Neutral View on USA vs. Russia

There is so much bitterness going on on this site between the Russian and American fans that it needs to stop. This site should be dedicated to intelligent talks about HOCKEY...not to rather nationalistic and shallow fights. Although i was born in Ukraine, I have always prided myself in trying to look at BOTH sides of the story and to be OPENMINDED. thats why while i cheer for Russia, I also cheer for the U.S.A and Sweden and any other team that i think plays a FUN style. I mean, why cant a Canadian cheer for Russia if he likes their style of play? Why cant a Russian enjoy how the USA team players like KESSEL play? I know i enjoy Kessel and i'm Russian.

What i'm trying to say is, people here need to STOP being so PATRIOTIC for a second...and start showing more RESPECT to other nations and teams. The USA coverage of this WJC on ESPN has been SICKENING to me and to many other fans from Russia, Sweden, Finland, etc. The USA always makes their teams look like ANGELS and GODS, while showing no respect or recognition to other teams. I mean, look at how the USA shows the OLYMPICS...they MOSTLY show USA competitions, talk about only USA participants, etc! My point is, such SHALLOW coverage from teh USA is what triggers USA fans to not respect other nations and teams. I will be the FIRST to admit that what the Russian team did with its taunting was TOTALLY WRONG no matter what. However, did even one USA commentator on ESPN say ANYTHING about how OVECHKIN got hit in the face way before the taunting began? I will not even mention the cheap shots by DOWING and other players. I will also be the first to admit that Ovechkin is not a leader and he is rather selfish in his celebrations. But has anyone seen Malkin, who is a class act, EVER TAUNT anyone??? HE NEVER DOES THAT. The only reason why he did some taunting in this game(which he wasnt great at) is because he also got FED UP with being hit in the face and seeing these cheap shots to his TEAMMATES...he is very much a TEAM PLAYER.

MY point is, everyone here needs to learn to look at BOTH sides of a story, not just ONE side. It is a shame that ESPN hides one side of the story while glorifying the other...but that doesnt mean that the viewers have to be GULLIBLE

I agree with you 100%

I agree with you 100%

thanks man. I do know there are some fans here who agree with me. It is just a shame that the rest of you are so WRAPPED UP in your bitterness towards another nation. It is great to have rivalries, but rivalries are still about respecting your opponents, not LOOKING DOWN on them. Both the U.S. and Russian players did not show respect to each other in this game...and that was WRONG. i hope when those teenagers grow up they will learn from this mistake. But the fans here showing disrespect to each other and just looking at what the other nation did...thats just as bad as what the players did!

No country is perfect, no player is perfect...so how about we look at both sides of a story for once...and NOT listen to ESPN alone

I agree with this one too. Probably the only thing I've actyally agreed with you during the last couple of days.

I agree with this one too. Probably the only thing I've actyally agreed with you during the last couple of days.


its nice to see a Fin agree with a Canada and a Russian...for a change. and there is nothing WRONG with that guys...

Great post!

I also agree 100%.

I agree with this one too. Probably the only thing I've actyally agreed with you during the last couple of days.


its nice to see a Fin, Canadian, American and Russian agree on something...for a change. and there is nothing WRONG with that guys...i wish more of you would see that.

Best post of the day. Period

I think the intention of your post was good but you kinda lost me when you went into a rant about USA fans, USA media and GODS and ANGELS.

its nice to see a Fin, Canadian, American and Russian agree on something...for a change. and there is nothing WRONG with that guys...i wish more of you would see that.

Now if we can only get a Swede to agree with a Finn, we'll be set. But, based on my experiences on this board, that's easier said than done :)

S L

I think the intention of your post was good but you kinda lost me when you went into a rant about USA fans, USA media and GODS and ANGELS.

it wasnt really a rant. I think many countries do this, where they focus more on their own teams than on other nations. I totally understand that. I just dont really understand why the USA media cant at least try to be a bit more fair. I mean, for them to just rant about how aweful the Russian players were in their taunting...and just ignore the cheap shots by some of the USA players, to me thats not professional. I mean, how many times did they show REPLAYS of the Russian players taunting? I can tell you it was at least 5 times, probably 10. how many times did they show the face punch on Ovechkin? once! how about those other cheap shots where Russian players just ended up bleeding on the ice? there were no replays, nothing was said, it was just IGNORED.

It is a WJC tournament with 10 nations, not a Rosh Limbaugh political talk show...so i think a more diverse view on things is needed.

Thank you for this. Summarized all of my thoughts on the recent events.

Great post. Everyone should read it this morning. :)

the "face punch" on ovechkin was pretty weak...you see that in the NHL all the time...you see worse than that after the whistle in most net scrums. ovechkin played it up like he got his teeth knocked out, just like he's played it up to the refs anytime someone has touched him this tournament.

if he's really that much of a wuss, he better toughen up if he wants to survive the NHL. but i don't think he is, i think he's just sucking up for a penalty. (note: it WAS a penalty, i won't say it wasn't, but ovechkin clearly played that one up)

There is so much bitterness going on on this site between the Russian and American fans that it needs to stop. This site should be dedicated to intelligent talks about HOCKEY...not to rather nationalistic and shallow fights. Although i was born in Ukraine, I have always prided myself in trying to look at BOTH sides of the story and to be OPENMINDED. thats why while i cheer for Russia, I also cheer for the U.S.A and Sweden and any other team that i think plays a FUN style. I mean, why cant a Canadian cheer for Russia if he likes their style of play? Why cant a Russian enjoy how the USA team players like KESSEL play? I know i enjoy Kessel and i'm Russian.

What i'm trying to say is, people here need to STOP being so PATRIOTIC for a second...and start showing more RESPECT to other nations and teams. The USA coverage of this WJC on ESPN has been SICKENING to me and to many other fans from Russia, Sweden, Finland, etc. The USA always makes their teams look like ANGELS and GODS, while showing no respect or recognition to other teams. I mean, look at how the USA shows the OLYMPICS...they MOSTLY show USA competitions, talk about only USA participants, etc! My point is, such SHALLOW coverage from teh USA is what triggers USA fans to not respect other nations and teams. I will be the FIRST to admit that what the Russian team did with its taunting was TOTALLY WRONG no matter what. However, did even one USA commentator on ESPN say ANYTHING about how OVECHKIN got hit in the face way before the taunting began? I will not even mention the cheap shots by DOWING and other players. I will also be the first to admit that Ovechkin is not a leader and he is rather selfish in his celebrations. But has anyone seen Malkin, who is a class act, EVER TAUNT anyone??? HE NEVER DOES THAT. The only reason why he did some taunting in this game(which he wasnt great at) is because he also got FED UP with being hit in the face and seeing these cheap shots to his TEAMMATES...he is very much a TEAM PLAYER.

MY point is, everyone here needs to learn to look at BOTH sides of a story, not just ONE side. It is a shame that ESPN hides one side of the story while glorifying the other...but that doesnt mean that the viewers have to be GULLIBLE
I'm quoting your post just to take part in such greatness. Thank You!!!

