By Ryan
The NHL has plenty of TV issues they need to deal with. Maybe they should start with this one: Set a date for the Stanley Cup Finals and stick to it. It’s not hard. We’ve known for months that the NBA Finals begin June 4, and they have the same playoff format as the NHL. It’s likely that the NHL fears getting hammered in the ratings by the NBA, and they want to get in as many games as possible before the NBA Finals tip off.
The NHL had originally set June 5 as the date for Game 1 of the Finals, but left May 29 open as an alternate date if the Conference Finals only went to four or five games. Pittsburgh swept their series and Detroit beat Chicago in five games, but the finals start date is going to change yet again.
Of course, this makes it really hard for us to list the Stanley Cup Finals correctly in Channel Guide Magazine. We used both the June 5 and the alternate May 29 date, but neither is going to be right. Game 1 will actually be Saturday, May 30 at 8pm ET on NBC.
The NHL gets enough criticism about being on Versus, a channel that people still seem unable to find. At least the NHL could pin down the date for their championship, so they could hype that and let media outlets spread the word. Just a thought.
Stanley Cup Finals Schedule
(All times ET)
Detroit vs. Pittsburgh
Game 1 — May 30, Pittsburgh at Detroit, 8pm (NBC)
Game 2 — May 31, Pittsburgh at Detroit, (TBA) (NBC)
Game 3 — June 2, Detroit at Pittsburgh, 8pm (Versus)
Game 4 — June 4, Detroit at Pittsburgh, 8pm (Versus)
Game 5 — June 6, Pittsburgh at Detroit, 8pm (NBC) (if necessary)
Game 6 — June 9, Detroit at Pittsburgh, 8pm (NBC) (if necessary)
Game 7 — June 12, Pittsburgh at Detroit, 8pm (NBC) (if necessary)
