“Nobody cares about hockey,” is a common meme when New York sports media outlets are criticized for their lack of coverage of the sport. In a town where there are three hockey teams with rich traditions, the 24-hour sports radio station – WFAN- dedicates little-to-no-coverage of the sport. The other print and media outlets are equally sparse with their hockey talk. Is there really a lack of interest? Let’s take a look:

To date, the attendance figures of the Rangers, Devils, and Islanders are:

Rangers: 18,186 per game for 26 home dates = 472,852

Devils: 15,104 per game for 28 home dates = 422,917

Islanders: 12,787 per game for 30 home dates = 383,611

A total of 1,279,380 fans have walked through a turnstile to watch an NHL game in this area. Last season, the Knicks drew 808,879 patrons to MSG; the hockey teams in this area have them beat with about 25% of the home schedule remaining! If we ignore hockey should we ignore the Knicks as well? That 1.2 million figure is also a little more than half of what the Mets drew last season. As much as I love baseball, there is just so many times you can debate where A.J. Burnett should be traded to or complain about the Mets lack of finances.

I am not suggesting that hockey talk should surpass the Mets, Yankees or NFL. The Jets and Giants should dominate the airwaves from September to January, with the only exception being an October postseason run by the Yankees and/or Mets. Don’t you think the media could find time to talk about a sport that has intelligent and loyal fans? Other than the Giants, Rangers fans are probably the most loyal in this city. Think about how they captivated the city in 1994. Don’t you see this team perhaps doing the same if they are in the Stanley Cup Finals in June? Would it kill the WFAN, or any other New York media outlet, to incorporate the sport into their programming? Even if it’s a niche show on the weekends or at night.

So, I ask you again, do you still think nobody cares or talks about hockey?  My numbers don’t support that position.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. In addition to being a Sports Media Watchdog he's also host of NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB, New York Baseball at www.nybaseballdigest.com. Contact him professionally at mikesilvamedia.com

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Tags: New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, NHL