Great post. Everyone should read it this morning. :)

I did AND I don't FEEL any WISER !

the "face punch" on ovechkin was pretty weak...you see that in the NHL all the time...you see worse than that after the whistle in most net scrums. ovechkin played it up like he got his teeth knocked out, just like he's played it up to the refs anytime someone has touched him this tournament.

if he's really that much of a wuss, he better toughen up if he wants to survive the NHL. but i don't think he is, i think he's just sucking up for a penalty. (note: it WAS a penalty, i won't say it wasn't, but ovechkin clearly played that one up)

i agree with you, he did play it up to more than it was. what i was trying to say is that the ESPN commentators never said anything about that face punch or when Russian players were left lying on the ice, one of them bleeding. Dont get me wrong, I love physical hockey, but there is a line there that the USA players crossed. Once you start doing hits from behind and hitting guys in the face, thats not physical hockey anymore, thats just doing cheap shots. The Russian players never play like that...and to them it was as bizarre as the taunting was to the American players...

it wasnt really a rant. I think many countries do this, where they focus more on their own teams than on other nations. I totally understand that. I just dont really understand why the USA media cant at least try to be a bit more fair. I mean, for them to just rant about how aweful the Russian players were in their taunting...and just ignore the cheap shots by some of the USA players, to me thats not professional. I mean, how many times did they show REPLAYS of the Russian players taunting? I can tell you it was at least 5 times, probably 10. how many times did they show the face punch on Ovechkin? once! how about those other cheap shots where Russian players just ended up bleeding on the ice? there were no replays, nothing was said, it was just IGNORED.

It is a WJC tournament with 10 nations, not a Rosh Limbaugh political talk show...so i think a more diverse view on things is needed.
Well I can only guess what their mentality actually was but I think they felt the cheap shots were a direct result of the continued taunting. Pretty much everything prior to that was indeed called by the refs so it was forgotten as justice served. Perhaps they should've pointed out that while the USA players were getting penalties for their actions, the Russians may still have been irked about some of the plays and wanted to pay back by taunting. I can see how that might be the case.

I think the intention of your post was good but you kinda lost me when you went into a rant about USA fans, USA media and GODS and ANGELS.
Did you watch the game on ESPN or anther network? ESPN coverage has been in the worst Cold War traditions. Boy, do they hate those Russkies or what...

i agree with you, he did play it up to more than it was. what i was trying to say is that the ESPN commentators never said anything about that face punch or when Russian players were left lying on the ice, one of them bleeding. Dont get me wrong, I love physical hockey, but there is a line there that the USA players crossed. Once you start doing hits from behind and hitting guys in the face, thats not physical hockey anymore, thats just doing cheap shots. The Russian players never play like that...and to them it was as bizarre as the taunting was to the American players...

From what I remember, the main commentator (not the color guy) mentioned we do not see what goes on at ice level and that the taunting may have resulted from the physical play.

they replayed the punch on ovechkin and the high stick on the other player a couple of times and commented on them being penalties...

Perhaps they should've pointed out that while the USA players were getting penalties for their actions, the Russians may still have been irked about some of the plays and wanted to pay back by taunting. I can see how that might be the case.
QUOTE]

Yes, that is what happened. The hits from behind and the punches in the face came WAY before the taunting, that much i know from just seeing the entire game. Russian players have a VERY different mentality from the American players. Russian players dont believe in cheap shots and they especially dislike hits from behind and such. To them, thats an INSULT, to hit someone from behind ,when that player is helpless and cant really know whats coming. So yes, although penalties were called for most of that stuff...it still left the Russian players with a "bad taste in their mouth." So although i dont approve of what the Russian players did by taunting...i do feel that there were no ANGELS in this game. That is why it erks me a bit that the ESPN commentators focuses mostly on the taunting...and said almost nothing about the cheap shots. They only replaid some of the cheap shots to show why the penalties were called...but nothing negative was ever said about any of it. However, as soon as the Russian players started taunting...there were more replays shown than in the entire tournament. The commentators COULD NOT STOP talking about how horrible the Russian players were...they really enjoyed HYPING that up

Did you watch the game on ESPN or anther network? ESPN coverage has been in the worst Cold War traditions. Boy, do they hate those Russkies or what...
Yes I did watch it on ESPN and if you are asserting that ESPN does not like Russians I couldn't disagree with you more.

I did AND I don't FEEL any WISER !

All he said was to take a little more objective look at the game. That's something we can all do today since last night was just filled with nationalistic pride on BOTH sides.

Yes I did watch it on ESPN and if you are asserting that ESPN does not like Russians I couldn't disagree with you more.


I agree, I dont think ESPN dislikes Russians or anything. I do think ESPN is VERY into focusing on just USA and how great their team is. I think if it was Sweden or Finland or any other team taunting...the commentators would be all over it. But if it was the USA taunting(or cheap shots in this case)..,.they would just ignore that and focus on the game.

All he said was to take a little more objective look at the game. That's something we can all do today since last night was just filled with nationalistic pride on BOTH sides.

that is pretty much all i wanted to say. This tournament should be celebrated for how great ALL the players and teams are that are in it. It should not be a cause to glorify your own team and degrade the opposition

Russian players have a VERY different mentality from the American players. Russian players dont believe in cheap shots and they especially dislike hits from behind and such. To them, thats an INSULT, to hit someone from behind ,when that player is helpless and cant really know whats coming.




:lol:

Edit:You got that righ the evil n. americans love to hit from behind specifically, we try to kill the player. If not hopefully he is paralyzed. So those russians better watch the game against the canadians. They will be head hunting. If you see one in the area dont turn your back to him , because he will surely try to sucker punch you.

Be carefull . You guys better put your stop signs on your back.




Tell me you really dont believe what you posted.

:lol:

You got that righ the evil n. americans love to hit from behind specifically, we try to kill the player. If not hopefully he is paralyzed. So those russians better watch the game against the canadians. They will be head hunting. If you see one in the area dont turn your back to him , because he will surely try to sucker punch you.

Be carefull
Tell me you really dont believe what you posted.

I dont think you really got the drift of what i said. I dont think that U.S. players are told to do cheap shots. I dont thinnk U.S. players really want to play that style. I do think that in THIS GAME there were a number of rather dirty cheap shots that took place.
What i meant to say, is that in the NHL cheap shots do take place sometimes, not just from U.S. players, but from Canadians and even Russians. But in the Russian leagues, such stuff is less common...not because Russian players are angels, but because they dont play like that. They may do other negative things, like taunting, that is not any better...but they are just not used to hits from behind of this sort.

All he said was to take a little more objective look at the game. That's something we can all do today since last night was just filled with nationalistic pride on BOTH sides.

But he did that while trying to give his own biased opinion about why the Russians showboated and taunted and he has the guts to name his thread : "Neutral view on USA vs Russia". It was anything but neutral.

I also admit any message he might try to drive home will inevitably get lost because of the bad habit he has to write every two words in caps.

Im pretty sure that NBC and ESPN focus on the American Teams because its BROADCASTING TOWARDS AMERICANS! I have never watched TV in Canada, but I doubt they give as much time towards the Americans or any other country as they do there own team.

But he did that while trying to give his own biased opinion about why the Russians showboated and taunted and he has the guts to name his thread : "Neutral view on USA vs Russia". It was anything but neutral.

I also admit any message he might try to drive home will inevitably get lost because of the bad habit he has to write every two words in caps.


Yeah, I thought his so-called "objectivity" was pretty, well... shallow. Let's just cut the garbage and label last night's game for what is: A hard fought, at times dirty contest (from both sides), that ended with an immature showboating display by the victor. Neither Russia or the U.S. can claim moral superiority in this one.

