NHL gets no respect

The NBA finals are on NBC, right?

The Stanley Cup finals are on ESPN, aren't they?

You could not tell from watching ESPN. These guys spend more time on interviewing NBA players the day before the game than they do on the hockey game played that day. What is the problem?

I turn on ESPN to see the highlights of the Detroit Red Wings vs. the Carolina Hurricane Stanley Cup finals and all I see are baseball games and NBA analysis of their finals.

What is wrong with this picture?

Sure, hockey does not get the ratings of the NBA, and now I see why. When the Super Bowl is on Fox, their shows are promoted to the point where you don't even want to watch Fox ever again. But after watching ESPN, one would assume that they have the NBA finals and not NBC.

I realize that the matchup of the Red Wings and the Hurricanes is not as good as the Colorado Avalanche and the Red Wings. But, the New Jersey Nets against the Los Angeles Lakers is not as great as it could be either.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that the Stanley Cup finals are more evenly matched than the NBA finals. The Lakers are so dominating, and no one on the Nets can even come close to guarding Shaq.

The Red Wings, on the other hand, can be beaten, which was proven in the first game of the NHL finals.

So, why is the NBA given more media coverage? Ask the guys or girls at ESPN.

As an avid NHL fan, I get very frustrated at the NHL coverage. Especially if you actually carry the games, and still don't give it the coverage it deserves, what can the fans do?

This is what I can do. I am writing this article to beg ESPN to give the Stanley Cup finals more time on its Sportscenter telecasts. Show more interviews with the players. Highlight more plays. Talk to the coaches. Advertise the game more. Do whatever it takes to, at least, appeal to the NHL fans that you already have.

From minute one to the final minute, the NHL is the most exciting sport of the big four, but you wouldn't know that from watching ESPN.

The NBA is fun to watch in the last five minutes, but can be boring early in the game. (Of course, this is just one fans opinion.)

So, when can we expect to get the NHL the coverage it deserves?

Certainly not in the near future if the network that covers the games doesn't even promote it.

You have dropped the ball, ESPN.

Promote the Stanley Cup and give it the coverage it deserves. Stop pimping the NBA and helping your rivals over at NBC.

Then maybe the NHL will start to be watched by more sports fans than just the hockey diehards who don't care about how much press their sport gets.