Where have all the hockey fans gone?

The Stanley Cup final is turning out to be a bit of a ratings dog for CBC, with audiences down 15 per cent after the first five games.

If things continue and Detroit finishes up the series Tuesday night, this could be one of the least-watched Stanley Cup finals in years. But there's a mystery here: Why?

The hockey's been pretty good and there's no shortage of stars on the ice. With the exception of Saturday's blowout, which no doubt sent hundreds of thousands looking for quality reruns, the series has been competitive.

Even CBC is baffled by the ratings drop.

``We're slightly mystified and slightly disappointed," says CBC Sports head Scott Moore. ``Maybe it's a case of been there, done that and Saturday's blowout certainly didn't help. 

``But beyond that we're not really sure what's happening."

One possibility Moore raises is that more people are watching events like the Stanley Cup in groups and not being counted in the ratings. He says the new people meters that are being tested to include such gatherings are showing higher audiences for sports.

Moore did say that despite the  decrease, the network was meeting its ratings commitment to advertisers.

Moore didn't think the fact the series started on NBC this year, as opposed to CBC having exclusive rights for Games 1 and 2 in 2008, played any role.

``NBC really isn't a factor," he said, noting that the vast majority of Canadians watch their hockey on Canadian channels. 

NBC took a hit Saturday, too, scoring a 2.6 overnight rating -- down from last year's 4.3 for Game 5. It must be noted that the 2008 game was a triple-overtime thriller on a Monday night.

Here are the weekend sports ratings in English Canada, according to BBM Nielsen Media Research overnight figures:

1. Hockey, Penguins at Red Wings, Saturday, CBC: 1,612,000

2. Baseball, Royals at Blue Jays, Sunday, Sportsnet: 308,000

3. Baseball, Royals at Blue Jays, Saturday, Sportsnet: 294,000

4. Baseball, Royals at Blue Jays, Friday, Sportsnet: 272,000 (Ontario, Pacific only)

5. Auto racing, NASCAR Pocono 500, Sunday, TSN: 265,000*

6. Tennis, French Open men's final, Sunday, TSN: 264,000*

7. Basketball, Magic at Lakers, Sunday, TSN: 180,000*

8. Horse racing, Belmont Stakes, Saturday, TSN: 170,000*

9. Tennis, French Open women's final, Saturday, TSN: 123,000*

10. Gymnastics, Canadian finals, Saturday, CBC: 119,000

11. Basebal Phillies at Dodgers, Sunday, Sportsnet: 106,000

8. Soccer, Galaxy at TFC, Saturday, CBC: 100,000

* Viewers on U.S. channels not calculated

Comments

[chris]

You headline is making me think "60s folk song".

[Larry Aurie #6]

The reason why ratings are down is simple: Canadians are not the hockey connoisseurs they claim they are, but are rather homers for Canadian teams, just as Americans are homers for American teams. Ratings are up in the US when major US markets (esp. Detroit) are playing; just look at the ratings for Detroit-Chicago. Ratings are up in Canada when Canadian teams are playing (e.g. the recent Calgary and Edmonton runs). This should baffle no one except those who are convinced of the moral superiority of Canadian hockey fans.

[VM de Sousa]

Have you considered no one wants to watch hockey in June! Hockey should be over in mid-May!

[theNige]

Well as much as we Canadians love hockey, I'm sure there are some of us (certainly me) who would rather see a shorter season -- maybe reducing the early rounds of the playoffs to best-of-5 like it used to be, or a shorter regular season.

I mean it's June for crying out loud, seeing green grass is something that needs to be experienced, and it's more pleasant having a beer outside without a snow shovel in my hand.

Also, the finals haven't been the level of hockey many of us were expecting. Both teams have had major lapses in discipline, and quite frankly, when Detroit get a one or two goal lead in the 2nd period, one needs shock treatments to stay awake as it's like watching Fisher/Kasporov pondering their next chess move.. for 20m.