Im pretty sure that NBC and ESPN focus on the American Teams because its BROADCASTING TOWARDS AMERICANS! I have never watched TV in Canada, but I doubt they give as much time towards the Americans or any other country as they do there own team.



Whoa! What a mindblowing concept! An American television network catering to Americans? Are you crazy?!?!?! How dare an American television network focus on the U.S. team and American players?!?!?!

Russian players dont believe in cheap shots and they especially dislike hits from behind and such. To them, thats an INSULT, to hit someone from behind ,when that player is helpless and cant really know whats coming. So yes, although penalties were called for most of that stuff...it still left the Russian players with a "bad taste in their mouth." So although i dont approve of what the Russian players did by taunting...i do feel that there were no ANGELS in this game.

You know - the sentiment you claim to be supporting is good, but your actual text does not support it at all - to the point of being laughable. Talk about gross generalizations and national slander or setting up "ANGELS". To suggest that Russians play to some higher moral code is a joke.

You are simply feeding the nationalistic hype you criticized under the ruse of supposed "neutrality". Yeah, right.

Whoa! What a mindblowing concept! An American television network catering to Americans? Are you crazy?!?!?! How dare an American television network focus on the U.S. team and American players?!?!?!


Yes they should have focused on Franz Johnassen the swede no one ever heard of instead of a hometown boy that you can feel good about.

You know - the sentiment you claim to be supporting is good, but your actual text does not support it at all - to the point of being laughable. Talk about gross generalizations and national slander or setting up "ANGELS". To suggest that Russians play to some higher moral code is a joke.

You are simply feeding the nationalistic hype you criticized under the ruse of supposed "neutrality". Yeah, right.

i dont think i was feeding a nationalistic hype. Russian players dont play to a higher code at all...as their taunting has shown. some of them also DIVE as they did in this game. others, like Ovechkin, are just selfish players. if i was nationalitistic, i would not say this about Russian players.
The reason why i entitled this A NEUTRAL discourse, is because i really dont have any nationalistic or patriotic ties. I have seen some horrible things in Russia that make me not be patriotic to it. Yet i'm also not patriotic to the USA since i've seen some negatives here too. I dont like to be labelled American, or Russian or whatever else people label me. I watch sports for the fun of it and when people start taking sides just cause they were born somewhere...to me that kills the fun of the sport.

Excellent post. I'm also thoroughly sick of fanatic patriotism and childish bickering/trolling/gloating...

Yes they should have focused on Franz Johnassen the swede no one ever heard of instead of a hometown boy that you can feel good about.

I understand where you guys aer coming from. and yes, the US should focus more on its players...as they do in Russia and in every other country. it is NATURAL to do that, i agreed with that before.

What i dont agree with is when commentators side with their own players just cause they are their players. Showing the worse of the taunting in 10 replays...and talking about it nonstop, that to me is being very biased towards your own nation. If they were to say even a few things about how negative the cheap shots were...i wouldnt mind the other stuff

Whoa! What a mindblowing concept! An American television network catering to Americans? Are you crazy?!?!?! How dare an American television network focus on the U.S. team and American players?!?!?!

There's a total difference between showcasing your country and it's players and being blatent homers about it.The commentating all game was "Ovechkin takes the puck up the ice...Hold on! Is that Phil Kessel sitting on the bench taking a drink of water?! Look at Kessel's form when he is squeezing the bottle.His placement of the water bottle also shows great poise. Simply stunning!" Of course this wasnt what was acctually said(pretty close though), but the commentators were riding Team USA's jock all night. Hell, they even asked Wayne questions about Kessel. Why the hell would you ask the comesar of Team Canada about an American player??

I understand that they have to ride Kessel's jock since he's the "next big american", but im willing to bet VERY FEW people who didnt know Kessel prior to this tournament will be interested in following the USNTDP after the tourney.

i dont think i was feeding a nationalistic hype. Russian players dont play to a higher code at all...as their taunting has shown. some of them also DIVE as they did in this game. others, like Ovechkin, are just selfish players. if i was nationalitistic, i would not say this about Russian players.
The reason why i entitled this A NEUTRAL discourse, is because i really dont have any nationalistic or patriotic ties. I have seen some horrible things in Russia that make me not be patriotic to it. Yet i'm also not patriotic to the USA since i've seen some negatives here too. I dont like to be labelled American, or Russian or whatever else people label me. I watch sports for the fun of it and when people start taking sides just cause they were born somewhere...to me that kills the fun of the sport.

First of all, I agree with you on the main point. But stick to it, and leave out the "Russian players don't believe in the cheap shot" crap - as many Russian players are on the edge or take that cheap shot as Americans, or Canadians, or whatever. In fact, there is quite a debate about the tendencies of players out of different systems to use sticks as opposed to fighting, etc. that has been going on for decades now.

It is enough to note that in last night's game, like most games, each team gave as good as it got, and leave it at that. In terms of playing good "clean" hockey with some class - neither team last night should take particular pride in their actions.

And, I will say this - if Ovechkin and crowd try it against the Canadians, they are going to regret it on the scoreboard, and on the ice.

What i dont agree with is when commentators side with their own players just cause they are their players. Showing the worse of the taunting in 10 replays...and talking about it nonstop, that to be is being very biased towards your own nation. If they were to say even a few things about how negative the cheap shots were...i wouldnt mind the other stuff


lol, the commentators were actually AT THE GAME and you were at home in your cardboard box watching it only being able to see what the camerman showed you. There could have been more that went on that we weren't able to see. Please ****.

There's a total difference between showcasing your country and it's players and being blatent homers about it.The commentating all game was "Ovechkin takes the puck up the ice...Hold on! Is that Phil Kessel sitting on the bench taking a drink of water?! Look at Kessel's form when he is squeezing the bottle.His placement of the water bottle also shows great poise. Simply stunning!" Of course this wasnt what was acctually said(pretty close though), but the commentators were riding Team USA's jock all night. Hell, they even asked Wayne questions about Kessel. Why the hell would you ask the comesar of Team Canada about an American player??

I understand that they have to ride Kessel's jock since he's the "next big american", but im willing to bet VERY FEW people who didnt know Kessel prior to this tournament will be interested in following the USNTDP after the tourney.

You answered a lot of your own questions in your own post.

Darren Pang was the first one to comment on it, he's not from the US is he?

First of all, I agree with you on the main point. But stick to it, and leave out the "Russian players don't believe in the cheap shot" crap - as many Russian players are on the edge or take that cheap shot as Americans, or Canadians, or whatever. In fact, there is quite a debate about the tendencies of players out of different systems to use sticks as opposed to fighting, etc. that has been going on for decades now.

It is enough to note that in last night's game, like most games, each team gave as good as it got, and leave it at that. In terms of playing good "clean" hockey with some class - neither team last night should take particular pride in their actions.

And, I will say this - if Ovechkin and crowd try it against the Canadians, they are going to regret it on the scoreboard, and on the ice.

I really wasnt talking about this topic to say that Russian players are cleaner or something. I already stated a few times that no country is more classy than another, each country's players can be dirty in one way or another. Why i spoke about this topic is to try to point out to people why the Russian players were so mad about the cheap shots. Russian players do other unclassy things in Russia, like taunting, diving, being plain out selfish, etc...thats their negative style of play at times! But in the Russian league u dont see as many hits from behind as u would see in the U.S....not because Russians are more clean, but because thats just how things are! So all I was trying to say is that the Russian players are less used to such play...not that they are CLEANER or something.

