Stadium Series Madness & Brutal Reality: Why Hockey Struggles 

Hockey is my favorite sport and I love that it’s the least popular of the Big 4. It hasn’t been infected by toxic media and diva players who run the league and request trades round the clock. It also hasn’t been ruined by an over-saturation of analytics like with all the 3 pointers in basketball and the homers in baseball.

Instead of talking about the actual game they waste time comparing to other sports. Talk about the hockey GAME.

Here in Las Vegas, the NFL team is 2nd fiddle to the NHL Golden Knights.

As someone who played hockey at a high level my whole life. The problem is that it’s just a very expensive sport to play. Competitive sticks are going for $300+ now not to mention the skates alone can cost over $1000. And for kids that are growing and have to get new equipment every couple of years, you can see how that adds up quickly. If you play for a travel team, you’re prob paying anywhere between 2-4k a season in tuition to pay for the ice time. It’s really expensive

It’s plenty popular in NY. They just refuse to ever talk about it.

I don’t care if it’s not mainstream! Don’t want it to be… best sport in the world, only sport that has athletes who aren’t out of touch with fans. Love it

BT has never watched a hockey game in his life, and the only time hockey comes up on the fan, someone has to mention that it's not popular. Just talk about the game, or go back to complaining about the Mets for 4 straight hours

BT is mad the rangers have more wins at MetLife than jet home playoff games

Who cares if it’s mainstream. Hockey rules anyway.

Unlike the NBA and NFL the NHL is still a league of open competition. If you don't know the NBA is more theatre than open competition refer to the Knicks-Heat series of 1997. If there is holding or pass interference on every play in the NFL then outcomes can be effected based on which plays the calls are made. I pray hockey doesn't sell out like the NBA. I pray the NHL doesnt become as cynical and disrepectful of the fans as the NFL.

It’s simply the best sport. Its beautiful and chaotic

Hockey struggles? There were 140,000 people between the two games

As a hockey fan, who cares if it's #4? I love it, it's #1 by far for me and that's all I care about. As for WHY it's #4 it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that it has the largest barrier for entry compared to the 3 other major team sports. First you have to learn how to skate, which is hard enough, then the sport is insanely expensive. Insanely expensive. Ice time is very limited and expensive, equipment is ungodly expensive and needs to be bought every year as the kid grows. Team fees and gear and ice time and trainers, man, in the mid 00's as a teen my parents were paying easily 15k a year for me to play hockey and I had 4 siblings who played hockey and other sports too. Basically I was extremely fortunate to have a family that could afford for me to play hockey growing up.

Lately even the new PWHL.new woman's pro hockey league in its first season is out drawing in attendance over the WNBA How kool is that.

Being a Devils fan is the best. There is enough of a fan base where all big regular season games and the playoffs are sold out with a great atmosphere but not too many fans nor suits to the point where it is unaffordable for the average person. Being able to go to a random week night game for $20 last minute is awesome. Only having to pay $100-$250 for a playoff game instead of $500+ is a godsend. Please don’t get more popular.

The problem is the NHL does a poor job at marketing the game as well as its stars. Especially to the inner cities.

wish they would find more time for C-Lo on the Boomer show. He's 10x more insightful in his sports discussions than Gio. Gio is more interested in the 'housewives' / sophmoric angle - which is fine if you are looking for that Stern type comedy. But I listen to sports talk to get sports information.

Hockey is significantly more expensive than baseball. It's not even close.

Look at what has become of the other sports. I’m cool not getting the national attention because it keeps the game more pure

Hockey needs to get back to players who are not afraid to drop the gloves and play with the body.

After watching that BORING Super Bowl, hockey is such a breath of fresh air. Watching the Islanders and Rangers playing at Metlife Stadium was awesome because finally, we had an actual good game at Metlife Stadium.

Rangers fans call us Islanders fans when you win 4 straight cups!!! PS. WE WILL NEVER GET THAT CALL

Hockey will never be able to compete with other sports and it shouldn't try. Hockey fans get it and others just don't. I would hate the game getting watered down to further "sell" the game to the mainstream person who'll spend an afternoon watching golf on TV. I consider myself a fan that watches 99% of Rangers games each season and I watch as many Stanley Cup playoffs games as I can.

You hit it early on Chris, it's easy to play baseball, basketball, football, even soccer, in the backyard. You have to really try to play hockey. It's not cheap. But those (myself included) who love hockey, adore hockey. The product is incredible, it's the most action per 60 minutes of any sport. The NHL isn't marketed well either. There are some great personalities and legendary talent playing right before our eyes right now and they're relatively unknown. They did ok with Ovechkin/Crosby but there are some great American born players who should be showcased more than they are. But for those of us who caught the hockey bug, we love our sport. The stadium series was tremendous.