I think Scott Moore needs to do a little more digging.

[shuda]

Hockey should be over by the May 24th weekend. Canadians have very little interest in watching hockey in June. Go Jays Go!

[Éric]

I've come to prefer TSN for hockey coverage, and sometimes I'll even choose RDS over the CBC. Their hockey coverage has deteriorated now that they have a competitor in TSN. TSN actually talks about the hockey being played and keeps a sense of humour about things, while CBC talks about what CHL team the player used to play at and emphasises things like "putting it off the glass".

[V. Spence]

Maybe the lower ratings are because CBC did not give Bob Cole the assignment. Sometimes you don't know how good you have it until its gone. Bring Bob back! Jim and Craig have been horrible, biased and boring. Hey Jim, its hockey, not base(snooze)ball. You are more lively on NHL2009 than during a real game. I miss Bob.

[greg]

maybe, just maybe the Canadian fans are FINALLY just getting FED UP with the way we and our game are treated. bettman and his minions are going out of their way to keep hockey in places it has little support in, south of the border, and inturn keep it away from hockey hungry places north of the border. and the way they bend over backward for coverage on usa newtworks is appalling.

so....two american teams are now playing for the stanley cup....who cares who wins?...i know i dont. and numbers seem to prove i am not alone. bettman is KILLING this game and its fan base.

[Chris Moltisano]

Shouldn't the Stanley Cup ratings be compared to the overall ratings for the weekend? Because while hockey was down, the second place for ratings was 1.3 million viewers less then the hockey got. In fact if you add the bottom nine ratings all together, it barely surpasses what the Stanley Cup final game drew. The final dominated the ratings, while sports like baseball, basketball and soccer as usual did diddly. To me that is the bigger story.

[Jim]

the CBC ratings and the NBC ratings often run counter to one another - this is one of those examples. Great as the two teams are, i don't think people wanted to see the same act again (here in Canada). Also, this playoff has had some great moments but it just FEELS longer.

[gbby]

I agree with Greg... I turned off because I am sick of the way this cabal of New York lawyers is running our game into the ground. If Bettman and his pack of lapdogs - along with all of the pathetic owners that prop him up (who we continue to support - MLSE, for example) - manage to quash Jim Balsillie's bid for a Hamilton team, I will shut the NHL off for good. There are a number of great OHL teams in the GTA, and I'm content waiting for the day Balsillie says "enough is enough" and teams up with Alexander Medvedev to create an alternative to the unsustainable business model that has put the NHL in the position it's in now. Canadians should grow some backbone, and put their money where their mouths are.
As an aside, TSN's coverage is almost unequivocally terrible, particularly because the bulk of their commentators are goofs. McKenzie isn't bad, but Pierre McGuire is the worst in the game.

[Brendan]

No one wants to watch hockey in June - with pre-season stuff that is a 10 month schedule.

Plus the Red Wings are boring. They can't even sell out their own regular season home games.

Had the Capitals made the Finals, then the ratings would've been up, but not as much as if this was Game 6 in mid-May.

[Paul Anderson]

You know, Detroit's great and defense may win championships, but this series is *nothing* like the Pens Washington series. That was stratospheric in terms of viewer rewards.

We could have a series in which Zetterberg and Crosby negate eachother on offence, not turn two potential Hart guys in Detroit into shadows. Between Detroit's trap and their shadowing it's suffocating stuff. What a waste of elite offensive skill.

Figure out a way to get Zetterberg and Crosby to dangle, and we'll all watch. Detroit knows if it cancels out Crosby and Malkin, there's just no one left to do the scoring and they win.

It's a negative strategy, which is frustrating to watch, and must be galling to play against.

[LT73]

I second what V. Spence said. Who gives a rats a$$ about two American clubs in the finals?

[Stephen Harrington]

Actually, its Detroit that is killing the ratings. If Canadians are going to watch US teams in the final, they had better be interesting. After Detroit won game 1 and game 2 it seemed inevitable that Pittsburg would lose the finals again. The drama was drained out of the series.

