20 replies to this topic

[PromoTheRobot]

Flippin' through the dial tonight and saw Lev Praha host Moscow Dynamo on ESPN2.  Is this going to be a regular thing with no NHL?  Smart move, I think.  Best of all the broadcasts are in HD, unlike KHL-TV on Dish Network.

PTR

Edited by PromoTheRobot, 10 October 2012 - 07:41 AM.

[inkman]

Something about "promoting" NHL rival league doesn't sit we'll with me.  Eff em I guess.

[d4rksabre]

I caught the game this afternoon on ESPN 2. I like it. But they need to tell their announcing crew to actually call the games instead of just talking about the NHL players and the lockout.

[PromoTheRobot]

d4rksabre, on 09 October 2012 - 10:19 PM, said:

I caught the game this afternoon on ESPN 2. I like it. But they need to tell their announcing crew to actually call the games instead of just talking about the NHL players and the lockout.

They probably can't say the names of half the players.

inkman, on 09 October 2012 - 08:59 PM, said:

Something about "promoting" NHL rival league doesn't sit we'll with me.  Eff em I guess.

Somewhat surprising to me since I didn't think ESPN gave a rat's azz about hockey. Is it more about sticking it to the NHL?

PTR

Edited by PromoTheRobot, 10 October 2012 - 07:43 AM.

[Oliver_Cromwell]

PromoTheRobot, on 10 October 2012 - 07:42 AM, said:

Somewhat surprising to me since I didn't think ESPN gave a rat's azz about hockey. Is it more about sticking it to the NHL?

PTR

That is all in all possible. I just found it really bizarre that it was playing on ESPN. I was just like wondering, "What's Barry Melrose doing on ESPN?" Then I caught a few clips of the Moscow Dynamo game while my wife and I were having dinner at Logan's Roadhouse. How ironic, given that I live in a part of the country where American football is THE primary religion.

[carpandean]

PromoTheRobot, on 10 October 2012 - 07:42 AM, said:

They probably can't say the names of half the players.

They commented on this during the game.  Something about wishing that Erik Christensen (I think it was) would score, so that they would know how to pronounce his name.

Funny side note: one team had two players on the ice at the same time with the same exact name.  If you didn't know any better, you'd think that one players was everywhere on the ice.

Edited by carpandean, 10 October 2012 - 08:23 AM.

[Oliver_Cromwell]

carpandean, on 10 October 2012 - 08:23 AM, said:

They commented on this during the game.  Something about wishing that Erik Christensen (I think it was) would score, so that they would know how to pronounce his name..

Have they really become this lazy? Ugh! Yet they still have to pronounce all those Slavic names on this side of the pond. Lubomir Visnovsky? Alexei Ponikarovsky? Oh, and who can forget Curtis Leschyshyn? I guess they figure that if they can't say a name fast enough three times, it's not worth trying.

[gohansrage]

Tepponator, on 10 October 2012 - 08:46 AM, said:

Have they really become this lazy? Ugh! Yet they still have to pronounce all those Slavic names on this side of the pond. Lubomir Visnovsky? Alexei Ponikarovsky? Oh, and who can forget Curtis Leschyshyn? I guess they figure that if they can't say a name fast enough three times, it's not worth trying.

I'm with you...that's really lazy.  Don't they have interns who could write all the names phonetically?

[McJeff215]

I try to catch games in Russian as I'm a fairly poor Russian speaker. It actually helps a bit. .  The little quote under my picture actually comes from this goofy little song:



I hope ESPN makes a point of showing the games here. Maybe a little competition (however little) will light a fire...

....and interestingly, there's a phone ad on the khl.ru site right now that kinda reads "Maxim Afinogenov. Hockey champion of the world!" http://zebra.khl.ru/...3168f7deeab.gif

Edited by McJeff215, 10 October 2012 - 08:09 PM.

