When thinking about how the NHL is perceived here in the US, all you need to do is look at ESPN. They have the national rights along with ABC to broadcast the NHL in the states. It's my opinion that ESPN fails to understand the hockey fan or abuses us at the very least. Look, I realize that this is never going to be handled like it is in Canada. I am forever jealous over that. But that doesn't mean we should accept any bit of hockey crap thrown our way.

Let's get specific here. The biggest reason for this column is the recent decision by ESPN.com to drop the John Buccigross weekly column. How could anyone who reads the NHL section of ESPN not agree that John wrote the finest hockey column on the site. Each week brought us words from a man who loves the game like we do. He loves other stuff too....just like we do. I've read no other hockey column on the web where I thought, "man, I wish I wrote that". Well, except here. Our writers can really kick some ass. Anyhow, instead of understanding how we felt about John's column.....ESPN makes a money decision to drop it. I have no info on what kind of bucks we're talking here and it's true, Mr. Buccigross may be asking for a lot.....whatever the amount, it's more than the crew here gets. But ESPN needs to give us good NHL stuff, not the crap we get.

I barely read any of the stuff at the website anymore. Super Mario ??? Oh, cut it out. Most of what I do read is lame, soft or weak. EJ Hradek writes, "For instance, although it's a bit too early to be sure, it appears that Bobby Holik was a much better fit with the Devils then he has been with the Rangers. The hulking pivot fit like a glove in the Devs' well-structured organization. Across the Hudson River, on a Rangers team that wants to play a more up tempo type game, Holik appears to be misplaced. If indeed he does prove to be a bad fit, it will have been a rather expensive mistake." The article has nothing to do with salaries or the Rangers budget but he still has to put in the dig. And Holik has been out for 18 games.....talk about pure speculation and a weak way to prove a point.

Gary Thorne has a good voice. Can someone please teach him this little thing........PURINTON !!!!! (Pure-in-ton) Is that so freaking hard to say ??? I'm not asking him to spell Reusi.....er, Rexy ! If it's his 'thing' to mispronounce names....MAKE HIM STOP ! And please stop telling me how great everyone is and talk about the game. That's the actual game going on in front of us....not some imaginary game that happens to fit with the pregame story line.

When does NHL Tonight actually air ? It's always on tomorrow for me.....I can't stay up till 1am just to see hockey highlights. I think I've seen two broadcasts all year. Each time I tune in to ESPN or the Deuce, I see basketball.....NBA games, college games, Ladies games....I think I've seen highschool games. It's ENBA I tell ya ! Someone has decided that we'll tune in when they say too because the hardcore hockey fan in the US has always done that. Look at the fans in Chicago, here in NY, Boston, Buffalo, all the transplanted fans. We've all supported our teams even though they have sucked. We pay top dollar for seats, we pay extra for cable or satellite TV so why wouldn't ESPN think they can throw us crap and we'll eat it with a smile ? It's the fact that they do it that pisses me off.

If the Hockeybird messageboards are any indication of how a lot of hockey fans feel then ESPN better stand up and take notice. There are numerous complaints about one thing or another and I don't feel like repeating them all here.

The fact is, we will all tune in for that first ABC NHL broadcast. And whenever we can we'll tune in to the ESPN games.....but we don't like them. And we no longer like ESPN. Waiting 24 minutes into a sportscenter show for a mention of hockey sucks. How about throwing us hardcore fans a bone eh ? Give us back Buccigross. C'mon....it's a small thing that would mean so much. Let us know that you care a little (even if it's fake) and bring back the column. Don't make us bombard you with hate e-mail. Don't think I'm kidding about that.

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