It's Not What You Know...

      

by Lisa Ovens

Well, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Game One of the Stanley Cup Final round is in the books, with a sweet overtime victory for the LA Kings. I’m sure the women and crew from Whilethemenwatch are also feeling some relief after getting their first Hockey Night in Canada show under their belts.

Like many, I was surprised that a show that openly discussed topics often banned on hockey message boards was getting this kind of exposure. However, I wasn’t one of the people to boycott the show last night. As concerned as I was about how this show wound up on HNIC, I still planned on giving it some time before I got into the game.

Over the last ten years I have studied women related sports ventures and the careers of various hockey media women. In my second book, For the Love of Empty Net Goals, I created a special section listing milestone achievements, firsts, failures, female hockey jersey debacles, and issue riddled marketing campaigns to name a few. Whilethemenwatch is another entry to throw onto the research pile.

Now, onto my experience watching the first period of Jules and Lena’s Whilethemenwatch…

 

For readers in the United States, here is a photo of the set up as it looked on my computer screen. Ladies on the left, game on the right. I also had the game on my TV as well, which was running ahead of the online stream.

A B&W skit opened the show, with Lena and Jules channeling Lucy and Ethel having a telephone chat, gossiping about "these two women who were going to be hosting a new show on HNIC". Eventually they hang up because the game was going to start so they had to go take care of the men.Obviously this opening  was their way of responding to several days of backlash. Then the real show began.

Show hosts, Lena Sutherland and Jules Mancuso had some help from producer/camera operator Sonny, as well as Jamie Ordolis, Senior Producer of CBC Live, who sitting off to the side. As you can see the set was pink with white, but instead of the girls sipping from martini glasses, they were holding big, manly coffee mugs. There was plenty of chatting, with Sonny either fielding hockey questions from the hosts, or he was reining them in towards something that was going on during the game. They all seemed to have a nice rapport going, and the host themselves seem to be very friendly women.

At times I was distracted by the twitter feed scrolling down the right side of my screen, but it did serve a purpose. Everyone loves prizes, so the show became interactive, getting viewers involved by tweeting photos of them watching the game and who they were watching the game with to be used as an entry to win some swag. I did see some tweets from people getting involved amongst all tweets, good and bad for #whilethemenwatch.

The one bit I liked was when they spoke about a cheer that had something to do with the movie, Scarface. I thought the cheer sounded kind of cool, and I even tweeted asking for the spelling of the word they cheered, but never got a response. Wish I could share that with you.

Once the Boyfriend of The Game portion of their shtick began I really wanted to stop watching, but it seemed to go on and on. For me, it was bizarre and somewhat unpleasant to see two grown women get into such an elaborate procedure in order to choose the best looking players on the ice. I realize the premise of the show has been set up as if we are eavesdropping on them “while the men watch” and they obviously had to add some props into the Boyfriend mix because this is taking place on camera. But this kind of content, along with the "Hall Pass" game really belongs on a Cougar Dating website.I did find myself getting more into the game itself at this point. Couldn't help it: I love hockey, and it was hard to stay with their talking .

The finer points of Boyfriend of the Game

 

After the game, I spent some time reading the twitter comments directed at Jules and Lena’s show. I didn’t spend any time with the horrible insulting tweets, because no one deserves that kind of treatment, but instead focused on the more constructive ones written by women.

It is clear to me that a female run hockey show, with the right content, could be accepted by both female and male hockey fans. It was clear to me ten years ago when I started my Hockey and High Heels project. I wouldn’t have started writing my first hockey book if I didn’t discover there was a community for it.

Watching the WTMW debut last night did inspire me. I'm inspired to share the knowledge I've gathered from ten years of “Watching Women Watch Sports”, and go beyond consulting with hockey teams. It inspired me to develop my own ideas for shows that I’ve written down over the years, and I encourage other female hockey content writers to do the same. If we are not pleased with a show like Whilethemenwatch, and know we can do better, we should make it happen. 

