1

I was thinking more along the lines of the Sunday national games that NBC carries rather then just the finals which aren't a good way to measure regular viewership because so many people who normally don't watch the sport is more likely to tune in for. Los Angeles alone has 8 times the population of Pittsburgh and Detroit combined. A bigger market in the finals will always result in bigger ratings because you have more bandwagon jumpers.

The NBA and the NHL are in the same boat in terms of having a few markets that will follow hockey no matter what their team is doing and the rest will only pay attention if the team is doing well. I'm from the Philadelphia area. When Allen Iverson was in his prime you couldn't get a ticket to a Sixers game. Now they can't give away enough of them to fill the lower part of the arena so it will at least look like there are people at the game on tv. But the Lakers will never hurt for attendance just like Minnesota will never hurt for attendance in the NHL. If Phoenix puts a playoff team on the ice for a couple years people will start caring more there.

C A P S Caps Caps Caps all the way.

My argument is not "WILL THE NBA OUT DRAW THE NHL"! Simply how many people outside of Canada really care about the Stanley Cup. I would say you count as one.  I would guess you were in the minority but I could be wrong. I'm sure Brusty will be watching.

I'm sure I am in the minority however in a country of 300 million people the only sports event that draws the kind of numbers where caring about it might put you in the majority is the Super Bowl. It doesn't really matter how many care. Some do, including me, and how many other people care really doesn't effect how much I care about it.

True indeed...Just curious to see how much intrest there is out there after the amazing hockey tournament that the Olympics brought us.  All I heard was how that was going to bring so many new fans to the NHL which I have a feeling it will not.

Actually alot of people felt that it wouldn't have a big impact on NHL numbers. A big part of the ratings for Olympic hockey came from the fans of the Olympics not necessarily fans of hockey. I consider myself fortunate because, being a fan of hockey, I got to appreciate some amazing hockey in the Olympics where as the Olympic fans were really just concerned with the outcome of the games.

I'm not a huge fan, well actually not much of a fan at all, but I must say the hockey at the Olyimpics was excellent!!!

My buddy from Canada was going to be on suicide watch if Canada lost so. But I think the 4 on 4 exposed the US and the talent of the Canadians.

Voros just got his ass kicked

I await DirtyLittleSekrit's arrival.

Bows silently as he waits.

HAHA @ Caps fans

Stanley cup odds now at Massifs betting shop in the ooc forum

I like hockey and I didnt even know it was playoff time! LOL

Hockey is dead in the US and it's not going to last much longer. I still like it and like playing it though.

This may come as surprise but the NHL didn't depend solely on your viewership and just because you aren't following it doesn't mean it's going to pack up and only play in Canada.

If your talking to me...your a moron because I was just being honest..if your that blind get your head checked! All I stated was it was dead in the US and Im nowhere near the only person to ever mention the NHL moving, and it wouldnt be Canada...I've heard talks about Europe earlier this year. If they cant turn a profit they wont last. END OF STORY.

Well thanks for calling me a moron then laying the most ignorant, uninformed argument I've ever seen. Just because hockey isn't big in every single market doesn't mean it's dead. In fact the last numbers I saw in Pittsburgh they Penguins games drew and average 18.9 share in the ratings. That's an enormous number. And what kind of idiot thinks the NHL would abandon Canada to move the NHL to Europe where there are already established leagues?

Many of the US teams do turn nice profits but I'll let you in on a little secret. There are alot of pro teams in several different sports that don't turn a profit. But you can pretty much always find someone who's filthy rich, a fan of the sport, and can make use of the tax write off those loses provide. END OF THE REAL STORY.

Listen moron...Im stating what I heard from ESPN, FSN, SI, and many other sources. And like I said "Ive heard" I didnt FUCKING say they "were moving". Get your shit together idiot. The NHL's ratings are nothing compared to the big three Football/Baseball/Basketball. Hell even Nascar a couple weeks ago beat out the NHL playoffs.

Im a Pens fan...bud