Your Announcers and Open Thread For Night 28 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs

Chicago vs. Vancouver, Game 6 (CHI Leads 3-2), 9:30 PM ET

National TV (Canada): CBC (HD)
Play by Play: Jim Hughson
Color: Craig Simpson
Reporter: Scott Oake

National TV (US): VERSUS (HD)
Play by Play: John Forslund
Color: Daryl Reaugh
Reporter: Lindsay Soto

Regional TV (Chicago): CSN Chicago (HD)
Play by Play: Pat Foley
Color: Eddie Olczyk
Reporter: Sarah Kustok

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Another Sharks Record for CSN

Thanks to Jon Swenson from Sharkspage for the help.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Comcast SportsNet California, the home of the
“Authentic Bay Area Sports,” delivered its highest San Jose Sharks
rating ever last Saturday (May 8) – a 6.57 household rating for its
exclusive live coverage of the Sharks’ Game 5 second-round clinching
victory over the Detroit Red Wings.  The previous high was Game 6 of the
2008 Western Conference Semifinals against the Dallas Stars, which
posted a 5.9 on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area (5/4/08).

Sharks-Red Wings Game 5 attracted approximately 164,250 households for
the entire game and scored a 9.14 peak rating from 9:15 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
(over 229,000 households).  Sharks Postgame Live registered its highest
rating ever with a 3.06 (over 77,000 households).

In addition, Comcast SportsNet California was the top-rated network in
the key advertising demographics of Adults 18-49 (4.42), Men 18-49
(6.21), Adults 25-54 (4.51), and Men 25-54 (6.41) during last Saturday’s
telecast.

CSNCalifornia.com’s coverage of the Sharks has also earned an increase
in viewers since the beginning of the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs.  Since
Game 1 (April 14) of the first-round series against the Colorado
Avalanche, the site’s Sharks section has posted an increase of 208% in
page views and an increase of 197% in unique visitors.

Comcast Sports Group operates 10 sports networks that deliver 2,400
sporting events annually and sports news and analysis to 40 million
cable and satellite homes.  Comcast Sports Group’s networks are: Comcast
SportsNet Bay Area, Comcast SportsNet California, Comcast SportsNet
Chicago, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet New England,
Comcast SportsNet Northwest, Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia, SNY, The
Mtn. – Mountain West Sports Network, and CSS.  Comcast Sports Group also
manages New England Cable News (NECN), the nation’s largest regional
news network, and The Comcast Network, based in Philadelphia and
Washington, which delivers community-oriented programming.  For more
information, see ComcastSportsNet.com.

The Nation of Canada Enjoys Hockey

From my buddy Bill Houston, who’s decided to post news today:

Pittsburgh Penguins-Montreal Canadiens, Game 5 on Saturday, drew 3.044 million. Vancouver Canucks-Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, Game 5, was watched by 3.029 million.

Previously, the CBC’s high was 2.948 for Game 6 of the Ottawa Senators-Pittsburgh Penguins series. TSN’s top audience was 2.8 million for Game 7 of the Montreal Canadiens-Washington Capitals series.

Blackhawks-Canucks, Game 4 Friday on CBC, drew 2.050 million.

The CBC pre-game shows on Saturday and Sunday was watched by 617,000 and 512,000 respectively.

TSN’s telecast of Boston Bruins-Philadelphia Flyers on Friday was watched by 1.308 million. On Saturday, the network had 1.27 million for Detroit Red Wings-San Jose Sharks.

Quick Cut in Game 6 Highlights Flaw in VERSUS Telecasts

Penguins-Canadiens has been, somewhat by default, VERSUS’ feature series here in the Conference Semifinals.  Not only has the set been given three exclusive to VERSUS only games, it hasn’t been shuffled off to local RSNs and Center Ice/GCL at any point like Philly/Boston was last night and will be tomorrow night (a rant for another day, yes).  Game seven on Wednesday will likely draw more than a million viewers, and may do better than Penguins/Capitals Game 7 last year, which didn’t have the aid of local viewers, same as this Game 7 will.

So, a complaint: Why does VERSUS feel the need to get away from these games so quickly?  Literally 20 seconds went by between the sound of the final siren in Montreal last night and the cut to commercial by VERSUS, with barely even a sign-off from play-by-play man Mike Emrick, who seemed a bit confused that they were cutting away so early.  After the break, VERSUS decided to go to Hockey Central to analyze the game.  Why?  Is there anything so important I can get from those guys that can’t wait until an interview with a player from the winning team, some more analysis from Emrick and color man Darren Eliot, or… well, just about anything else?

Not only was there no reason to cut away, there were reasons to stick around, as Sidney Crosby was still involved in a scrum after the play that I don’t think anyone on American TV ever showed (unless NHL On the Fly stepped up later).  I do not subscribe to any pro-Crosby theory from VERSUS, but not showing Sid the Kid in that state lends creedence to the crazies who feel there is an agenda to show all that is good about Crosby.  You know, like the 19 at Abel to Yzerman (which has been a dreadful read in the Chief’s absence), who dared say they were quoting a VERSUS representative who told them that the NHL tells VERSUS to air all Penguins games, which is a flat-out lie.  When the network cuts away from things like that, the inmates start to think they’re running the asylum.

All that aside, I hate to say that this has been a flaw of VERSUS since just about day one when they took the contract.  There is literally nothing else airing on the network most nights, no offense to The Daily Line.  Why, on a night where a key Game 6 is ending at a perfectly normal time, without any overtime, being cut away from so quickly?  There’s no reason for it.  It’s an annoying practice, and one that should be rectified at some point before the network’s coverage of the Stanley Cup Final.  You’re not NBC, you don’t have some world of adventure sports anthology or golf to cut to, you’re my hockey network.  Show me the atmosphere after the game and not the atmosphere in that studio.