When I looked at what Jules and Lena have accomplished in a year, I was both impressed and baffled at the same time. Myself, along with other women hockey content creators know how hard it is to get a foot in the door. In my column yesterday I asked out loud in the CBC's direction, just how did this Whilethemenwatch concept make it onto Hockey Night in Canada’s platform? Finally I found the answer in an article posted on avclub.com earlier today. It was in an interview conducted by John Semley (link is here). Here's the telling excerpt...

AV Club: How did this deal with the CBC come about?

Lena S: It was through a friend of my husband. There were some emails back and forth, and the CBC asked us how we could work together for the Stanley Cup Finals.

There you go, people...It’s a classic case of  “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” 

               

Hockey and High Heels on WhileTheMenWatch and CBC

by Lisa Ovens

I have to admit, I just didn’t know where to begin with this latest hockey fan crisis involving Whilethemenwatch and CBC’s Hockey Night inCanada. This whole thing just seems like an April Fool’s joke. The CBC is offering up a choice platform for two women to provide "gossip show" style commentary during the Stanley Cup Final? Two women reaching out to non hockey fans that view the game more as an inconvenience that requires coping skills? Two women who went on TV, and when asked for a sample of their work after being shown a photo of the Sedin Twins, said “Do the Sedins’ curtains match the carpet?"  Yep, this does feel like a prank and I so wish I was being fooled for real.

Whether online or face to face, there are always guys and gals in the crowd that are going to seriously question a woman's knowledge and commitment to the game. Where's the card we can flash that instantly proves our hockey cred*? "Logic clearly dictates that the needs of many outweigh the needs of the few." Yes, I'm playing the Spock quote card. However, I have low expectations from Lena Sutherland and Jules Mancuso to use their new found power with WTMW on CBC to help us out with the credibility issue after they inadvertently catapulted us back to the Fifties. What are you gonna do?

Like WTMW, I came out of left field with my first book Hockey &High Heels, so I truly knows what it is like to stick your neck out into the world of hockey entertainment, as Lena and Jules are doing with their partnership with CBC Sports. So It’s hard for me not to mention a few of my own experiences as they relate to this story. In my case, along with a lot of good, I also saw some hand wringing, eye rolling and insults because of the title (mostly from women online) and I even had a cyber stalker for a little while. But none of that compares to what I have read about Lena, Jules and the CBC over the last few days. Here's what I am thinking about the CBC.

Come on publicly Funded CBC...

There are plenty of women available who have the talent to deliver quality hockey content suitable for the masses. Hockey minded women deserve to be working in hockey and they deserve to be a part of North American hockey’s biggest event, the Stanley Cup Final. How Jules and Lena wound up being the chosen ones riding the coat tails of the longest running show in the history of sports is beyond me.

I am well aware that the CBC/NHL contract expires in 2015. We saw the CBC lose the HNIC theme song, what else could be on the block in the near future? Obviously strengthening the HNIC brand is vital between now and then. Although I think it is great to see HNIC tinker with their presentation and content, they clearly are out of touch with, well, everything!

The other day I was speaking with Pens hockey writer, Jan Snyder, and she reminded me of the sparkle/studded NHL jersey crisis of 2010. When pressed, the NHL’s merchandise department admitted they didn’t really know what women hockey fans wanted. How do two big companies like the NHL and the CBC completely miss the mark in this day and age?

Often, women are referred to as the elusive female market or the lucrative female market. That’s what we are. Women have this massive purchasing power that is known and lusted after in corporate boardrooms, the world over. Yet, for some reason, as the CBC has demonstrated, the other power we possess is completely ignored. And by other kind of power I mean being in a position to show them what the key looks like and how to use that key to unlock the door to this highly desirable market.

So, I have to ask CBC... are we in this situation because of an old boys' club judgement?  Or, and I highly doubt this, are the Whilethemenwatch women working for free? Don't you think it might be more beneficial to target the casual male and female hockey fans first and then tackle the ones that are forced to cope with hockey in their house?

Coming later today...Part Two  The Aubrey O'Days of Hockey, Lena and Jules!

* My Hockey Cred...

