During these NHL playoffs, we’ve seen a few moments where Charles Barkley of TNTs The Inside Crew has brought up hockey and the fact that he’s a fan. That has been great and provided some incredible sound bits! But today in the pre game show of the Miami Heat vs the Boston Celtics, the TNT Basketball crew guest featured Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers and this was awesome to see! This is EXACTLY how the NHL should market the game. Tkachuk has blossomed into an NHL superstar and is a great figure to market to the American audience. I cover this and more in todays NHL video!
FULL TNT INTERVIEW VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22d8OTC8ASA&pp=ygULdG50IHRrYWNodWs%3D
#hockey #nhl #highlights #nhlplayoffs #floridapanthers #TNT #charlesbarkley
40 Comments
What are your thoughts on TNT's hockey coverage this year?
Serjay babobab
Paul Bisonette is a gem.
I watch Sean Avery’s podcast everyday too. He is entertaining with keen insight. He called Florida a wagon after game 6 first round.
The NHL definitely did a much worse job of marketing its superstars vs the NBA. I'm not a fan of basketball, but I know who Jordan, LeBron and Kobe are.
the NHL needs to shorten the regular season. we talk about how great playoff hockey is, and the way to emulate that in the regular season is to make every game feel important.
This might not be of popular opinion, but I think it would do both ESPN and TNT/TBS a huge favor if they made a trade one for one Gretzky for Subban. I think Subban would do a lot better with the younger panel and Gretzky would do a lot better with his friend Messier and Chelios.
Hockey is clearly the best sport, it's a shame racists don't like it because it's mostly white.
The NHL is unwatchable right now.
Best NHL channel – best from tiny Switzerland
Meanwhile the NHL anouncers at 2am in quadruple OT "CHECK OUT ROBLOX'S NEW SPIN ON HOCKEY WITH NHL BLAST"
Thats great that the NBA guys want to help the NHL, now if the NHL can help the NHL get popular we may see better results lol
I'm a huge hockey fan, and I used to be a huge NBA fan, but since superteams became a thing I've slowly tuned out. Was big when the Raps won, but that team fell apart. I have always loved the TNT show and everyone except Kenny provides charisma and entertainment. As for Chuck's comments, they are my thoughts exact. I always say that the NHL shows would do well to emulate TNT's show, a stop looking and feeling so wooden. Even just a few chairs, some NHL legends and a 24 of beer to start? Gretzky cracking jokes the other week is basically the vein they need to tap. Just bring in the old guys with their knowledge and let them breathe, and from time to time let them do an interview of two. They NHL needs to work with sports networks and give fans a show like NBA fans have. Just give us something fun.
NHL needs A LOT of things
TNT is better than ESPN! Sadly they have to split time. Also I’ve been saying this for years, NHL has a poor marketing department, more games on free TV! NBA, NFL, MLB, NASCAR and WNBA all have events televised on free television!
Yeah we really do need hockey players to get paid 30 million a year so hockey fans have to pay 250 for balcony to sit next to some uninterested chick waiting to sing Living On A Prayer. Overexposure and money have already killed the enjoyment of three sports, let’s make it four.
Closed caption Charles Barkley is always enjoyable.
TNT is the best for hockey right now..
The attitude Shaq displayed is so common in most sports departments, they don't care about hockey and think it is only for fighting.
I was really dismayed last year when the NHL gave the contract back to ESPN. Their coverage was awful before and hasn't improved much. TNT was pretty sad last year but they are actually doing much better this year .
It still ticks me off that I pay for ESPN+ and most of this season my teams games are blacked out. No wonder viewership is down.
The only thing which drives interest in hockey in a non-traditional market is when that market gets an NHL franchise, and then interest can slowly grow.
Serjay Bobovka, everyone's favorite cop. BOBOVKA!
