Quote:
Originally Posted by 1991 Canadian
In general, I find it hard to complain about the Flames media coverage. I’m not even that old, but I remember how paltry it used to be, particularly on the television side. Local blackouts. Paying $10 a game for Flames PPV. Seeing 2x the amount the Oilers games as Flames games on Sportsnet West. Getting 5-6 TSN games. 5-6 HNIC games.
Nowadays, I get all 82 games on Sportsnet. 60 or so regionally. 20 or so nationally. One of the better broadcast tandems in the NHL. 2 daily sports radio talk shows, one more lighthearted, one more typical sports nerd talk. 3 solid The Athetlic writers and 2-3 local newspaper writers.
The Flames are a historically mediocre midmarket team. Our coverage is pretty damn good considering this.
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The Oilers are historically a far worse mid-market team that played well in the 80s. They have fantastic coverage, updates on their players, constant analysis and it would be fun to have a nod every so often.
On the flipside, there are great Flames games that receive a condensed highlight pack only to spend 20 mins breaking down any Oiler win. It's obviously tilted and we're finally a team worth watching. It would be fun to be a part of the hockey conversation as a Flames fan. Most of all (for me), I'm sick and tired of talking about a team every single year that has accomplished absolutely nothing.
The irritant is that this is fixable, and boils down to SN understanding that the market of Flames fans exists. As I said earlier, there's potential for that time slot to do better when you show a good game.
The networks shape people's opinions and conversations about hockey. Talk to any casual hockey fan, and they'd know very little about the #1 in the league TBL. This isn't 'news', it's entertainment. I'm tired of the narrative they keep writing that involves the Oilers being the next big thing and ignoring every great player and team in the league that doesn't affect their bottom line enough. Around here anyway, SN and TSN ruin a lot of fun hockey conversations unless I'm willing to gab about Draisaitl and Reilly for an hour.