[bigsmooth]

a very good win for the canes. we will close it out on home ice, and the stanley cup will reside on tobacco road. for those who are not familiar with sports around the triangle, this is one team that everyone in the area can pull for without bias. a win would do so much for small market teams and really will solidify the canes being in caroilna for quite some time. yes cam ward has been spectacular, especially as a rookie, but also keep in mind without the captain rod brind' amour the canes would not be in the spot they are in. an excellent job of mixing veterans and youth by GM jim rutherford. i will be gripping tomm. night, but hopefully around 11 tomm. night i will celebrating a cup victory!!!!

[TIMSCAR20]

Smoothie, I hope you get to drink from the cup of Lord Stanley. There are few things in sports sweeter but it is a shame how most of America doesn't care. NBC is doing a great job in the coverage as well. The production value is terrific. I love the sideline (or side ice) reporter and the team in the booth is outstanding. That first goal of the game that was scored by Edmunton was one of the smoothest and exciting plays I have seen in any sport this year. The speed and precision of their fast break that lead to the goal would rival nearly any hoops transition play that we love to cheer and get played over and over again on SportsCenter. I hope the Canes close the deal on Wed because the longer you let a team hang around, the tougher it is to put them away. Smoothie, I know you don't like to talk during the games so I forgive you for not hitting me back on my cell last night

[bigsmooth]

my apologies SCAR for not calling. you called right after they scored and i believe i was nursing my foot im slammed through the wall but the equalizer was just too sweet! i am seriously thinking of driving down after my meeting just to be in raleigh with all the excitement and hope we win. they have the game on a big screen outside the arena under a tent with plenty of food, beverage and and a post game band. i will say edmonton's pre-game is the best in hockey and the way they do the anthems is just spectacular! it gave me goose bumps and that crazy feeling we sports fans get before a big game. i will hit you up after work SCAR.

[bigsmooth]

it is good to see the ratings go up a bit since the move to NBC.

Hockey ratings rise again

Danny Hooley, Staff Writer
NBC's Monday night Stanley Cup ratings continued a trend of improvement that started Saturday night, when NBC took over coverage from cable's OLN.
The Saturday game drew a 12.1 locally (119,200 viewers) and 1.7 nationally (1.9 million viewers).

Here are the numbers from Monday's Game 3:

JUNE 12, NBC (WNCN IN RALEIGH-DURHAM)

Raleigh: 16.1 (158,620 viewers)

National: 2.4 (2.6 million viewers)

HOUSEHOLDS

National: 110.2 million television households

Raleigh-Durham market: 985,200 television households

A RATINGS POINT EQUALS 1 PERCENT OF TELEVISION HOUSEHOLDS

[bigsmooth]

wow! what a great game, but a tough loss for the canes. i thought i was gonna puke. they had every chance to win, but could not close the deal. edmonton shut down the canes in the 3rd period, and they have found a weakness...they are playing very physical and the canes are a finesse team that plays a chaotic pace. heck the oilers knocked out doug weight and aaron ward, and though they came back who knows of their status. i really wanted the canes to win the cup at home, but at this point, i just hope they can close it out saturday in edmonton.

[PAmedic]

we'd hate to see you at the end of a noose come Sun AM

[TIMSCAR20]

Hockey is the one sport where a 3-1 lead is so so so not safe. Yes the comebacks happen sometimes in baseball and basketball but it seems to happen a lot more in Hockey. There is such a fine line between winning and losing in hockey. You can play great and not get 1 goal if the goal keeper is hot on the other team. You can out shoot your opponent 51-15 or something crazy and lose 2-1. It is the one sport where you can dominate in every category and still lose a game. Smoothie I hope you boys wrap it up in 6. What a game. What a series! I love this sport. I just wish America would tune in more. I like that the numbers are up since the move to NBC but they need to improve some more.

[WinthropEagleFan]

I used to be big into the NHL when I lived in the DC area back in the early/mid '90s, especially when EA Sports was making those great NHL games for the Sega Genesis, but once I moved to SC, i really lost interest. But I watched most of last night's game and remembered why I loved watching hockey, especially in the playoffs...that was a great game last night...

[TIMSCAR20]

WEF you always say things to move you up on my favorite Winthrop fan list! Realist has you beat because I met him in person but you had me at EA sports hockey. I was talking about NHL 94 the other night with Smoothie and GMTM. Boy that was some video game. I am thinking of going out and getting the latest EA version of hockey for PS2 since I haven't played anything but Madden in about 5 years.

[WinthropEagleFan]

I enjoy the Madden games as much as the next guy, but I still have as much fun (if not more) playing the old games like Super Tecmo Bowl, NHL 94, and RBI baseball...I measure all sports games against those...

[LUconn]

I enjoy the Madden games as much as the next guy, but I still have as much fun (if not more) playing the old games like Super Tecmo Bowl, NHL 94, and RBI baseball...I measure all sports games against those...

You've got a good list but come on, Ken Griffey baseball for SNES is the king of baseball games.

[bigsmooth]

do not hijack this thread!!!! SCAR, did you watch the entire game? i do not know if anyone saw it, but the canes buried a good luck coin at center ice at the beginning of the playoffs, and an edmonton player saw and it an dug it out. the gamesmanship and chatter amongst the teams is getting better. though i want this over in six, a 7th game would be off the hook!

