[QUOTE=Benched;5540312]Factor in the blackouts/regional restrictions (why do I get the Oilers in Calgary, and Flames in Edmonton??? I get the game is on, but you're just pissing me off not encouraging me to go to the game or the bar to watch it), and having the game on horrible low-def, hard to find channels (seriously SN360, what the hell picture is that?)/QUOTE]
It peeves me that I live in BC but have to watch the Canucks when I'm at a bar because that's "their team", but can see almost any crappy US teams playing on almost any night - but not Canadian ones...kinda silly.
(Fortunately, I mostly can watch the Flames b/c I have a "Calgary" account on my satellite TV -- so I get the Flames games, on whichever of the FIVE different channels they seem to be on - except for SN360, which I don't subscribe to.)
The product I really don't care about - if I don't like the announcers (Romanuk eg.) I just put it on silent and watch the game. Would be nice to have a feed with just the sounds on the ice, which I would watch most of the time otherwise.
Rogers has a unique opportunity here: they can be the first business to utterly screw up the Canadian hockey market. Sometimes I suspect they will.
I like Ball/Hrudey and the "regular" Calgary crew (OK - Leah Hextall - not necessarily the regular panel though), but many of the others are unwatchable.
And I only watch Flames games. Don't care about other teams at all. It's us or it's nothin'.