As someone who has always known about hockey but hasn’t watched it as much I have the last couple years I agree with Chuck, the league needs to figure out a way to market their stars a lot better you look at some of the social media pages that the stars have and it’s nothing compared to basketball even though some of the stars play in big markets like Boston New York Toronto etc, I think what Florida is doing right now is definitely something positive but the league as a whole needs to find a way to promote hockey as a whole. I think McDavid said something around the time that baseball had the WBC baseball classic right before the beginning of the season and he said something along the lines of “that’s something hockey needs and that they’ve been crying out for something like that” where the best play the best and get to represent their country without any real regulating of who gets to play for their countries, even basketball doesn’t really have that only thing I think that comes close is fiba, and then the olympics where almost every big name is going but that’s only once every 4 years. I do like how TNT has had Gretsky on there as a analyst (idk what it’s like in the regular season) but it’s definitely a bonus having someone of his stature giving his say so on games and having banter between the other guys similar with the nba TNT set with Charles Shaq Kenny and Ernie.
The NHL has been too enamoured by its tech — remember Fox's glowing pucks? We're still seeing trace lines, though at least it's generally replays now. Get the games on the air, and people watch. For me, in New Zealand (and those in Australia), we can stream every game for free if you have ESPN. This year has been a hockey-fest for me because of this. Market the stars, and start HAMMERING dirty plays. Benn got 2 games, but maybe in the future that's 10 games. Make a statement that as a league you will market your players and that requires that the dirty stuff end. Not fights, but all the unclean plays.
I hope the Florida Panthers win their 1st Stanley Cup tonight- I think such a championship would be great for the NHL overall
TNT PLAY BY PLAY IS GOD AWFUL. Mad mistakes and just wrong info all over yhe place. However the rest of the tnt program is pretty awesome. Love seeing 99 and love seeing The king explain and show
The biz crew is by far the best.
You right my man….the NHL has always been so overprotective of the IMAGE of the sport that even though the sport is the most amazing on earth THE IMAGE they made for it is the most boring of all. Remember SUBBAN who should have been embraced by the business for all the news fans he was bringing to the sport….what they did instead….try to shut him off. They still have a lot to learn business wise. They act like they're on top(management) but THEY AIN'T….the sports is amazing but there is plenty of room to improve everything else. About time the NHL enters the 21 century.
ESPN fucking sucks.
The NHL needs to drop ESPN like a bad habit. TNT does such a better job.
Anyone who has played both sports at a young age will tell you, Hockey is by far superior in terms of entertainment, skill and overall complete sport. I did, I still very much love watching and playing basketball to this day but it has to be said.
Doesnt help that its much harder to be introduced to hockey for children when the gear is 10x more expensive than just having a ball and a pair of running shoes….makes it so that much more people are unaware of hockey's superiority 😀
The best thing about hockey is that it is nothing like basketball, no racism.
yup i remember i saw an sb nation video on the rivalry of my flyers vs the pens and they noted how this game should have been marketed huge, i mean the fights and every game between the two teams was so intense, plus the whole crosby vs giroux thing.
Want to turn viewers onto hockey? Have Charles Barkley do color commentary and try to pronounce NHL names. Instant viral content
i don't think they are doing it in a new way at tnt. i think they are doing it the old way, which was the best way. they have made it look and feel the way it used to, which is a main reason i came back to the sport this year. they put actual stars with guys that weren't as good, but know how to do the media end well. they talk about hockey in a way that i don't have to re-explain to someone sitting next to me who is new to the sport, but still has me interested in the point they are making.
Anything for a check…LOVE IT
ESPN is a shitshow. I love when games are on tbs/tnt.
I’m not sure how much excitement the production needs, Hockey Night in Canada was never a spectacle and I had always appreciated that.
Florida is such a waste of a market for this team. Fun fact: Surfing is a more popular sport than hockey. And the Panthers revenue is only slight above Arizona.
Warm weather markets and hockey just don't mix. The moment the team dries up the fans will "ho hum" shrug their shoulders and move on without a second thought.
As a Oilers fan I can't believe that I'm cheering for Matt Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Ryan Lomberg & the Panthers to win the Cup. Barkov Bobrovsky,Ekblad, Montour and Verhagie are great players in their own right as well. Shaq is right Matt is way better than Keith Tkachuk ever was.
Barkley is awesome. He’s honest and smart. And so funny
Going more mainstream will ruin the sport. ESPN has only made sports softer and more about the drama.