Darren Pang was the first one to comment on it, he's not from the US is he?


Ill take name the canadian for 1,000 alex.

He's a goalie though, lol.

He's also a nugget and a sieve and a terrible commentator and he has a terrible voice.

He's also a nugget and a sieve and a terrible commentator and he has a terrible voice.

LOL...how can u not love good old PANGER? he's adorable

LOL...how can u not love good old PANGER? he's adorable



thats true, you can carry him in the front pocket of your shirt.

LOL...how can u not love good old PANGER? he's adorable

I want to throw a dodgeball sack over him and hit him with a wiffle ball bat.

am i the only one that saw one of the russians cant remember who go down and as they panned the camera in on his face you could see him digging away to get blood coming out to get the 4 min pen

am i the only one that saw one of the russians cant remember who go down and as they panned the camera in on his face you could see him digging away to get blood coming out to get the 4 min pen

LMFAO.

LAUGHING. MY. ****ING. ASS. OFF.

Oh man, post of the year right here.


Yea, he pulled a razor out of his trunks and cut his forehead, a la WWF.

LOL...how can u not love good old PANGER? he's adorable

He's like an oompa loompa

I agree, I dont think ESPN dislikes Russians or anything. I do think ESPN is VERY into focusing on just USA and how great their team is. I think if it was Sweden or Finland or any other team taunting...the commentators would be all over it. But if it was the USA taunting(or cheap shots in this case)..,.they would just ignore that and focus on the game.

I think your assumption is wrong

Hey face it, The taunting threw the americans off their game, so what if the russians taunted? they did and it's done now, the americans are playing for bronze and russians are playing gold. simple as that. the americans should have had more control rather than turning into "blue missiles". i commend the russians on being able to knock the good ole USA of it's game. so what if they resorted to underhanded tactics. is it unsportsmanlike? yes, is bad for the game? no...look at all the press this game is getting, newspapers, websites, multiple threads, lots of airtime on sportsdesk and sportsnet news, like they say, any press is good press...good or bad. and it only sets up a great gold medal match where people who were crapping they're pants at the russians will want to see canada win. or something like that. what it comes down too is russia deserves to be at the gold medal game all tournament long they've been the better team in Pool A, IMO USA is lucky for a chance at the bronze....

Just wanted to say I agree with the thread starter on this one, and I haven't even seen any WJC games myself as the tournament isn't on television here in Sweden (don't know why, it hasn't been in the last few years, but that's another story). I'm sure most people of course root for their own team, but it'd be nice if they can actually appreciate other teams too if they like their style. I of course root for Sweden as I'm Swedish myself, but I've always liked the North American style of play also, so I've always enjoyed watching the Canadians and Americans in all tournaments (World Cup, Olympics, World Championships etc).

There is so much bitterness going on on this site between the Russian and American fans that it needs to stop. This site should be dedicated to intelligent talks about HOCKEY...not to rather nationalistic and shallow fights. Although i was born in Ukraine, I have always prided myself in trying to look at BOTH sides of the story and to be OPENMINDED. thats why while i cheer for Russia, I also cheer for the U.S.A and Sweden and any other team that i think plays a FUN style. I mean, why cant a Canadian cheer for Russia if he likes their style of play? Why cant a Russian enjoy how the USA team players like KESSEL play? I know i enjoy Kessel and i'm Russian.

What i'm trying to say is, people here need to STOP being so PATRIOTIC for a second...and start showing more RESPECT to other nations and teams. The USA coverage of this WJC on ESPN has been SICKENING to me and to many other fans from Russia, Sweden, Finland, etc. The USA always makes their teams look like ANGELS and GODS, while showing no respect or recognition to other teams. I mean, look at how the USA shows the OLYMPICS...they MOSTLY show USA competitions, talk about only USA participants, etc! My point is, such SHALLOW coverage from teh USA is what triggers USA fans to not respect other nations and teams. I will be the FIRST to admit that what the Russian team did with its taunting was TOTALLY WRONG no matter what. However, did even one USA commentator on ESPN say ANYTHING about how OVECHKIN got hit in the face way before the taunting began? I will not even mention the cheap shots by DOWING and other players. I will also be the first to admit that Ovechkin is not a leader and he is rather selfish in his celebrations. But has anyone seen Malkin, who is a class act, EVER TAUNT anyone??? HE NEVER DOES THAT. The only reason why he did some taunting in this game(which he wasnt great at) is because he also got FED UP with being hit in the face and seeing these cheap shots to his TEAMMATES...he is very much a TEAM PLAYER.

MY point is, everyone here needs to learn to look at BOTH sides of a story, not just ONE side. It is a shame that ESPN hides one side of the story while glorifying the other...but that doesnt mean that the viewers have to be GULLIBLE

ESPN is no doubt pro USA. but there is no doubt that TSN is pro canadian and there are probably networks in Europe who are pro to their countries over there. if the USA did that to the Russian team TSN would be all over then and the rest of the hockey world would be as well. But no its TSN saying remember they are 19 year old kids. If that happened against Canada, TSN would have front page news about it.
My point is each countires major network are going to side with the country they are covering. I can look at what happened in the Russian/US game objectivly with the taunting on the 2 ENGs it was uncalled for and uneccesary. retaliation for something that happened earlier in the game? um NO. you won the game, wait for the game to end, go tou your lockerroom and celebrate there. The Russian players had no class at all at the end of that game. Bottom line.

ESPN is biased, and should be. They cater to an american audience. Point à la ligne.

As for the taunting...this kind of stuff cannot be reproduced in the NHL. For one reason. You get your face caved in if you do. Always been that way. Unwritten rule. The Ruskies are playing within the international rules of hockey. Taunting is tolerated, because retaliation is banned. In the NHL, it's another story.
And I can live with that.
Ovechkin and Malkin will have to also. And that's the fun part.

ESPN is biased, and should be. They cater to an american audience. Point à la ligne.

As for the taunting...this kind of stuff cannot be reproduced in the NHL. For one reason. You get your face caved in if you do. Always been that way. Unwritten rule. The Ruskies are playing within the international rules of hockey. Taunting is tolerated, because retaliation is banned. In the NHL, it's another story.
And I can live with that.
Ovechkin and Malkin will have to also. And that's the fun part.


agreed 100%


the taunting is their way of retaliating and ESPN should keep their audience happy
(American)

agreed 100%


the taunting is their way of retaliating and ESPN should keep their audience happy
(American)

i'll actually agree with this. i think the taunting is just as low as the cheap shots. but as you guys said, once the Russian players get to the NHL, they will learn really fast that taunting doesnt go unpunished there. i think Ovechkin will have a harder time dealing with it than some others, but he'll learn.

clearly the US networks should cater to their US audience. I totally agree with that too. I also know its hard for them to be objective, espeically when there is a rivalry between the two teams. However, I just feel if u cant be objective, than at least dont just throw all the blame on one team. There has to be some professionalism at least...

Hey face it, The taunting threw the americans off their game, so what if the russians taunted?

The real taunting started after the game was essentially over. Did you watch the game?