Hockey is the best of the big 4 pro sports in the US, hands down.

not being mainstream is what makes hockey awesome

Sal is just a miserable soul. Mets and Isles will do that to a man

It's not popular for the same reason soccer is the most popular sport in the world: cost of entry. Frozen sheets of ice are tough to come by and indoor hockey rinks cost a lot of money to maintain and rent. Add in all the required equipment and hockey is a just very expensive sport, which means fewer kids have an opportunity to play. There is limited opportunity for growth. And that's fine. Why does it need to be more popular? I can understand why the owners want it to be more popular, because they want more money. But why should the fans care? Are Rangers tickets not expensive enough? Usually when a sport tries desperately to be popular, it ends up getting dumbed down and ruined.

Bruh what are these muppets waffling about? Hockey fans don’t give a hoot about the sport’s size relative to the other 3. Hockey unquestionably has the best quality both regular and post-season. It also offers the most competitive league. At the end of the day, we don’t care, and we all love the other sports as well, but if we had to pick one we’d pick hockey. BT even said the quiet part out loud, ‘if you’re gonna call about the nuances and line changes, I don’t care about that stuff.’ Dude loves getting into the nuance of the other sports. The sports media has made a concerted effort to prop up the nfl and nba…for reason we all know but aren’t allowed to mention, and then these same media muppets, who don’t cover the NHL 1/10th what they cover those two, put their clown nose on and ask ‘why isn’t it as big.’ Absolute dross from these hacks.

Should be talking hockey much more. Too much Jets, Giants, Yanks and Mets. BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. Especially since they stink. Should have more hockey guests on the show. Announcers, reporters, players...

Hardcore fans don't care about who watches.....they care about watching themselves.

I’m 39 years old and became a hockey fan in 2014. I love the NHL but let’s relax on the NBA slander. The NBA all star weekend is a joke but there are plenty of good games and the playoffs are ridiculously good. Let’s not act like hockey players don’t lack the effort at many points during the season. I’ve been watching every single Rangers game and they had a slump because of the lack of effort. It happens in all sports except the NFL because every single game is very important. They only play once a week with only 18 games per season

Hockey has not been run into the ground (ice) by the media with endless banal coverage, and hyperbole- it's the best spectator sport.

Hockey going mainstream is every die hard fan’s worst nightmare. Woke media and political bullshit is not at all welcomed. Leave that nonsense over in the NBA, MLB & NFL 👍🏻

Football as C-Lo said has a different vibe, but of the other three with long seasons hockey has the best, most interesting product. If they'd only go back to the ties that would spice things up. Too many games are now worth an artificial three points that were only worth two for many years, and 100 points isn't what it once was.

Why do I even bother to listen to a guy who wants to get rid of Pete Alonso so Brandon Nimmo can emerge as the team leader. I'm bored and after 3 minutes of this crap. I'm gone

None of us that love it, care for where it ranks in YOUR sports pantheon. Thanks for putting 15 minutes of hot air in the universe

If you’re a Knicks fan you have to be a Rangers fan. Go Rangers! ❤

C- LO is a real hockey guy and he's dialing it down for BT. Not right!

Hockey is strange. Will never be number 1 here but won’t go away either.

Islanders will never win another cup stop living in the past most islanders fans weren’t even born when they were winning cups

Even a good bike is $$$$$... even a good soccer cleats is $$$$$.

Was at the game yesterday, die hard Rangers fan since 1992, I love hockey, my Wife can’t stand it but she loves the NFL? I think if NHL can get a transcendent American born star, a Michael Jordan like star it will take off in USA. We need a new American Wayne Gretzky

Hockey is quasi mainstream

Hockey is my 2nd favorite sport after football, but I absolutely love it. Maybe someday it becomes the actual number 2. There’s a chance that in time it happens with how awful NBA and MLB regular season games are awful to watch

The NHL ruined itself by taking away all rivalries. The teams in their own division don't play each other enough. Playoff like games in the regular just don't exist anymore. The regular season has become more of an exhibition.

Oh by the way Carl Banks says hello

watch that crap called the nba!

7:44,17:19

I was concinved that was Sal with a cap and glasses on until he opened his mouth aha

Friday there was no game bt lollll

I love hockey but to keep up with the other sports they need to expose their stars more on national TV like the NBA does

It’s an easy answer. Hockey doesn’t translate to TV……

Hockey IS the best sport in the world! I've heard of the 'Passtime' bit for half a century now and I just have never bought that. I think it's the scoring which translates to Gambling. Look at Foootball, Basketball (College too) and even Baseball goes to double digit scoring per team at times. i will always be happy and content as the number 4 sport but I will kick, scream and fight to have Hockey not go lower!

My 12 year old daughter has fallen in love with hockey because of the fights! She watched the movie “Miracle”, and just took to it. I have grown to like it because of the lack of the “ghetto” influence. They stand for the anthem. In fact the guy that sings for the Rangers is awesome!