In The Crease: Front page tells all

15 July 2005

Front page tells all

The news of an agreement isn't the only intriguing piece of NHL/PA happenings this week. The way the news covered the news is even more intriguing. Here's Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun:

"It's still a great question, but without any real answer. To understand the staggered state of this new NHL, all you have is juxtapose sports networks in two countries yesterday.

In Canada, the all-day television coverage began around noon and ended around midnight. It was all lockout all the time.

On American television, it was a few minutes on hockey and we take you to more Terrell Owens rumours. The popular ESPN program PTI began with the following words: "Sadly enough, we're starting our show with hockey." '

Can't say I saw PTI yesterday, but I was pretty satisfied with seeing the top three moments of the 2004 Stanley Cup Finals on ESPNEWS. The major media outlets in the U.S. harped on the league even before the lockout, so why would they give up their favorite goat now? Just add it to the list of 99 problems facing the league in the coming months.

Okay, enough with the negativity. Even though the Washington Post, Boston Globe, and New York Times failed to run the story on the front page (but props to both the Globe and NYT for having teasers), a lot of newspapers ran with it as their lead story and image.

Right: Detroit Free Press, Columbus Dispatch, San Jose Mercury News, The Detroit News; bottom: Toronto Sun, all courtesy of Newseum.

While I have to applaud the papers that still like hockey (note that two were in "Hockeytown"), I still think Canada's eight-page pullouts and non-stop coverage takes the cake. I think the Toronto Sun summed up a fan's emotions best.

Cover the story any way you want to, ESPN. The fact is, there's still people out there who would rather watch the NHL than college baseball or the the World Series of Poker.