He's also a nugget and a sieve and a terrible commentator and he has a terrible voice.

That's messed up. Panger is the man. You're just bitter because he was actually at ice level and could hear what was going on, and he sided with the Americans.

Americans aren't anymore dirty than Russians. Read the "Dirtiest players in..." thread on the NHL board. How many of the guys mentioned are Americans? It's not overwhelming, I assure you.

But has anyone seen Malkin, who is a class act, EVER TAUNT anyone??? HE NEVER DOES THAT. The only reason why he did some taunting in this game(which he wasnt great at) is because he also got FED UP with being hit in the face and seeing these cheap shots to his TEAMMATES...he is very much a TEAM PLAYER.


:cry: PHYSICAL HOCKEY :cry:

You know - the sentiment you claim to be supporting is good, but your actual text does not support it at all - to the point of being laughable. Talk about gross generalizations and national slander or setting up "ANGELS". To suggest that Russians play to some higher moral code is a joke.

You are simply feeding the nationalistic hype you criticized under the ruse of supposed "neutrality". Yeah, right.


You are correct, sir!

I just saw the gane once again on RDS and :bow: Malkin :bow:

He's going to be such a player in the NHL... Skates so well, he's huge, he's calm on the ice, he can throw big hits, genius passer, nice wrister...I'm in shock, I knew he was good, but not that good :amazed:

There is so much bitterness going on on this site between the Russian and American fans that it needs to stop. This site should be dedicated to intelligent talks about HOCKEY...not to rather nationalistic and shallow fights. Although i was born in Ukraine, I have always prided myself in trying to look at BOTH sides of the story and to be OPENMINDED. thats why while i cheer for Russia, I also cheer for the U.S.A and Sweden and any other team that i think plays a FUN style. I mean, why cant a Canadian cheer for Russia if he likes their style of play? Why cant a Russian enjoy how the USA team players like KESSEL play? I know i enjoy Kessel and i'm Russian.

What i'm trying to say is, people here need to STOP being so PATRIOTIC for a second...and start showing more RESPECT to other nations and teams. The USA coverage of this WJC on ESPN has been SICKENING to me and to many other fans from Russia, Sweden, Finland, etc. The USA always makes their teams look like ANGELS and GODS, while showing no respect or recognition to other teams. I mean, look at how the USA shows the OLYMPICS...they MOSTLY show USA competitions, talk about only USA participants, etc! My point is, such SHALLOW coverage from teh USA is what triggers USA fans to not respect other nations and teams. I will be the FIRST to admit that what the Russian team did with its taunting was TOTALLY WRONG no matter what. However, did even one USA commentator on ESPN say ANYTHING about how OVECHKIN got hit in the face way before the taunting began? I will not even mention the cheap shots by DOWING and other players. I will also be the first to admit that Ovechkin is not a leader and he is rather selfish in his celebrations. But has anyone seen Malkin, who is a class act, EVER TAUNT anyone??? HE NEVER DOES THAT. The only reason why he did some taunting in this game(which he wasnt great at) is because he also got FED UP with being hit in the face and seeing these cheap shots to his TEAMMATES...he is very much a TEAM PLAYER.

MY point is, everyone here needs to learn to look at BOTH sides of a story, not just ONE side. It is a shame that ESPN hides one side of the story while glorifying the other...but that doesnt mean that the viewers have to be GULLIBLE

Ovechkin not a leader ? Man i just saw the snipes from that game and the way Ovechkin led that russian team is unbelievably !!!

I just saw the gane once again on RDS and :bow: Malkin :bow:

He's going to be such a player in the NHL... Skates so well, he's huge, he's calm on the ice, he can throw big hits, genius passer, nice wrister...I'm in shock, I knew he was good, but not that good :amazed:


That what im saying ! This kid is awesome !!! :lol:

Look what the Russians did last night was poor sportsmanship. What the Americans did was classless and vicious and they were pulling the same stuff with Belrus and The Czech Republic. The Russians were sore winners; the Americans sore losers.

The way to shut up the Russian team is to beat them on the scoreboard. It happened when their team toured the CHL and pulled those antics in their first and only win. After losing 5 games, they went home quiet as lambs. (And for that poster that claims French Canada accepts that nonsense - you weren't listening very attentively to RDS. They're the ones that reminded me of that incident).

But how do you stop the ugly stick swinging, headhunting, sore loser antics from the Americans?

In my books both teams lost when it came to class and sportsmanship.

Look what the Russians did last night was poor sportsmanship. What the Americans did was classless and vicious and they were pulling the same stuff with Belrus and The Czech Republic. The Russians were sore winners; the Americans sore losers.

The way to shut up the Russian team is to beat them on the scoreboard. It happened when their team toured the CHL and pulled those antics in their first and only win. After losing 5 games, they went home quiet as lambs. (And for that poster that claims French Canada accepts that nonsense - you weren't listening very attentively to RDS. They're the ones that reminded me of that incident).

But how do you stop the ugly stick swinging, headhunting, sore loser antics from the Americans?

In my books both teams lost when it came to class and sportsmanship.


Probably the most clever thing I read over the few last days about the subject.

Im pretty sure that NBC and ESPN focus on the American Teams because its BROADCASTING TOWARDS AMERICANS! I have never watched TV in Canada, but I doubt they give as much time towards the Americans or any other country as they do there own team.
Of course we don't but you can say this for us.....we at least show your games,you can't make the same claim about giving us the same attention.You're a little off here.

Of course we don't but you can say this for us.....we at least show your games,you can't make the same claim about giving us the same attention.You're a little off here.
You know we all hate that as much as you do, actually more so. Everyone on this board is a hockey fan, we all want to see more hockey. I'd love to see more of Nashville's propects, especially Weber.

It all comes down to USA fans being sore losers. If Kessel scored a hattrick against Russia and did the same thing to team Russia's bench everyone would be buzzing.

Americans were playing dirty the entire game. How many minors did they get? I mean cmon. When its a competitive game its going to evoke passion from both sides.

I also was born in Ukraine... I am Russian and currently US citizen.

In my house we usually root for different teams during US - Russia games. I always root for US on any level of hockey while my husband and son depending on their mood. ;)

Anyway... I was rooting for US yesterday, but do think US announcers were biased. I wasn't really surprised as I would expect them to be. I am absolutely sure Russian announcers would be this way too.

You know we all hate that as much as you do, actually more so. Everyone on this board is a hockey fan, we all want to see more hockey. I'd love to see more of Nashville's propects, especially Weber.
I know that.I guess i just had to question why he would bring something like that up when we do show the U.S games and it isn't the same way the other way around.I think slagging us on something like that is kind of shortsighted.Slag us on the valid points if you wish but on this it does'nt make sense when you consider the facts. But i can tell you realise that...it's just something i like to comment on because it's an unfair point he made.There is just no need of it to me. But it's not a big deal really......just shortsighted,i've been that before also.

There is so much bitterness going on on this site between the Russian and American fans that it needs to stop. This site should be dedicated to intelligent talks about HOCKEY...not to rather nationalistic and shallow fights. Although i was born in Ukraine, I have always prided myself in trying to look at BOTH sides of the story and to be OPENMINDED. thats why while i cheer for Russia, I also cheer for the U.S.A and Sweden and any other team that i think plays a FUN style. I mean, why cant a Canadian cheer for Russia if he likes their style of play? Why cant a Russian enjoy how the USA team players like KESSEL play? I know i enjoy Kessel and i'm Russian.

