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Caps' resurgence benefits networks

By Tim Lemke
April 9, 2008

The Washington Capitals' run to the playoffs has turned the area on its head and also captured the attention of the networks that will broadcast the NHL's Stanley Cup playoffs.

Officials and analysts from Versus and NBC — which have struggled to gain big audiences for their hockey broadcasts — said the Caps offer several of the top story lines entering what could become one of the more compelling postseasons in recent memory.

“It's tough to root, but to be blunt, what's happened in Washington has been tremendous and it's become kind of a national story,” said Marc Fein, senior vice president of programming for Versus. “They made such a great run at the end of the season. That captured people's attention.”

Fein and others in the hockey community breathed a sigh of relief knowing they would see more of Alex Ovechkin, the Caps left wing and favorite to win league MVP. And they were additionally thankful for the Caps' first-round matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers, one of the most popular teams in hockey.

“This is one of the most under-appreciated matchups in the league because a lot of people don't pay attention to Washington and now they are because of Ovechkin,” said Pierre McGuire, a hockey analyst for TSN and NBC. “And Philadelphia had a bad year last year so people kind of forgot about them. But there's been a lot of bad blood between those teams for a long time because of geographic proximity.”

If the Caps beat the Flyers in the first round, there is a good chance they will face the Pittsburgh Penguins, another team with a national following and high-profile players in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. And it is matchups like those that will drive playoff television ratings, which have generally been dismal. (Last year's Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals on NBC was the lowest-rated prime time broadcast in the network's history.)

“When you look at some of these teams, you have good solid hockey markets and good, solid teams that can drive ratings,” Fein said.

But, he admitted, a potential series between the Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators — great for Canada, bad for ratings in the U.S. — “keeps me up at night.”

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