PunBB

Ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages, I present you with my new favourite comedian, Ted Saskin!

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I dare any of you to read this without laughing hard and laughing often.

He is a joke.

I'm losing more and more interest in the NHL daily. I'm not sure it's worth being a fan of such a league. Belfour said that egos have to be checked at the door. Does he have a mirror to look into? The players have the biggest egos around. I definitely side with the owners.

I haven't even noticed that there is no hockey. 56% of americans don't even no there is a lockout. If that doesn't tell you much about the state of the game in the U.S. just wait until they do come back to play.

NMAS Wrote:I haven't even noticed that there is no hockey. 56% of americans don't even no there is a lockout. If that doesn't tell you much about the state of the game in the U.S. just wait until they do come back to play.

56%? Where did you get that?

Americans don't give a puck


A recent Sportsnet survey reveals some staggering numbers concerning the NHL's standing in the U.S.

Sportsnet.ca -- While the National Hockey League lockout remains a major concern to most Canadians, the work stoppage doesn't seem to be troubling many people south of the border.

A recent Sportsnet survey of U.S. households found a majority of Americans are unaware that the NHL has locked out its players. Only 42 per cent - two out of every five Americans - know that the start of the NHL season has come and gone with no hockey being played.

The survey also revealed some staggering numbers concerning one of the NHL's key demographics. While the league has tried to sell its product to the younger generation of U.S. fans in recent years, more than 60 per cent of Americans age 18-29 are not aware that the lockout is even going on.

Even more troubling for the NHL, just six per cent of the people polled have a "great interest" in watching games when action resumes. Almost two out of every three people - or 65 per cent - said they had absolutely no interest in watching NHL games once the lockout ended.

While the U.S. has solid hockey markets and fans bases in cities such as Philadelphia and Detroit, sagging attendance and struggling franchises have plagued the league since it expanded to cities such as Atlanta, Nashville and Anaheim. That sentiment is reflected in the poll results, which indicated that only 36 per cent of residents in the southern U.S. are aware of the work stoppage.

The timing of the lockout does not help the NHL's standing in the U.S. With the NFL and college football seasons in full swing, NBA training camps opening up and baseball playoffs underway, American sports fans have plenty of other options.

It seems the NHL will not be sorely missed south of the border, no matter how long the lockout lasts.

Poll notes -- Zogby International conducted interviews of 1,183 adults chosen at random nationwide in the U.S. The margin of error is +/- 2.9 percentage points. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest percent and might not total 100.

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