What i'm trying to say is, people here need to STOP being so PATRIOTIC for a second...and start showing more RESPECT to other nations and teams. The USA coverage of this WJC on ESPN has been SICKENING to me and to many other fans from Russia, Sweden, Finland, etc. The USA always makes their teams look like ANGELS and GODS, while showing no respect or recognition to other teams. I mean, look at how the USA shows the OLYMPICS...they MOSTLY show USA competitions, talk about only USA participants, etc! My point is, such SHALLOW coverage from teh USA is what triggers USA fans to not respect other nations and teams. I will be the FIRST to admit that what the Russian team did with its taunting was TOTALLY WRONG no matter what. However, did even one USA commentator on ESPN say ANYTHING about how OVECHKIN got hit in the face way before the taunting began? I will not even mention the cheap shots by DOWING and other players. I will also be the first to admit that Ovechkin is not a leader and he is rather selfish in his celebrations. But has anyone seen Malkin, who is a class act, EVER TAUNT anyone??? HE NEVER DOES THAT. The only reason why he did some taunting in this game(which he wasnt great at) is because he also got FED UP with being hit in the face and seeing these cheap shots to his TEAMMATES...he is very much a TEAM PLAYER.

MY point is, everyone here needs to learn to look at BOTH sides of a story, not just ONE side. It is a shame that ESPN hides one side of the story while glorifying the other...but that doesnt mean that the viewers have to be GULLIBLE

Umm-

Ovechkin isn't a selfish player, and he IS a leader. I didn't see him taunt, and this is being blown way out of proportion. Malkin skated by the American bench, which is worse to me than very briefly showing your jersey to a few irritating fans.

Of course we don't but you can say this for us.....we at least show your games,you can't make the same claim about giving us the same attention.You're a little off here.


Not really. Hockey isnt a sport that is widely watched here in the states. If you they spot lighted forgeign teams there would be even less.

Not really. Hockey isnt a sport that is widely watched here in the states. If you they spot lighted forgeign teams there would be even less.
i guess...could'nt understand your last point made in the last sentence. Still,we still show the games of the U.S and you guys don't show Canada's so i don't see where your point is valid.You either show them or you don't and you don't.We do show you so saying we only focus on Canada is false yes?We have to not show anyone else for that to be justified. Logical i think

i guess...could'nt understand your last point made in the last sentence. Still,we still show the games of the U.S and you guys don't show Canada's so i don't see where your point is valid.You either show them or you don't and you don't.We do show you so saying we only focus on Canada is false yes?We have to not show anyone else for that to be justified. Logical i think



Does Canadian tv, televise more American Football or Canadian leagues?

Does Canadian tv, televise more American Football or Canadian leagues?
NfL.....behind hockey it's easily the most anticipated and watched sports programming here.The only game the cfl gets that has bettyer ratings then for nfl games is the grey cup championship game....that's it.Nfl football is big here and getting bigger all the time. Way more popular then cfl.

We Canadians watch more American TV than ours. We even showed the US games. During the Olympics we showed every discipline sports even if there wasnt any canadian in it. In the US its always about them cuz most of the people there do not care bout the other countries because they know nothing about them.

We Canadians watch more American TV than ours. We even showed the US games. During the Olympics we showed every discipline sports even if there wasnt any canadian in it. In the US its always about them cuz most of the people there do not care bout the other countries because they know nothing about them.


It's clear most of the people in this thread have no concept of marketing or accurate knowledge of American television viewing habits or the role hockey plays in our culture. That's not a surprise though, since I see ignorance here all the time, from all sides.

It's clear most of the people in this thread have no concept of marketing or accurate knowledge of American television viewing habits or the role hockey plays in our culture. That's not a surprise though, since I see ignorance here all the time, from all sides.
You're right....i have this funny feeling it's gonna take a turn for the better soon however.....i know that sounds impossible but i can feel it.

It's clear most of the people in this thread have no concept of marketing or accurate knowledge of American television viewing habits or the role hockey plays in our culture. That's not a surprise though, since I see ignorance here all the time, from all sides.
Yeah youre right but its not only about hockey. Its about everything and thats why the average american dont no squat about other cultures or what goes on in other countries. Its not because youre on top of the world that you dont have to look down. It can be helpful sometimes, 9/11 anyone?

I dont want to turn this in a rant against the US but its the truth.

Yeah youre right but its not only about hockey. Its about everything and thats why the average american dont no squat about other cultures or what goes on in other countries. Its not because youre on top of the world that you dont have to look down. It can be helpful sometimes, 9/11 anyone?

I dont want to turn this in a rant against the US but its the truth.


Yeah, we dont no squat about nothin........... :lol: :dunce:

Uh to the original poster on this thread!! Have you EVER seen the Canadian announcers and there brutal bias towards the Canadian team all the time???

Seriously it is mind numbing and gagging......as an Albertan that pulls for the Russian and American teams, I wish I had a feed to other broadcasts because the homerism cannot be ANY worse then it is listening to TSN!!

i guess...could'nt understand your last point made in the last sentence. Still,we still show the games of the U.S and you guys don't show Canada's so i don't see where your point is valid.You either show them or you don't and you don't.We do show you so saying we only focus on Canada is false yes?We have to not show anyone else for that to be justified. Logical i think

We don't show them because noone even watches US hockey at this point. Re-run boxing which isn't big at all any more, and World Series Poker is on over US Bronze metal game. If the US team doesn't get ratings then who will watch the other countries? It's called a business. If you put on Oilers-Stars in NY it won't get the ratings of a Ranger-Flyer game because people are more likely to watch their team play. When less then one percent watch US hockey, then how many will watch other nations? It's not that difficult a concept. I wish it was different, but it's not. It's the same reason you see Yankee and Mets games in NY as opposed to the Seatle Mariners... more people want to watch their team. The avergae fan doesn't care that much about the Mariners!!

We don't show them because noone even watches US hockey at this point. Re-run boxing which isn't big at all any more, and World Series Poker is on over US Bronze metal game. If the US team doesn't get ratings then who will watch the other countries? It's called a business. If you put on Oilers-Stars in NY it won't get the ratings of a Ranger-Flyer game because people are more likely to watch their team play. When less then one percent watch US hockey, then how many will watch other nations? It's not that difficult a concept. I wish it was different, but it's not. It's the same reason you see Yankee and Mets games in NY as opposed to the Seatle Mariners... more people want to watch their team. The avergae fan doesn't care that much about the Mariners!!

I would have to say that ESPN is about as ignorant as some of their commentators. There is NO WAY that CLASSIC BOXING will get higher ratings than a CANADA VS. RUSSIA FINAL! do any of you know how many RUSSIANS and RUSSIAN HOCKEY FANS live in the USA??? Let me just say that there are more Russian Hockey Fans in just NEW YORK than there are CLASSIC BOXING fans ! If ESPN cared at all about other nationalities and did a bit more research...they would realize their mistake

I would have to say that ESPN is about as ignorant as some of their commentators. There is NO WAY that CLASSIC BOXING will get higher ratings than a CANADA VS. RUSSIA FINAL! do any of you know how many RUSSIANS and RUSSIAN HOCKEY FANS live in the USA??? Let me just say that there are more Russian Hockey Fans in just NEW YORK than there are CLASSIC BOXING fans ! If ESPN cared at all about other nationalities and did a bit more research...they would realize their mistake

Somehow I doubt ESPN is made up of all 3rd+ generation, white Americans.