Additionally, Detroit is boring. They play a defensively dominant game. When they win it looks like the other team doesn't have a chance, and that is terrible to watch. They've also won before, recently and often. Fencesitting hockey fans root for the underdog.

It was simple - CBC needed Pittsburg to put on a show, and they haven't.

[Sig]

It's pretty simple. These are two yuppie teams that play a soft game. The chances of real passion and intensity are nullified in the playoffs as the players cement on the gloves and take away a very important aspect to exciting hockey. That means the boiling point is never reach; the emotion rarely flows over. When this happens, the game is dumbed down to a finesse style of hockey that destroys the interest of the casual sports fan located anywhere outside of the two cities involved in the finals.

[Mike J.]

There is absolutely no need to be playing hockey in June. There should be only three rounds of playoffs and the regular season should be shortened by a half-dozen games. In spite of the fact there are no Canadian-based teams in the final, awarding the Cup no later than the third week in May will win back fans. This is golf season, and the baseball season is well underway. Canadians don't want to be watching hockey this far into June. Hockey needs a return to its glory days, but it's not likely to happen with Bettman at the helm.

[Mark Ferro]

I agree with Eric, bring back Bob Cole he may make a few mistakes here and there but he's got the voice and a good voice calling the game is important.

I miss him calling the Leaf games too. He's dandy!

[Jed Row]

In the past I would meet up with friends at a bar to watch the game but no one wants to risk driving after a beer which in the past you could enjoy and still stay below 0.08. So unless you've got a truly committed designated driver there's just no point. At home, I'll just channel surf between periods/whistles and lose interest. My wife and kids don't want to spend three hours watching a game, and neither do I, at home.
Just another symptom of social ennui brought about by an behavioural regulation.

[N]

People aren't into a sport that changes the rules w/ every playoff game. Gretzky for Commissioner!

[Conn Smythe]

Let's reduce the number of regular season games, and start the play - off's earlier.

I've been watching the finals religiously, but it gets harder to do as the weather gets nicer outside.

Plus, the jays great start has really captured my attention.

Go Jays Go!

[VMR]

Please no Bob Cole. Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson are a million times better, less biased and more interesting. But commentators dont really matter, they could have a Monkey and a Donkey commentating and the ratings would be through the roof if it was a Leafs-Canucks or Montreal-Calgary final.

If there are no Canadian teams and its June it's pretty hard to get excited. Especially when the series looked over after the first two games.

[Stephen]

No one was saying the weather was a reason that the Flames / Oilers / Sens' runs to the cup were drawing big ratings.

But the combination of all of Eastern Canada turning off this season in disgust a couple of months ago because their hometown teams were either horrible or destined for a first-round embarrasment means that it was too hard to sustain interest. If this had been happening in the first week of may, the fickle, bandwagon-jumping Leafs and Habs fans would still not be paying attention.

And people called the 80s Oilers "soft", too. Give me soft hockey over the horrible, thug-filled crap peddled by Cherry and his ilk every day of the week. It'll be great to see a "soft" Swede like Lidstrom hoist the cup again, as he's the classiest player in the league and deserves every accolade he gets while dismissing every myth that a team focused on European talent isn't tough enough or doesn't have enough "heart" or "grit" to win the Cup.

[Stephen Nichols]

Not surprising at all. I think a number of people, in spite of being avid hockey fans are disgusted with the NHL, some of the owners and particularly Gary Bettman.
I will not watch another game until they show some respect towards hockey fans in our area, Hamilton-Burlington-Oakville, until they stop this arrogant imposition of boycotting us. Until then, it's Goodbye NHL. Don't come back til crawl in here on hands and knees and say "please let us put a team in your city".

[jam26]

I wouldn't underestimate the effect of people watching the NBC feed. I choose NBC over CBC these days as do a lot of other hockey fans I know. It's simply a better quality broadcast.