A LACK OF CANADIAN CONTENT

Poll says TV viewership should drop

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman doesn’t want to hear it. And the powers that be at Rogers Communications who bring NHL hockey into Canadian homes are surely panicking at the gloomy possibilities.

With the Stanley Cup playoffs about to begin in a week, an Angus Reid Institute poll released Wednesday suggests Canadian hockey fans are planning to watch less of this year’s tournament.

It’s the first time there will be no Canadian team in the postseason since the 1969-70 season, a fact sure to affect viewers’ habits. The poll found a majority (54 per cent) of those who normally watch at least a couple of playoff games each spring say they will be watching fewer games this year. Of that 54 per cent, 19 per cent claim they won’t be watching at all.

An average of 1.5 million Canadians watched each post-season game last year, according to television ratings cited by Angus Reid.

Respondents to the poll, which was conducted from March 28-31 and included 1,522 participants, were asked whether the absence of Canadian teams from these playoffs would “have an effect on how much playoff hockey you watch this year?”

The results weren’t particularly surprising, given the absence of a Canadian team to rally around — although with 30 per cent of respondents saying the lack of Canadian content would have no effect at all, hundreds of thousands of us will still be watching. But the poll also revealed that even among fans who consider themselves “diehards,” 59 per cent will watch fewer games.

The findings confirm the fears of Rogers, now in the second season of a 12-year, $5.2-billion deal for national television rights to the NHL.

Recently, senior officials at the communications giant suggested the focus on coverage this spring will be on the stars of the game, no doubt zooming in on those holding Canadian passports.

Angus Reid points out that 49.7 per cent of NHL players are from

The poll also revealed that even among fans who consider themselves ‘diehards,’ 59 per cent will watch fewer games.

Canada, by far the best-represented country in the league. The St. Louis Blues and Florida Panthers currently have the most Canadianborn players on their roster with 16 each.

Those polled were also asked which teams they would support with the seven Canadian-based teams sidelined. The defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks led that group at 46 per cent. The Boston Bruins were second at 26 per cent, but as avid B’s supporters are well aware, coach Claude Julien’s team is going to need help in its remaining two games just to get into the postseason.

Ever the optimists, hockey fans also offered their opinions on the future.

When asked which of the seven Canadian-based teams would be next to break the 23-year drought and become a Cup winner, the Montreal Canadiens led at 26 per cent. Perhaps not surprisingly given their resilient fan base, the Toronto Maple Leafs were next at 11 per cent. Edmonton was at 10 per cent, Vancouver and Ottawa at eight per cent and Calgary at five per cent.

Least likely according to respondents? Those grounded Winnipeg Jets were at a measly three per cent — tied with “no Canadian team will ever win the Cup again.” An additional 26 per cent of respondents answered “really can’t say.”

The Angus Reid poll carries a margin of error of +/- 2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.