Could Detroit-Pittsburgh Be VERSUS’ Highest Rated Regular Season Game Ever?

There’s an underlying buzz to tonight’s Red Wings-Penguins game (7:00 PM ET, VERSUS).  It’s the first regular season game since Sean Avery’s return to the New York area to have an actual made-for-TV storyline, and before that, who knows?  The point is, this game is probably one every hockey fan circled on their calendars the minute the schedule was released.  

That’s why VERSUS has been doing it’s honest-to-goodness best effort to pimp the life out of this matchup.  I think they started playing commercials for the game 10 days before the season started.  However, they have good reason to.  

This very likely will be VERSUS’ most-watched game ever.  It’s very simple, VERSUS has the exclusivity in the United States tonight, and there are no other games being played by U.S. teams at that time, so not even bitter Caps fans or Thrashers fans can get angry and turn away from the game.  Hall of Famer Mike Emrick (play-by-play), Darren Eliot (color), and Bob Harwood (reporter) have the call, and every hockey fan out there who can get himself excited about a meaningless November game will likely be tuned in.  I’d bet on, oh, 600,000 viewers and an 0.5 rating.

What?  What?