No Games Friday?

[SuperMario]

Anyone have any clue why there's 0 games scheduled tomorrow?

[rataylor22]

The NHL is bad at scheduling?

[GinFizz]

bad is not the word. this is by far the strangest beginning to a season in any sport.

[hockeyrobot]

On a Friday!? Really NHL....really....

[Referee3083]

bad is not the word. this is by far the strangest beginning to a season in any sport.

Like having pre-season games still being played on the same day the regular season starts?! Come on , NHL, how is that even a thing?

[FantasyKing]

yeah i have no idea why they decided to pack everything onto a Thursday night

[Avalanche_Ambush]

Only thing I can think of is because of baseball playoffs

[Pengwin7]

I would speculate that NHL owners have made a push to get their home games on a Saturday night - at least to start the season.
The trickle effect is that Thursday becomes the previous day, to get a day of rest.
NHL has always been Tu/Th/Sat heavy... but this year IS especially heavy in October.

As a dad, it's really tough to have to finish work at 5pm, get home, collect the kids, and make it into a city center for a 7pm puck drop.
Just... too difficult.
And considering the NHL has contracted out its TV package - well, they would now be MORE focused on "live" draw for owner - since the TV viewership revenue is already "in pocket".
In other words - the NHL isn't directly concerned about the TV-viewer this season (& next). So, less reason to schedule at least one game every night.

I'd love to see NHL attendance over past 5 years for Friday vs. Saturday for mid-market (non-traditional teams).
I'd bet its 1000-2000 tickets difference.

It's evident all month in October. Other Fridays:
Oct 5 - just 2 games
Oct 12 - no games
Oct 19 - just 3 games
Oct 26 - just 4 games
Nov 2 - just 3 games
then Nov 9 - it jumps up to 6 games (when baseball will be about done)

I think we've actually gotten a bit spoiled by the NHL getting at least ONE game on every night.
If I'm an NHL owner... I don't want even a single game on a lesser-drawing night when my building has a Saturday night open.

[GSD]

Schedule has been weird to say the least.

[LawMan]

I would speculate that NHL owners have made a push to get their home games on a Saturday night - at least to start the season.
The trickle effect is that Thursday becomes the previous day, to get a day of rest.
NHL has always been Tu/Th/Sat heavy... but this year IS especially heavy in October.

As a dad, it's really tough to have to finish work at 5pm, get home, collect the kids, and make it into a city center for a 7pm puck drop.
Just... too difficult.
And considering the NHL has contracted out its TV package - well, they would now be MORE focused on "live" draw for owner - since the TV viewership revenue is already "in pocket".
In other words - the NHL isn't directly concerned about the TV-viewer this season (& next). So, less reason to schedule at least one game every night.

I'd love to see NHL attendance over past 5 years for Friday vs. Saturday for mid-market (non-traditional teams).
I'd bet its 1000-2000 tickets difference.

It's evident all month in October. Other Fridays:
Oct 5 - just 2 games
Oct 12 - no games
Oct 19 - just 3 games
Oct 26 - just 4 games
Nov 2 - just 3 games
then Nov 9 - it jumps up to 6 games (when baseball will be about done)

I think we've actually gotten a bit spoiled by the NHL getting at least ONE game on every night.
If I'm an NHL owner... I don't want even a single game on a lesser-drawing night when my building has a Saturday night open.

I agree with the sentiment here but think if you have 0 games you've gone to far in that direction. Having 1-2 games on every night of the week is what distinguishes NHL and NBA from Football. It allows the casual viewer to always have a game to watch and allows "lesser" teams to get a little bit of national focus (just like Thursday/Monday Football). Anyways, as a NHL fan and fantasy owner I hope this does not become a regular thing.

[agentzero]

The NHL has given up on the American market. They win the Canadian market by default, since watching and playing hockey in this country is second to eating and sleeping for so many.

In the USA, it's like that in certain regions, but that's it. Nationally, they don't care about hockey and the NHL looks like it's made up its mind about that, at least from a broadcasting perspective. I think that's why they send teams overseas to start the regular season and for in-season games.. Even if it messes everything up for local viewers. They want shares of a global market and are trying to set down roots in markets where they feel it isn't saturated by other sports, like the USA.

It's stupid, but I suppose you can call them realists that way.

[rtstr]

The NHL has given up on the American market. They win the Canadian market by default, since watching and playing hockey in this country is second to eating and sleeping for so many.

In the USA, it's like that in certain regions, but that's it. Nationally, they don't care about hockey and the NHL looks like it's made up its mind about that, at least from a broadcasting perspective. I think that's why they send teams overseas to start the regular season and for in-season games.. Even if it messes everything up for local viewers. They want shares of a global market and are trying to set down roots in markets where they feel it isn't saturated by other sports, like the USA.

It's stupid, but I suppose you can call them realists that way.

I don't think the NHL has given up on the American market-- I think it's the complete opposite. I think that most of the weird goings-on are desperate attempts by the NHL to win more American fans. Hopefully they'll learn that they're going about it in the complete wrong way and it's causing the hockey-skeptics to care even less and take the league less seriously.

Ex: all of the new third jerseys seem catered to American fans. A lot of them mimic NFL jerseys in my opinion. Especially the Pens new third jersey.

[agentzero]

That's a good point.. Hey, I hope I'm wrong, but it seems to me that the NHL's broadcast attention is not at winning itself prized positions in prime time on all the US national networks... instead it seems like they're focused on overseas markets.. Otherwise, having nights (where most people don't work) with no games is a really strange way to go about it...

"Hey, I just had a long week... Why don't I sit down, with my family or friends or even alone, crack a beer and watch some NHL hock....what? Bowling...?".

Oy....

[Magicstew]

Most Canadian market games would be sellouts on a Friday, would be a national audience for at least one game. Guess we watch poker, paint drying or baseball tonite

[kevinsrangers]

I would speculate that NHL owners have made a push to get their home games on a Saturday night - at least to start the season.
The trickle effect is that Thursday becomes the previous day, to get a day of rest.
NHL has always been Tu/Th/Sat heavy... but this year IS especially heavy in October.

As a dad, it's really tough to have to finish work at 5pm, get home, collect the kids, and make it into a city center for a 7pm puck drop.
Just... too difficult.
And considering the NHL has contracted out its TV package - well, they would now be MORE focused on "live" draw for owner - since the TV viewership revenue is already "in pocket".
In other words - the NHL isn't directly concerned about the TV-viewer this season (& next). So, less reason to schedule at least one game every night.

I'd love to see NHL attendance over past 5 years for Friday vs. Saturday for mid-market (non-traditional teams).
I'd bet its 1000-2000 tickets difference.

It's evident all month in October. Other Fridays:
Oct 5 - just 2 games
Oct 12 - no games
Oct 19 - just 3 games
Oct 26 - just 4 games
Nov 2 - just 3 games
then Nov 9 - it jumps up to 6 games (when baseball will be about done)

I think we've actually gotten a bit spoiled by the NHL getting at least ONE game on every night.
If I'm an NHL owner... I don't want even a single game on a lesser-drawing night when my building has a Saturday night open.

but I get Friday's off. stupid nhl not thinking about me when they're making the schedule.