If you’ve read many of my articles, you’ve probably deduced that I am a hockey guy.
That being said, since the Canucks season ended, I have been catching markedly fewer games despite the playoff action. However, one of the games I decided to watch was the Anaheim-Dallas game six, an elimination game (although it may have had something to do with fact that my favourite goalie Roberto Luongo was on the TSN panel).
Much to my chagrin, though, the Toronto Raptors game was on the main TSN network, ahead of NHL playoff hockey. The Anaheim-Dallas game was left to TSN2, and also was put behind the Telus Cup, a minor league hockey tournament, while waiting for it to finish in triple overtime.
First of all, I would have to imagine that anyone in Canada, except maybe Toronto or the GTA, would prefer to watch the NHL playoffs over the NBA, no matter how much a Toronto-based sports network wants us to believe that the Raptors are Canada’s main team.
I realize the game showed was Anaheim and Dallas, two of the bigger teams in the league. But at the end of the day, any hockey beats basketball, at least here in Canada.
Even if putting the NBA over the NHL was a valid choice, I would rather cheer for any team but Toronto, perhaps Memphis or Oklahoma, former home teams that moved from Vancouver and Seattle. You can put this down to my Toronto-phobia, but this does not seem limited to me.
If no one wants to watch the Telus Cup in person, I cannot imagine any TV audience.
Most people outside of Toronto surely share my opinion, in line with the attitude that spurred TSN’s mocking nickname ― the “Toronto Sports Network” ― for its heavily Toronto-biased reporting.
Second, it is silly that the Telus Cup bumped the game on their second network. TSN seems to believe NHL playoff hockey is barely worthy of being on their secondary channel.
I feel bad when I say this, because the Telus Cup is for kids. For kids to get that kind of exposure is kind of awesome; all the power to these players. But at the same time, the arena was empty. If no one wants to watch it in person, I cannot imagine any TV audience watching the event.
I cannot be the only one who wants to watch playoff hockey. I would imagine I was not the only fan disappointed to see the NHL playoffs neglected in favour of not one but two other programs.
At least now that the Raptors are out, hopefully, TSN will provide some better playoff coverage.
