ECAC Finals Weekend not on TV

[flyersgolf]

I feel sorry for the kids who are playing this weekend, I really do, even if Cornell was not there I would be disappointed in the league.  Someone dropped the "puck" from the ECAC.  How this could not be planned a year in advance is inexcusable.  I believe Schafer's comments were diluted as he probable really tore some ass.  Someone should be fired over this.  How the ECAC Hockey PR department does not have all of this in the bag a year ahead of time is unbelievable.   Many NHL scouts will tell you the ECAC prepares a talented player for the NHL grind as well as any NCAA league.  This certainly can be attested to by the success of ECAC alums in the NHL.  I think the league takes a hit for this screw up Nationally as the league will be perceived as insignificant and this will hurt all ECAC hockey teams in the recruiting arena.






http://www.uscho.com/ecac-blog/2012/03/12/1051/



By Brian Sullivan • ECAC Hockey Columnist • March 12, 2012


Don't change that channel, ECAC Hockey fans!
 
In fact, don't even bother turning on the TV, for the league's championship weekend will not be televised this year. The league confirmed today that it could not find a suitable carrier for its flagship event, to be held for the second time at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.
 
"We were on CBS Sports last year, and they opted for another route, for lack of a better word," said ECAC Hockey commissioner Steve Hagwell in a telephone interview Monday morning. "NBC is doing the Hockey East games, and we explored some regional outlets and looked at producing games on our own... and there were just some obstacles that presented themselves."
 
Hagwell explained that the league was effectively left without a dance partner when all was said and done, as national and regional outlets all seemed to have pre-existing commitments for next weekend's airtime.
 
"We've produced games in the past on our own, but (when you're doing that) you're looking for an outlet nationally. NBC and CBS opted for other issues, then you're still looking at regional outlets: NESN has Hockey East; Comcast Sports New England has a commitment to the Celtics; MSG has the Rangers, Knicks, etcetera, so you've got to find a viable outlet to put it on.
 
"[Carriers] have their decisions to make from their own business standpoint, and we have ours. Even locally, Time Warner Albany as an example – just as an example – is doing the New York state high school basketball tournament. Networks have their own commitments. We wanna be on, and we'd love to have somebody want us on."
 
Hagwell confessed true disappointment that the final weekend of the league's season would go un-broadcast, leaving ECAC Hockey as the only Division I league without a TV partnership for its title game.
 
The games will be streamed live via the internet. Union plays Colgate at 4:30 on Friday, followed by Cornell versus Harvard. The losers play a consolation contest on Saturday afternoon, followed by the championship game that night.
 
Nate Update: Click here for more information about the online broadcast, which is being handled by RPI TV. The league reached out to the student-run organization, according to Reilly Hamilton, the station's executive producer.
 
Nate: Update: Here's the reaction of the coaches from this afternoon's teleconference held in preparation of the tournament.
 

Mike Schafer, Cornell:  "One of the reasons we went [to Atlantic City] was that is gave us a great guarantee to be on T.V.  It's really disappointing for our fans and alumni base that depends on those T.V. games. It's a big failure of our league not to have those games on T.V. [The league] needs to look at why this happened and make sure it doesn't happen again."
 
Don Vaughan, Colgate:  "It's extremely disappointing [that there were issues with the network]. I didn't find out about it until a couple weeks ago. I find it hard to believe that a network would not want to pick up the championships, especially with the quality of the opponents in the games."
 
Ted Donato, Harvard: "It's always nice to be on T.V; I think it's a great exposure for the student-athletes involved. They're certainly deserving of [it]."
 
Donato added that with the top four seeds advancing to the weekend and an NCAA tournament berth on the line, those games are ones you'd certainly like televised.  Union's Rick Bennett declined to elaborate on the issue, saying that was a question for the league office.


Read more: http://www.uscho.com/ecac-blog/2012/03/12/1051/#ixzz1owYv2pNM

[releck97]

Thanks for the confirmation.  Last I heard, it wouldn't be available online either.  I'm glad this isn't the case.

Here's the link to the internet broadcast info:  http://www.rpitv.org/news_updates/11-rpi-tv-to-broadcast-2012-ecac-hockey-championship

[flyersgolf]

Is it not ironic that the STUDENTS from RPI will be doing the broadcast.  I bet the STUDENTS do a better job than RedCast.

 ........ for more information about the online broadcast, which is being handled by RPI TV. The league reached out to the student-run organization, according to Reilly Hamilton, the station's executive producer.

Read more: http://www.uscho.com/ecac-blog/2012/03/12/1051/#ixzz1owY0V6Pt

[Dafatone]

So much for my annual tradition of begging bars around Colorado to interrupt March Madness for a hockey game between two teams no one here knows of.

[Jordan 04]

Is it not ironic that the STUDENTS from RPI will be doing the broadcast.  I bet the STUDENTS do a better job than RedCast.

 ........ for more information about the online broadcast, which is being handled by RPI TV. The league reached out to the student-run organization, according to Reilly Hamilton, the station's executive producer.

Read more: http://www.uscho.com/ecac-blog/2012/03/12/1051/#ixzz1owY0V6Pt

[Jim Hyla]

Interesting that it's going to cost more.

Viewers around the world will be able to watch each game live on any internet enabled computer through America One at a cost of $9.95 per game

[RichH]

As if the league wasn't embarrassing enough.

"No TV and no beer makes Homer something something..."

(Unless the arena actually sells beer.)

[billhoward]

Is it not ironic that the STUDENTS from RPI will be doing the broadcast.  I bet the STUDENTS do a better job than RedCast.

