Filling in the TV gaps

With Sun Sports televising 65 Lightning games and Versus four, the team is scheduled to be on the tube 69 times. That leaves 13 games unaccounted for. Tampa Bay spokesman Bill Wickett said the team is trying to work out a deal to get at least some of those games on a broadcast station as it did last season with ION.

"We hope to have something on an over-the-air basis to cover some or all of those games," Wickett said.

Comments

[Mike13]

Anybody know anything about Verizon FiOS getting the NHL Network? That would be grand.

[Mike13]

Yahoo sports sometimes airs the games too. Be sure to check there, the NHL website, and the TSN website. TSN for sure will at least have highlights the next day.

[Graham]

NHL Center Ice will have some of the "Missing 13" but there are still 6 games for which there is no broadcast for the other team and those will end up as dark if they can't work out the ION deal.

The worst part is 4 of the 6 that have no TV for either team are 4 of the final 6 games of the season. That is going to be very frustrating if the Bolts are in a struggle for a spot in the standings (and let's hope that struggle is for home ice in the first round!).

I've been wondering why we haven't seen any rebroadcast games over the summer on Sun Sports. They usually throw up a game every week or two that are fun to watch (it's always a win they show in replay). I'm seriously strung out on my hockey addiction. The good news is NHL Live goes live again Monday!

:)

[Tallahassee Mike]

Please let it be FSN...there's no ION in Tally.

[Audrey]

Honestly I'd prefer it if at least 10 games were not aired locally. I subscribe to Center Ice every year and it's great to watch a Lightning game broadcast by the opposing team's network. You get a great idea of how the other team's commentators really see the Lightning w/o the local bias. It's also nice to see what technology, promotions, games, team info other areas of the States employ during an NHL broadcast. Some of the best interviews I've seen were from other networks, especially a Saturday game on Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC). Unfortunately if the game is broadcast locally it's blocked on Center Ice. I'm not sure why when I payed full package price for it. I should be able to choose which broadcast I want to watch but that's not how it works apparently. Especially w/Torts becoming an analyst for TSN, I'd rather watch that broadcast against a Canadian team then our own just to see how he handles himself.

[Dave]

I hope it is ION again. I can't afford cable, sports bars, or the games, so channel 66 was the only way to "see" the lightning. Last year the games were fuzzy, but they should be a lot clearer with the converter box this year. If not, I'll continue to listen to the games on WDAE-AM.

[David (Clearwater, Fl)]

I wonder why FSN doesn't carry any Lightning games. I belive they carry the Panthers games for the Miami market. I have to imagine that the Lightning games would draw a bigger audience, judging from the discrepancy in attendence between the franchises. They don't typically cover the Magic games and baseball will be over, so what else are they going to be broadcasting? Best Damn countdown re-runs?

[joshua]

NO FSN!!! We dont get that here in Orlando (Thanks a hell of a lot Brighthouse)

ION & FSN???

[Nick]

This sucks, I finally move back to a lightning broadcast territory and they televise this many games. I should have never told my wife, that way I could have subscribed to nhl center ice again.

[Warren]

You've gotta wonder - Sun Sports actually has things that they'd rather show during Hockey season? People actually want to watch Magic games (or some such) instead?