[drnkirishone]

Tepponator, on 10 October 2012 - 08:46 AM, said:

Have they really become this lazy? Ugh! Yet they still have to pronounce all those Slavic names on this side of the pond. Lubomir Visnovsky? Alexei Ponikarovsky? Oh, and who can forget Curtis Leschyshyn? I guess they figure that if they can't say a name fast enough three times, it's not worth trying.

Well if you think about it espn doesnt pronounce their names over here. Its not like nhl highlights are on espn

[thesportsbuff]

PromoTheRobot, on 09 October 2012 - 08:58 PM, said:

Flippin' through the dial tonight and saw Lev Praha host Moscow Dynamo on ESPN2.  Is this going to be a regular thing with no NHL?  Smart move, I think.  Best of all the broadcasts are in HD, unlike KHL-TV on Dish Network.

PTR

It was announced about two weeks ago that ESPN will be showing a handful of KHL games on their ESPN 3 (online) network. However, the appearance on ESPN 2 kind of came out of the blue at the last minute; So I'm not sure how many of these games will end up on live television, but either way I'm excited to have the option to watch these games in high definition rather than streaming a AHL game in less than 480p quality.

Interesting side note: The KHL will also be playing two games at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY this January.

Another interesting side note: "This isn't the first time ESPN3 has carried KHL games in the U.S. More than 50 games were televised during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons, and in January 2010, ESPN3 carried the league's All-Star Game." - http://espn.go.com/n...d-espn3-october

Tepponator, on 10 October 2012 - 08:46 AM, said:

Have they really become this lazy? Ugh! Yet they still have to pronounce all those Slavic names on this side of the pond. Lubomir Visnovsky? Alexei Ponikarovsky? Oh, and who can forget Curtis Leschyshyn? I guess they figure that if they can't say a name fast enough three times, it's not worth trying.

Give them a break. Neither is fluent in Russian, and it takes time to learn how to properly pronounce a player's name. Remember how many North American announcers struggled to say "Afinogenov," even after several years of him playing in the NHL? I'm sure the same is true for the examples you mentioned -- nobody got it their first try.

When the KHL/ESPN deal was first announced (although prematurely, at the time), it did not include an ESPN 2 broadcast OR a Melrose/Levy commentating team -- these guys had maybe 5 days (at most) to research ~50 players and learn their names. I doubt you knew every Sabre on the roster after watching your FIRST Sabres game.

Yes, the commentating was atrocious, but you can't really hold it against them.

[IKnowPhysics]

It probably doesn't help that the names on Dynamo jerseys are spelled using the Russian alphabet.

Maybe some US television exposure of Russian and European hockey would be a good thing for the sport.  More hockey in general on TV is likely a good thing.  See also: nationally televised college hockey.

Edit: Quick, pronounce this guy's name without looking at your phoenetic chart:



If you said "SO-LOV-EE-YEV," you should be on ESPN3.  Also, you were right, that is Miro Satan in the back.

Edited by IKnowPhysics, 10 October 2012 - 03:28 PM.

[LaFontaineToMogilny]

IKnowPhysics, on 10 October 2012 - 03:19 PM, said:

It probably doesn't help that the names on Dynamo jerseys are spelled using the Russian alphabet.

Maybe some US television exposure of Russian and European hockey would be a good thing for the sport.  More hockey in general on TV is likely a good thing.  See also: nationally televised college hockey.

Edit: Quick, pronounce this guy's name without looking at your phoenetic chart:



If you said "SO-LOV-EE-YEV," you should be on ESPN3.  Also, you were right, that is Miro Satan in the back.

This would be a fair point if it wasn't for the fact that the teams wore jerseys with the name in roman alphabet across the shoulders, and in Cyrillic on the bottom

[IKnowPhysics]

LaFontaineToMogilny, on 10 October 2012 - 03:33 PM, said:

This would be a fair point if it wasn't for the fact that the teams wore jerseys with the name in roman alphabet across the shoulders, and in Cyrillic on the bottom

Ah, must have started this year or last year.  My true mistake was trying to defend the intelligence of ESPN commentators.

[wacollin]

inkman, on 09 October 2012 - 08:59 PM, said:

Something about "promoting" NHL rival league doesn't sit we'll with me.  Eff em I guess.