Ten years ago this summer, I began work on a hockey book titled Hockey and High Heels- A Different Kind of Hockey Book. To make a long story short, H&HH website launched 2004,  H&HH book launched 2005, added hockey blog to website in Fall 2006, did my first hockey event for women 2006 (Everett Silvertips) Went on to do events with the Phoenix Coyotes, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, plus consulted with other teams, 2010 Winter Olympic Blogger, launched a second book, For the Love of Empty Net Goals- My Adventures Living Hockey, and most recently spoke at the Buffalo Sabres Hockey n Heels event March, 2012. Currently I'm learning how to walk again after seriously breaking my ankle thanks to an outdoor skating accident in Florida.

NHL Hockey: Is It All Bunged Up?

The once mighty puck cries out for help as it tries to find its way to the net

 by Lisa Ovens

A couple of weeks ago I was chatting with my friend Rory. The subject of shot blocking came up. Rory's solution: "Penalize the players that go down to block a shot. They can block all they want standing up, but as soon as they go down, blow the whistle." Well, that's one way to look at it. Blocking shots is the latest poster child for what's ailing the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and it certainly has many people worried and upset. Most of the upset people are standing on the sidelines now that their teams have been knocked out of contention for Lord Stanley's Cup. But there is more to this than just the blocked shots.

Legendary coach, Scotty Bowman put his CSI skills to work and pinpoints defensive strategies utilized by the late Roger Neilson ( during his coaching days with the Toronto Maple Leafs) as the blue print for what we are seeing right now. (click here for the Globe and Mail article). World's greatest female player, Hayley Wickeneiser has also weighed in on the Playoffs, and she's bored. I have to laugh at this because usually it's the guys calling the girls game boring and unwatchable. (Click here for Hayley's story)

Scotty's final words on the matter... "There's nothing anybody can do about it." I guess that's what a guy with a team like those win hogging Montreal Canadiens of the 1970's would say. Which is probably why Roger Neilson cooked up and deployed his defensive strategy in the first place: he was trying to beat a virtually unbeatable team! So my next question is, who's going to be the Roger Neilson today? Who's going to try and UN-bung this trend, so we don't see a bunch of  General Managers on an off-season prowl for free agent shot blockers and worse, a bunch of coaches mimicking this style next season (should it win the Cup).

I feel sorry for the guys on the point when it is "shot block time"...all they do is pass it back and forth to each other trying to see a shot that just isn't there. The Point men are desperate and have lost their mojo. The pain delivered from a hard shot is not enough of a deterrent. Maybe the puck also needs be ablaze with fire, or equipped with those exploding dye packets used to foil bank robberies.

When I think back to those days watching the highly skilled trio of Marcus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi and Brendan Morrison. When they had to play Jacques Lemaire's defense first Minnesota Wild, they often had to dump and chase, because of the Wild's Neutral Zone Trap. Sometimes they would lob the puck high over the Neutral Zone because that was where the glut of Wild sweaters were, waiting to stop the Canucks from skating the puck into the zone.

Well, what if, instead of firing hard shots from the point that will most likely be blocked, the point guys gently flip the puck up, nice and high, in the general direction of the net, over everyone's heads in the "Offensive Zone Clog", and let the puck fall where ever it may; at the very least, getting it bouncing around for someone to do something skillful and/or wacky in the name of a scoring chance. Or we could always hope two of the defenders both lunge for the puck at the same time, only to fall like Keystone Cops. I think it would be more exciting to watch these lobs inside the offensive zone, than to watch the two guys at the point repeatedly pass the puck back and forth, searching for an unavailable shooting lane. I don't know, but maybe these offensive zone lobs  would somehow shame the shot-blockers (and the Coaches who clog them) enough so they'd think..."this isn't the way this game is supposed to be - what are we thinking?" Yep, there's nothing like a good shaming to set some people straight.

So there. Scotty Bowman, this "anybody" has come up with a new strategy!

But, maybe this idea is not good one. The thought of all the potential high sticks batting at a lobbed puck is a dangerous one, though it would draw some penalties. But it could be worth a try, and its the kind of solution that doesn't involve a new rule or a messy red dye.