 ........ for more information about the online broadcast, which is being handled by RPI TV. The league reached out to the student-run organization, according to Reilly Hamilton, the station's executive producer.

Read more: http://www.uscho.com/ecac-blog/2012/03/12/1051/#ixzz1owY0V6Pt

Why not? It's the students who play the games. And, let's see, Adam Wodon announcing vs. Bob Norton? RPIcast looks better and better. Wodon is an IC grad? During the RS, what would be wrong with Cornell turning Redcast over to the college in Ithaca that knows how to pan a video camera?

[judy]

"We were on CBS Sports last year, and they opted for another route, for lack of a better word," said ECAC Hockey commissioner Steve Hagwell in a telephone interview Monday morning. "NBC is doing the Hockey East games, and we explored some regional outlets and looked at producing games on our own... and there were just some obstacles that presented themselves."
 
"We've produced games in the past on our own, but (when you're doing that) you're looking for an outlet nationally. NBC and CBS opted for other issues, then you're still looking at regional outlets: NESN has Hockey East; Comcast Sports New England has a commitment to the Celtics; MSG has the Rangers, Knicks, etcetera, so you've got to find a viable outlet to put it on.
 

Am I reading this right? Hockey East is going to be on BOTH NBC Sports Network AND NESN??? They can get 2 channels to carry the tourny and we can't get 1?

::cuss::

[Jim Hyla]

Is it not ironic that the STUDENTS from RPI will be doing the broadcast.  I bet the STUDENTS do a better job than RedCast.

 ........ for more information about the online broadcast, which is being handled by RPI TV. The league reached out to the student-run organization, according to Reilly Hamilton, the station's executive producer.

Read more: http://www.uscho.com/ecac-blog/2012/03/12/1051/#ixzz1owY0V6Pt

Why not? It's the students who play the games. And, let's see, Adam Wodon announcing vs. Bob Norton? RPIcast looks better and better. Wodon is an IC grad? During the RS, what would be wrong with Cornell turning Redcast over to the college in Ithaca that knows how to pan a video camera?

I can't believe we are still fighting this. It's obvious that Redcast could be a lot better. It's also obvious that CU wants to show more than just Men's Hockey. Therefore no discussion of what we want for hockey can be done in a vacuum. Does RPI TV do all the other RPI sports?

If some of you really want to know what could be one to improve Redcast, why don't you try and have a nice conversation with whomever in administraton controls it. You might learn how it works and you might learn how someone could help. That might do a lot more good than reciting the same complaints here every other week or so. But it would also take a lot more effort.

I'm not responding just to you Bill, you just happened to have the post that put me over the top. Maybe Age could come up with an app that would automatically delete Redcast posts for me and then you wouldn't have to read my rants.

[jtn27]

Is it not ironic that the STUDENTS from RPI will be doing the broadcast.  I bet the STUDENTS do a better job than RedCast.

 ........ for more information about the online broadcast, which is being handled by RPI TV. The league reached out to the student-run organization, according to Reilly Hamilton, the station's executive producer.

Read more: http://www.uscho.com/ecac-blog/2012/03/12/1051/#ixzz1owY0V6Pt

Why not? It's the students who play the games. And, let's see, Adam Wodon announcing vs. Bob Norton? RPIcast looks better and better. Wodon is an IC grad? During the RS, what would be wrong with Cornell turning Redcast over to the college in Ithaca that knows how to pan a video camera?

I think it would actually make sense to let students announce the games and work the cameras. That way Cornell doesn't have to pay for labor and students get great real world experience. There are already students who are in charge of filming lectures for online classes. Why not get them to do it?

[Ben]

I think it would actually make sense to let students announce the games and work the cameras. That way Cornell doesn't have to pay for labor and students get great real world experience. There are already students who are in charge of filming lectures for online classes. Why not get them to do it?

*cough*you and I would do it*cough*

[jtn27]

I think it would actually make sense to let students announce the games and work the cameras. That way Cornell doesn't have to pay for labor and students get great real world experience. There are already students who are in charge of filming lectures for online classes. Why not get them to do it?

*cough*you and I would do it*cough*

*cough* no I wouldn't, good luck recruiting someone else *cough*

[adamw]

FYI - I haven't worked for CBS College Sports in 5 years. Where was that info from?

And I had nothing to do with the inability to get the games on a cable/satellite channel somewhere, so don't blame me ... But I'd suggest blaming the league office isn't really fair either.  I know the efforts they made, and no one wanted it.  Would've cost more than the whole budget they have.

For Hockey East, NESN has always been the home, locally. It just so happens to be available on DirecTV too - but that's neither here nor there to NBC - which wants to hone in on that territory - especially (mostly) because Notre Dame will be in Hockey East in a year and a half - and NBC/Notre Dame are joined at the hip.

[css228]

FYI - I haven't worked for CBS College Sports in 5 years. Where was that info from?

And I had nothing to do with the inability to get the games on a cable/satellite channel somewhere, so don't blame me ... But I'd suggest blaming the league office isn't really fair either.  I know the efforts they made, and no one wanted it.  Would've cost more than the whole budget they have.

For Hockey East, NESN has always been the home, locally. It just so happens to be available on DirecTV too - but that's neither here nor there to NBC - which wants to hone in on that territory - especially (mostly) because Notre Dame will be in Hockey East in a year and a half - and NBC/Notre Dame are joined at the hip.

Its totally fair to blame the league office, because they've created an unmarketable tournament that no one wants to watch an hour south of the league's southernmost team, and multiple hours south of the league's furthest south team that actually has fans. What's a total embarrassment is that the AHA is being televised and not the ECAC. When did our league become less marketable than the worst league in the country? Hagwell has to go, because he's going to run the league into the ground.