WTAF Bettman?


Dear commissioner,
I live in Az. And just wanted to watch your product since you took the local team away.
Just in case you weren't aware sir, las Vegas is more than 400 miles from where i live, more than 6 hours by car. Its beyond doubtful that I, in a fit of pique would jump in my car and travel to Vegas to watch a game.
Additionally sir, i saw a post here the other day from a former coyotes fan who was furious that he could not watch the Utah team, as you had blacked that game out in the Phoenix area… perhaps you're not aware that Phoenix is 11 hours away from salt lake city, but also there are almost 5 million people in the greater Phoenix area, several of which would want to watch their former team's games.
Obviously you're an incredibly intelligent man, and a beloved part of the NHL, and you know what's best for the league. But…
Might i humbly suggest that you stop blacking out games for teams with no geographical connection to Arizona.

Dick

22 comments
  1. *Obviously you’re an incredibly intelligent man, and a beloved part of the NHL, and you know what’s best for the league.*

    [citation needed]

  2. Sioux City, Iowa is in the Blackhawk’s range. This is almost an 8 hour drive and almost 500 miles. Wild and I think Blues games are also blacked out for the entirety of the state of Iowa.

  3. As a Habs fan in saskatchewan, I’m considered part of the Jets, Flames, and Oilers local viewing regions. During the Canadian division season, the habs only played 6 different teams, 3 of which were the ones subject to “local” blackouts. That’s on top of paying full price for a 56 game season. So, full price for half of two-thirds of a season.

    Fuck you sportsnet and fuck you NHL for having such a shitty broadcast partner.

  4. Yeah, it’s annoying that they blackout games that are aired on free TV. So now that the Coyotes are gone, I have to use an antenna to watch Utah and Vegas games instead. Would it kill them to let us watch on ESPN+?

  5. There are so many entertainment options out there these days, it’s baffling to think blackouts are still a thing. The NHL still doesn’t realize they’re in competition with a ton of options that you don’t have to pay extra to watch.

  6. I’m 10+ hours from Denver and am entirely unable to watch them play at home. Infuriating. I hatewatch just as much as I watch the Wings.

  7. Luckily here in Hawaii I don’t need to worry about blackouts too often. But it’s very annoying as a baseball fan because all Cali teams are blocked out here. That’s a big chunk of any teams schedule every season.

  8. ESPN+ is a joke. I live in Hawaii and if the penguins are playing west of the Mississippi the game is blacked out.

  9. The closest arena to me is literally 800 miles away. You’d think they’d let me watch the damn games through the subscription I’m already paying for.

  10. NHL: we want to be a modern, global brand.

    Also NHL: we get to decide which team, within a 9 furlong radius of your house, that you must be a fan of, and forbid you from watching anything else.

Leave a Reply