However, why should they care about other nationalities? It is an American station and most viewers' nationality is American.

There are likely more boxing fans than hockey fans in NYC, the fact that it is a classic match is probably negligible.

To say there is no way boxing would get more ratings is a huge stretch. More people may knowingly tune in to watch the hockey game, but more channel surfers will stay to watch the boxing.

I hate this decision... classic boxing should only be on ESPN classic. If they were really the leader in sports, they'd show current sports rather than old stuff. But they are a business and nothing more.

Somehow I doubt ESPN is made up of all 3rd+ generation, white Americans.

However, why should they care about other nationalities? It is an American station and most viewers' nationality is American.
There are likely more boxing fans than hockey fans in NYC, the fact that it is a classic match is probably negligible.
To say there is no way boxing would get more ratings is a huge stretch. More people may knowingly tune in to watch the hockey game, but more channel surfers will stay to watch the boxing.
I hate this decision... classic boxing should only be on ESPN classic. If they were really the leader in sports, they'd show current sports rather than old stuff. But they are a business and nothing more.

see, its not just about Ratings. i will still disagree with u on the ratings even. i mean, its a RERUN of a boxing match, not even a LIVE match. I live in NY and i know just how many Russians live here and most of them LOVE hockey. this is just NY mind u...one state out of 50.
but the BIGGER issue is this: lets say u show BOXING. i feel that only RUINS the reputation of ESPN. Hockey fans are a very LOYAL bunch. We want loyal TV stations that show us what we expect to SEE. so next time that ESPN and MSG/CENTER ICE show the same game...believe me,i wont be watching it on ESPN :lol

see, its not just about Ratings. i will still disagree with u on the ratings even. i mean, its a RERUN of a boxing match, not even a LIVE match. I live in NY and i know just how many Russians live here and most of them LOVE hockey. this is just NY mind u...one state out of 50.
but the BIGGER issue is this: lets say u show BOXING. i feel that only RUINS the reputation of ESPN. Hockey fans are a very LOYAL bunch. We want loyal TV stations that show us what we expect to SEE. so next time that ESPN and MSG/CENTER ICE show the same game...believe me,i wont be watching it on ESPN :lol

I live in NY, too, and I only know a few people with Russian ancestry. You're talking about the city, which is one city out of hundreds. And it doesn't at all typify the country's population at that. How bad will it hurt their reputation when most of their viewers will be happy with the decision?

If I'm not mistaken, women's college basketball outdraws NHL games on ESPN/ESPN2, so I really don't think it'd get more ratings.

I agree, I'd much rather watch a game on MSG/Empire/Center Ice... mostly because they have a better product (much better announcers). I don't like ESPN at all and I don't like this decision.

[QUOTE=Rob Paxon]I live in NY, too, and I only know a few people with Russian ancestry. You're talking about the city, which is one city out of hundreds. And it doesn't at all typify the country's population at that. How bad will it hurt their reputation when most of their viewers will be happy with the decision?
QUOTE]


its not just NY, there are huge Russian populations in other areas...like Chicago and NJ. also, many Russians are hockey fans...

again, its not just about ratings, its about the reputation of ESPN that its hurting by doing this

again, its not just about ratings, its about the reputation of ESPN that its hurting by doing this

Yes, but it is only hurting its reputation with us, the lowly hockey fans. Since we don't represent a large percentage of their cash cow, they simply don't care. It won't hurt their reputation with most sports fans, especially because they'll never know it happened, which is the biggest shame.

i'll actually agree with this. i think the taunting is just as low as the cheap shots. but as you guys said, once the Russian players get to the NHL, they will learn really fast that taunting doesnt go unpunished there. i think Ovechkin will have a harder time dealing with it than some others, but he'll learn.

clearly the US networks should cater to their US audience. I totally agree with that too. I also know its hard for them to be objective, espeically when there is a rivalry between the two teams. However, I just feel if u cant be objective, than at least dont just throw all the blame on one team. There has to be some professionalism at least...

i think every country's networks is going to be objective to a certian point. espn,tsn.ca and im sure some of the euro netorks are allways going to be partial to the country they cover. But please dont act like its ESPN that acts the way they do. As far as the Americans playing dirty i saw some of the stuff going both ways, and its not like it wasnt getting called because it was. the only stuff wasnt getting called was the olympic diving exibition put on by the Russians. I am not bitter at the game. The Russians were the better team they deserved to win and took advantage of the breaks givin to them.

I'd just like to add that TSN(Canadian) was all over the Russians for "taunting" .They even compaired Ovechkin and a certain Canadian teen phenom who shall remain unnamed so as not to start a flame war, saying that Ovechkin would never be the complete player the young Canadian would someday be because of Ovechkin's behavior during the tournament. That's right, folks, you heard it here first. Ovechkin won't be The Next Best Thing because of speculations from ONE 7 game tournament. Personally, I feel Ovechkin wasn't taunting at all. Nothing wrong with hyper celebrating the insurance goal. Perhaps the fans were taunting him so that was what the thing with his jersey was all about. Malkin, however skated right to the American bench and looked like he was trying to tap their gloves like he would normally do with his teamates. IMHO, that went to far.

As far as the overall bad points: Americans:Hits from behind, slashing.
Russians: Taunting, Exaggerating injuries.
:help:

We don't show them because noone even watches US hockey at this point. Re-run boxing which isn't big at all any more, and World Series Poker is on over US Bronze metal game. If the US team doesn't get ratings then who will watch the other countries? It's called a business. If you put on Oilers-Stars in NY it won't get the ratings of a Ranger-Flyer game because people are more likely to watch their team play. When less then one percent watch US hockey, then how many will watch other nations? It's not that difficult a concept. I wish it was different, but it's not. It's the same reason you see Yankee and Mets games in NY as opposed to the Seatle Mariners... more people want to watch their team. The avergae fan doesn't care that much about the Mariners!!
I understand why you don't show them.....i always have....the ratings would'nt be there but you're missing my point.The poster brought up Canada giving their team preferential treatment to Team Canada(of course,same with any country) but it makes no sense to bring it up when we at least show games not involving our country.....U.S can't make the same claim so why slag us on something like that considering your networks won't even show one game involving us.......does'nt make sense does it? That's the point.....i totally understand why espn or other stations don't show our games.

I would have to say that ESPN is about as ignorant as some of their commentators. There is NO WAY that CLASSIC BOXING will get higher ratings than a CANADA VS. RUSSIA FINAL! do any of you know how many RUSSIANS and RUSSIAN HOCKEY FANS live in the USA??? Let me just say that there are more Russian Hockey Fans in just NEW YORK than there are CLASSIC BOXING fans ! If ESPN cared at all about other nationalities and did a bit more research...they would realize their mistake
Do you realize that this game is also on at the same time the Orange Bowl is being played? While there might be a lot of Russians and Russian hockey fans live in the US, I'm pretty sure that that number pales in comparison to college football fans.

I suspect ESPN was going to run a tape of an old boxing match because they anticipated lower viewership and throwing in a taped sporting event cost them no money.