[Realist]

How can anyone forget blades of steel for NES? I've never been into hockey, but the g/f lived 6 years in raleigh and had me watching last night. That was pretty fun watching it. That game seemed a lot more intense than any others I've seen in bits and pieces.

[LUconn]

yeah, hockey in the playoffs is really good if you want to get into it. If you dont really want to like it, it can seem boring. Another reason you may not like it, is if your team (which contrary to popular belief, was well supported) just ups and moves to a part of the country where they could care less about hockey unless they're in the finals. That might make you lose interest.

[bigsmooth]

yes it was the most intense game of this series. i was talking to a friend of mine who was at the game and he said he met a few canadiens that were not oilers fans but come to cheer on the oilers because they did not want the cup in "mayberry". this series has boiled down to canada vs. the canes....should be fun!

[PAmedic]

yeah, hockey in the playoffs is really good if you want to get into it. If you dont really want to like it, it can seem boring. Another reason you may not like it, is if your team (which contrary to popular belief, was well supported) just ups and moves to a part of the country where they could care less about hockey unless they're in the finals. That might make you lose interest.

hypothetically, right?

(but Hartford is such a lovely town- shocking that they would move)

[givemethemic]

All I can say is that was one heck of a game!!!! I was on pens and needles the whole night... I still can't get over that lazy pass that led to the winning goal... I really hope the Canes can close this thing out on Saturday night... if they don't Smoothie WE HAVE to go down for Game 7!!!!! Smoothie you gonna be in this weekend to watch Game 6?

[bigsmooth]

LUConn are you that bitter?? why did they leave??? b/c the support sucked. and the civic center was a dump. hockey has grown in carolina and the fans continue to take to the sport. i was there at the first game in greensboro til now to say the fans do not care until the playoffs shows me you do not do your homework, and really have no idea of what you are talking about. continue to be a hater and hold on to your whale memories. in regards to your no support comment....it is well documented how support dwindled.....i suggest you move on....hold on to your memories, but move on.

[bigsmooth]

GMTM, i may be in raleigh to watch game 6. lynchburg mojo says we will lose.....who knows. i will let you know.

[El Scorcho]

to say the fans do not care until the playoffs shows me you do not do your homework, and really have no idea of what you are talking about.

That's true. I went to a couple of early games this year, and the full house in Raleigh seemed very much to care about the Canes before anyone was even talking about the playoffs. Support in the area is strong. Get over it.

[LUconn]

LUConn are you that bitter??

A little bit.

why did they leave??? b/c the support sucked.

completely untrue. They had steady fan support, nothing too special, and then the rumor came that they were looking to go elsehwere and they sold out everything. That didn't make any difference in the end obviously. The state has since rallied around college sports since there's nothign else going, and it has grown leaps and bounds.

and the civic center was a dump.

Partially true. It's old. But it's certainly not a dump. Not to mention CT is so desperate for a professional team to call their own they most likley would have built a new one. Look, for example, at how Bob Kraft dangled the Pats in front of Hartford. The funding was approved and so were the plans to build an NFL stadium.

hockey has grown in carolina and the fans continue to take to the sport. i was there at the first game in greensboro til now to say the fans do not care until the playoffs shows me you do not do your homework, and really have no idea of what you are talking about. continue to be a hater and hold on to your whale memories. in regards to your no support comment....it is well documented how support dwindled.....i suggest you move on....hold on to your memories, but move on.

You and 2 other people I knew from college are the only canes fans I had ever heard of before this recent success. And it's not like I don't get down there. I've got family that lives in Winston-Salem. Now I don't dispute that they do turn out a good crowd during a regular season game. I've never been so that's very possible. But it's just funny how everybody's a fan now. We'll see if it continues through a down year.

[TIMSCAR20]

Smoothie, I missed most of the game. I watched half of the 2nd and all of the 3rd but I turned to Entourage on HBO and missed the game winning goal. I turned back a few minutes later than I should have because Entourage was over but I forgot to get back. I was kind of mad but I was surprised OT was over so fast....Realist, you trying to move up on the list? Blades of Steel was the first real hockey video game I ever played and I was virtually unbeatable. Do you know what the guy was saying every time they passed the puck? I still don't know....I still love those Hockey games under the plastic glass with the rods and the rubber puck at the arcade! I would buy one of those in a heartbeat if I could find people to play with me. Maybe they can get one in LaHaye next fall.....

[WinthropEagleFan]

The best part of Blades of Steel is that when you got in a fight, only the loser of the fight would go into the penalty box...

[LUconn]

You know, that was my first experience with hockey games and because of that I was always confused why I went to the box after beating on people in other games. It was funny, if you were at the end of the game and needed a goal, just pick a fight to get a power play.

[El Scorcho]

But it's just funny how everybody's a fan now. We'll see if it continues through a down year.

Hockey wasn't popular or well known in North Carolina. A team moves in, has some success, people start paying attention and decide they enjoy watching the sport. Shocker!

I also don't buy the bit about support during down years. If a team is stinking it up, their attendance drops no matter what sport or market they're in. The real test is in the mediocre seasons.

I don't think it'll ever be a problem again now that there are so many carpetbaggers in the Triangle anyway. (I say that with no animosity whatsoever towards said carpetbaggers.)