the buzz log
The NHL has gone into the boards this season in their attempt to build buzz. Hockey's long slog of a regular season came and went without registering a blip on our radar. Sure, there was a fantastic brawl between Ottawa and Buffalo, Sidney Crosby's prodigious output, and a stick attack from Chris Simon, but hockey continues to teeter on the fringes of American sports culture.
With a TV contract that keeps most fans blissfully unaware of puck-related activities, hockey's been surpassed in buzz by NASCAR, the PGA, and UFC. Can the NHL Playoffs salvage some Search interest? Well, queries on the NHL are up 43% this week and the league is back in our top 10 sports searches. Related searches on "2007 nhl playoffs," "nhl playoff bracket," and "nhl playoff schedule" are also hip-checking their way through our data.
Currently, the Pittsburgh Penguins (led by young Crosby) are the top team in NHL searches. Searches on the Pens jumped 77% as they began their first playoff run since 2001. The top-seeded Sabres come in sixth place in the Buzz standings, but Buffalo hockey fans are tops. How do we know? Well, Buffalo is the top metro for searches on the NHL over the last week by a wide margin.
It's entirely possible that an exciting playoffs can win back a few hockey converts. But it'll take big-market teams going deep to really pique interest. Throw in a few multiple-OT thrillers, exciting young players, and a controversy or two and the NHL could be back on the road to Buzz respectability.
the buzz log
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what's the buzz?
A subject's buzz score is the percentage of Yahoo! users searching for that subject on a given day, multiplied by a constant to make the number easier to read. Weekly leaders are the subjects with the greatest average buzz score for a given week.
For more detailed information, visit our FAQ.
comments
Posted by resurrectcobain | Thu, April 12, 2007, 10:01 pm PDT
Sadly enough, I'm the first one to post a comment here. Still, the NHL hit rockbottom a few seasons back and there's really only one to go now...up. This year's playoffs may just as well do it. All 3 NYC area teams are in, including upstate New York's Sabres; Detroit, as usual, in the playoffs again; 3 Canadian teams in as well; then there's the rest. Well balanced playoff matchups, but just a crappy TV contract here in the US.
Posted by alfmeiggs | Fri, April 13, 2007, 8:40 am PDT
I expanded my satalite service at the start of the hockey season so I could get the Versus channel. I watched some games and quit as I am disappointed with the way the game is now played. I may watch some of the playoffs to see if the same tone is used in the playoffs as in the regular season. I grew up in Boston and was an avid Bruins fan until my move to the northwest.
Posted by nphockey10 | Fri, April 13, 2007, 9:04 pm PDT
Id like to think hockey fans are just smarter than other sports fans and dont need to search for the "NHL" we know the site we want to visit, so no need for a search. Note VS has a great Broadcast of the NHL. Just a cable station. Its no different from the TNT broadcast of other sports that I wont mention. I think the dedicated fans need to get the ball rolling by word of mouth to coworkers and friends. Its back the NHL, open ice, last minute no last second goals, hits, fights, teamwork, crazy saves, and when was the last arrest made to an NHL player related to drugs or guns. The NHL just lost its way but is back and steaming straight ahead with and extreem talented and young new cast.
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