I wonder if they'll get better ratings than the NHL did on ESPN 0.00019%

[PromoTheRobot]

Note that some of the rink ads were bilingual, so someone is catering to North American viewers.

PTR

[McJeff215]

PromoTheRobot, on 10 October 2012 - 04:59 PM, said:

Note that some of the rink ads were bilingual, so someone is catering to North American viewers.

PTR

That's always been the case. I think it's been geared to non-Russian speaking Europeans in the past.

[LaFontaineToMogilny]

McJeff215, on 10 October 2012 - 08:06 PM, said:

That's always been the case. I think it's been geared to non-Russian speaking Europeans in the past.

The KHL is not a Russian league, there are teams in non Russian speaking countries that use the Roman alphabet. They use the English spelling to make the game marketable outside Russia, Ukraine and the Baltics. The KHL is primarily trying to become the number one league for European fans, and to do so you need to be marketable in Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic.

That they now see a chance to jump on a little exposure boost in North America is pure gravy to the KHL but not part of their core growth strategy right now. That said, it is the spoken ambition of the KHL to be the best hockey league in the world. It would serve the NHL well to take that ambition seriously, but alas, I don't think they do.

[PromoTheRobot]

LaFontaineToMogilny, on 11 October 2012 - 08:53 AM, said:

The KHL is not a Russian league, there are teams in non Russian speaking countries that use the Roman alphabet. They use the English spelling to make the game marketable outside Russia, Ukraine and the Baltics. The KHL is primarily trying to become the number one league for European fans, and to do so you need to be marketable in Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic.

That they now see a chance to jump on a little exposure boost in North America is pure gravy to the KHL but not part of their core growth strategy right now. That said, it is the spoken ambition of the KHL to be the best hockey league in the world. It would serve the NHL well to take that ambition seriously, but alas, I don't think they do.

Am I correct recalling several KHL owners being fairly wealthy, like TP wealthy? That's a great point. Berman figures there will never be a rival North American league, but hasn't considered a European rival that can spend for talent.

PTR

[LaFontaineToMogilny]

PromoTheRobot, on 11 October 2012 - 06:15 PM, said:

Am I correct recalling several KHL owners being fairly wealthy, like TP wealthy? That's a great point. Berman figures there will never be a rival North American league, but hasn't considered a European rival that can spend for talent.

PTR

Well, I suspect that teams in the KHL are not owned in the same way as a team in the NHL. Where a team in the NHL is typically structured like a company, most teams in the KHL probably operate as a sports organization rather than a company. CSKA for example have a team in the KHL, but CSKA also has basketball teams, soccer teams and other sports they operate in as well. The different sections of the sports organization will be financed through gate receipts and sponsorships. That's why the teams in the KHL have enormous amounts of ads on their jerseys. Sponsorships is where the KHL can really generate economic muscle.

In Russia the government is still a majority owner of many companies and the right people can get their hands on and divert serious cash. For example, the president of the KHL is also Deputy Chairman of the Board of the gigantic state controlled gas company Gazprom. Gazprom is a 160 Billion a year company and already heavily sponsoring Avangard Omsk in the KHL. Since the entities are separate however, Gazprom can also sponsor other teams in the KHL, something they in fact are already doing. Of course, this is just one of the corporate/state backers that support teams in the KHL, there are many other companies pumping cash into the league.

The KHL was formed in 2008, they are already expanding into central Europe, have established a TV presence in the core hockey markets in Europe and is promoting the game in less traditional hockey markets in Europe. It's no guarantee that the KHL will ever become the league they are aspiring to be, but to write it off as impossible is short sighted. To give the KHL free exposure in North America is probably not a good idea for the NHL.

Also, not to take anything away from the Winter Classic, but it must be said that visuals like these from the KHL all star game are pretty bad ass:

Edited by LaFontaineToMogilny, 12 October 2012 - 01:35 PM.

[d4rksabre]

LaFontaineToMogilny, on 12 October 2012 - 01:35 PM, said: