When the Eagles are just in the playoffs, everywhere people are cheering even during the off days in preparation for the upcoming game. For the Flyers, who are in the championship game? Not so much. When the Phillies are in the World Series, forget it.
I think it represents that hockey still has some serious work to do to get back in the national spotlight, even a few years following their horrendous lockout. The last time the Flyers were in the Cup Final (1997,) the city was completely wrapped up in the team. Of course, we had much more captivating stars like Eric Lindros, John LeClair, and of course, Ron Hextall.
For me, I think the Flyers have always been my favorite Philadelphia team, because they were the best team in the city when I was young. My bedroom is covered in Flyers gear, and I remember being SO excited for the Flyers, not Eagles, Phillies, and definitely not the Sixers.
The NHL still needs to get on the national map. Make hockey the top story on ESPN daily. It needs to get out of the Versus TV contract and evolve into something with serious national spotlight. I'm not sure what channel can provide that amount of momentum besides ESPN, but Versus is clearly not the answer. Does anyone actually watch Versus for anything other than hockey and the annual Tour De France (does anyone even watch that?)
It's upsetting to me to see how little people seem to care about the championship round of a sport in their own city. I think the Phillies and Eagles have made Philly spoiled. We're not so desperate anymore, we just only root for teams we believe in, and nobody believes in the Flyers. Insert sad face here.
Anyways, Go Flyers!
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