Gosh...I ended with a rhyme ;o)

Stanley Cup Playoffs: Round Two TV Market Match Ups

 

By Lisa Ovens

You see, for diehard hockey fans recently bounced out of the playoffs because their team lost their first round series, wondering out loud about the size of TV Markets is a popular activity. I guess it helps mask the pain they are feeling after some of the epic oustings we witnessed during this year's Quarter Finals. So, they turn to the rankings of TV markets in order to decide which teams actually “deserve to still be playing” and in some cases; bolster their NHL Conspiracy theories arguments. However, many fans don’t actually look up the TV Market rankings.

When the Phoenix Coyotes eliminated the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Florida Panthers appeared to be in the driver's seats of their  first round series with the New Jersey Devils, many a fan jumped to a "Stanley Cup Final conclusion" featuring those two teams, and it wasn't pretty: plenty of these speculators felt the Coyotes and the Panthers don't deserve to be in the Finals. If they did check out the TV market rankings, they'd see the Coyotes are in the 12th largest market, and the Panthers reside in the 16th largest. That's not too bad! Yes, I did the research, and this is how the TV Markets are matching up in Round Two…

Let’s see, in the East we have Number One Seeded TV Market, the New York Rangers vs. Number  Nine TV Market, the Washington Capitals. In the other Eastern Conference Series, Number Four TV Market, Philadelphia Flyers up against New Jersey Devils, who appear to have one foot in Number One  (Ranger’s market) and the other foot in Number Four (Philadelphia’s market) Yep, Stanley Cup parking lot parades, no unique TV Market to call their own…nothing comes easy for those Devils.

Out West, the high flying Los Angeles Kings, tops in Left Coast TV numbers (the Number two US TV Market) vs. Number 21, the St. Louis Blues. Phoenix is looking steady at Number 12 , vs. the smallest Round Two TV Market (29^th), the Nashville Predators.

The best part about the four Western Conference teams: none of them have won a Stanley Cup, therefore one of these virgin teams is guaranteed at shot at winning it all this year! Both the Kings and the Blues have played in the Stanley Cup Finals: the Blues lost three years in row (1968, 69 and 70) and the Kings were finalists in 1993, losing to the Montreal Canadiens (that was last time a Canadian based team won the Stanley Cup). The Predators and the Coyotes have yet to make it to the Finals, and considering they are playing each other right now, one of them isn't going to make it any further than Round Two :o(

Out East, the Capitals are the last remaining Cup-less team in this year's Playoffs, only tallying one appearance in the Finals (1998, and they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings). Who knows how this is going to play out, but  if the Capitals make it all the way to Round Four, then one of the final two teams will bring The Stanley Cup home for the very first time. Trust me...this is one story line that will keep many of the fans in Canada watching. What else are we gonna do?

Happy viewing :o) 

 

Top One Hundred TV Markets

We’re Waiting…

By Lisa Ovens

I saw the above poster on a power pole near my home yesterday. I am guessing these “This is Our Home: Celebrate Responsibly” PSA posters are displayed around the city as a reminder of last year’s Stanley Cup Final Riots.

Well, Canucks…we’re waiting to celebrate. How can we show off our ability to celebrate responsibly without a win at home? Now that the Canucks are trailing 0-2 in their Quarter Final Playoff Series with the Los Angeles Kings, we fans must look elsewhere for celebration. Personally, I have discovered half price hockey themed Easter chocolate…

Like this hollow chocolate, goalie helmet….YAY!

Or this classic foiled, hollow chocolate, hockey playing Easter Bunny…WOOT!

Okay, so we are unaccustomed to losing two home games in a row at the start of the playoffs. Perhaps this anomaly should be accepted, even welcomed as a sign that this year is going to be a different run. That maybe, just maybe the boys need this adversity at this very moment in time in order to establish their winning formula that will take them deep into the playoffs again.

The Canucks finished tops in the league. They have home ice advantage throughout their entire run. That’s about the only perks they have here in the West. After being in the East for the whole season, the glimpses I did get of the Western Conference told me that there isn’t that much of a difference between 1^st seed and 8^th.  Any WC team has the ability to go all the way. Well, maybe not the Sharks (tee hee – I can’t help it!).

Game Three is tonight. And I am all out of chocolate. Come on Canucks, please don’t force me to celebrate the great deal I got on a new doormat yesterday!

In case you are wondering…the doormat was only $2.77…YOWSA!

GO NUCKS :o)