Kingston Daily Freeman: Msg employee Stan Fischler does an article wondering where the hockey coverage is in New York, takes a few shots at the Daily News Bob Raissman and quotes from some of Chris Botta's recent blog on the subject
NYI Fan Central Comments:
Where was Stan Fischler when the Islanders were put on Metro channel during the playoffs in 2002 and the Dolan machine was doing all they could to regulate and control Islander and Devils coverage/content to the point the sports editors finally decided to cut coverage to all three local teams?
Where was Mr Fischler for all the years the Isles could not get a preseason game on television unless it was against the Garden's team?
Can't have it both ways. You want to be criticial start with your own networks coverage of the Islanders and Devils. Also seems clear your speaking for Dolan's suits who are offended at lack of Ranger coverage.
Too bad, your network is a big part of the probkem.
It's damaged the Isles in Manhattan to a point they have no regular coverage. Phil Mushnik at the Post told me recently hockey coverage for the Isles is a luxury and talked about the cost.
Mr Dolan himself appeared on WFAN live and when grilled on hiding the Isles-Leafs playoffs on Metro because he owned the Rangers he just laughed back in those days.
Unfortunately the other sports all got the last laugh because they forgot about hockey and that includes the Garden's team.
Turns out the Garden needed all three teams to market hockey, despite the Ranger fan reporters in the media selling the product with limited space. This year the Rangers not only played the Devils but were covered just like the Devils.
In the end Msg created this problem and by limiting two teams (now three with control of Sabre hockey) have done a lot of damage to their own product. When Msg network p.r department issues releases on improved hockey ratings, I do not believe a single word of it because it does not come from the independent people who do the ratings or did them last year telling us hockey in Manhattan drew horrible ratings.
Backpages? Regular season hockey in New York has not received a single back page in a good four-five years for a game. I don't know where Stan Fischler has been but clearly he's just a salesman for the Rangers and needs to do this to keep future employment in a stable of spin doctors and has been since the forties despite his time with the Isles and Devils on sportschannel.
Islanders have had the most backpages (Newsday) but very infrequent. New York City will not be on the Ranger bandwagon for more than a few days if they make a deep run or win the cup. The business of baseball is big ratings, advertising dollars and now a critical resource to these publications.
Oh yes, eight million will attend games this season for both clubs, publishers and editors cover what they want first and what the public wants second.
Having written that Msg helped create this problem, give all three teams the exact among of coverage and content on both networks and you help hockey.
Limit the Garden's competition and you limit the scope of coverage for hockey.
Ct Post: Michael Fornabaio had a blog update on former AHL player Ben Guite, who helped Colorado advance.
NYI Fan Comments:
No criticism of Mr Fornabaio here but how come his editor did not give him some print space for a few extra articles to wrap the season? I have noticed the drop in print coverage this year.