But since it seems ESPN will be broadcasting the show (most likely since they've already accrued production costs) the point is moot.

I agree with you 100%

Me too! 100%

NfL.....behind hockey it's easily the most anticipated and watched sports programming here.The only game the cfl gets that has bettyer ratings then for nfl games is the grey cup championship game....that's it.Nfl football is big here and getting bigger all the time. Way more popular then cfl.


So that proves that all stations only care about ratings. And since Im sure more people watched the weather channel then hockey, why would they show a forgein country sports that would get less viewership?

Best post of the day. Period

Best ever on this website :handclap:

So that proves that all stations only care about ratings. And since Im sure more people watched the weather channel then hockey, why would they show a forgein country sports that would get less viewership?
I'll try this again.I said i know and agree why they don't show our games in the U.S.A...understandable......what i don't understand is why you would bring in a point about Canada caring more about Canadian teams when at the very least we show games that don't involve us while you don't,what was the point?.Just seems like something that does'nt make sense considering the reality just mentioned......seems like throwing stones when there is no high ground on your side to bother doing it.......i hope this is cleared up now.This was never about WHY you don't show them but everything about asking why would you bring up something about Canada caring about it's own teams more(natural) when at least we show your games and the same is not done the other way around......o.k....i think this is cleared up now...hope so

There is so much bitterness going on on this site between the Russian and American fans that it needs to stop. This site should be dedicated to intelligent talks about HOCKEY...not to rather nationalistic and shallow fights. Although i was born in Ukraine, I have always prided myself in trying to look at BOTH sides of the story and to be OPENMINDED. thats why while i cheer for Russia, I also cheer for the U.S.A and Sweden and any other team that i think plays a FUN style. I mean, why cant a Canadian cheer for Russia if he likes their style of play? Why cant a Russian enjoy how the USA team players like KESSEL play? I know i enjoy Kessel and i'm Russian.

What i'm trying to say is, people here need to STOP being so PATRIOTIC for a second...and start showing more RESPECT to other nations and teams. The USA coverage of this WJC on ESPN has been SICKENING to me and to many other fans from Russia, Sweden, Finland, etc. The USA always makes their teams look like ANGELS and GODS, while showing no respect or recognition to other teams. I mean, look at how the USA shows the OLYMPICS...they MOSTLY show USA competitions, talk about only USA participants, etc! My point is, such SHALLOW coverage from teh USA is what triggers USA fans to not respect other nations and teams. I will be the FIRST to admit that what the Russian team did with its taunting was TOTALLY WRONG no matter what. However, did even one USA commentator on ESPN say ANYTHING about how OVECHKIN got hit in the face way before the taunting began? I will not even mention the cheap shots by DOWING and other players. I will also be the first to admit that Ovechkin is not a leader and he is rather selfish in his celebrations. But has anyone seen Malkin, who is a class act, EVER TAUNT anyone??? HE NEVER DOES THAT. The only reason why he did some taunting in this game(which he wasnt great at) is because he also got FED UP with being hit in the face and seeing these cheap shots to his TEAMMATES...he is very much a TEAM PLAYER.

MY point is, everyone here needs to learn to look at BOTH sides of a story, not just ONE side. It is a shame that ESPN hides one side of the story while glorifying the other...but that doesnt mean that the viewers have to be GULLIBLE All of the praise for this post is misplaced due to one glaring falsehood. It's a perfect example of how opinions can be manipulated by misinformation and why you should never rush to judgement based on the facts reported in the media or by any other 3rd party source.

what i was referring to is during the GAME itself they didnt say much about that incident. they only replaid it to show why the penalty was called. also, not much was said DURING the game about the other cheap shots that took place.

again, i think we should all move on and just enjoy the rest of this tourney...

what i don't understand is why you would bring in a point about Canada caring more about Canadian teams when at the very least we show games that don't involve us while you don't,what was the point?.Just seems like something that does'nt make sense considering the reality just mentioned......seems like throwing stones when there is no high ground on your side to bother doing it.......i hope this is cleared up now.This was never about WHY you don't show them but everything about asking why would you bring up something about Canada caring about it's own teams more(natural) when at least we show your games and the same is not done the other way around......o.k....i think this is cleared up now...hope so


You show sports from the US because its a superior product. You answered that yourself when you said that there are more NFL games then there are CFL games in Canada. You dont show them because you care, its about ratings..... the US will start showing more Canadian sports when it becomes a superior product to what is already being shown and draw more ratings.


but thats just me "throwing stones when there is no high ground on your side to bother doing it" at the obvious.

what i was referring to is during the GAME itself they didnt say much about that incident. they only replaid it to show why the penalty was called. also, not much was said DURING the game about the other cheap shots that took place.

again, i think we should all move on and just enjoy the rest of this tourney...Yeah let's just move on now, ignoring the soccer-style stop-drop-&-roll and the fact that Ovechkin started acting up before the game even started but bearing in mind that the Americans did in fact get in a few cheapshots.

How about you stop pontificating and proclaiming your own open-mindedness while consciously skewing the facts and I'll go enjoy the rest of the tourney.

You show sports from the US because its a superior product. You answered that yourself when you said that there are more NFL games then there are CFL games in Canada. You dont show them because you care, its about ratings..... the US will start showing more Canadian sports when it becomes a superior product to what is already being shown and draw more ratings.


but thats just me "throwing stones when there is no high ground on your side to bother doing it" at the obvious.
o.k,have it your way man.But hockey is already a superior product to basketball and a host of others....i'll bet you and the rest of the American posters would agree with me on that.If you did'nt you probably would'nt be here.You want the games on t.v there?....get the rest of your fellow citizens on board.......don't complain to me when the alfalfa bowl or whatever is on between Bowling Green and Long beach state.......superior product eh? Whatever you say,the people have spoken right?

o.k,have it your way man.But hockey is already a superior product to basketball and a host of others....i'll bet you and the rest of the American posters would agree with me on that.If you did'nt you probably would'nt be here.You want the games on t.v there?....get the rest of your fellow citizens on board.......don't complain to me when the alfalfa bowl or whatever is on between Bowling Green and Long beach state.......superior product eh? Whatever you say,the people have spoken right?


The people have spoken, its called ratings, maybe you have heard of them?

Fact - Mens Pro Bowling gets higher rating the NHL in the USA.

Do I think hockey is a superior product, of course I do, I love hockey but that comment was comparing a US product (the NFL) and a Canadian procuct (the CFL), but I thought that was clear.

Yeah let's just move on now, ignoring the soccer-style stop-drop-&-roll and the fact that Ovechkin started acting up before the game even started but bearing in mind that the Americans did in fact get in a few cheapshots.

How about you stop pontificating and proclaiming your own open-mindedness while consciously skewing the facts and I'll go enjoy the rest of the tourney.

you obviously just skimmed through what i said before or something. i already stated a number of times that what the Russian players did was totally wrong regardless of what the USA team did. i just didnt like how the commentators only focused on what the Russian team did...but thats life

The people have spoken, its called ratings, maybe you have heard of them?

Fact - Mens Pro Bowling gets higher rating the NHL in the USA.

Do I think hockey is a superior product, of course I do, I love hockey but that comment was comparing a US product (the NFL) and a Canadian procuct (the CFL), but I thought that was clear.
Enjoy the Quiche Bowl tonight U.S.A!!!!!