Gary Bettman explains why some TV viewers won’t get Stanley Cup Final games

By Dan Cahill

It’s that time again when you settle into your favorite chair to watch the Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Final, click on the remote and WHAT!? Where’s the game?

Per the NHL’s agreement with NBC, two of the Stanley Cup Final games have to be on the NBC Sports Network. Not a big deal if you’re one of about 80 million households that has NBCSN in your cable package. But, if you’re one of the 35 million or so that doesn’t, you had better head to your local bar Games 3 and 4.

Appearing on The Score (WSCR-670 AM) on the “Mully & Hanley” show, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman explained:

It’s not available in all homes, but most. And the fact of the matter is NBC has done a terrific job in promoting, scheduling, broadcasting the games on both NBC and NBC Sports Network. I think we had our highest rated ever Game 2 on Saturday night. And as part of the package, we made with NBC three years ago, for the first time ever in America all playoff games were on national TV. In terms of give and take, it was important to NBC to put a couple of the Final games on the NBC Sports network. It’s something we’ll continue to look at over time. Basically everyone can get it with cable or satellite TV.

Blackhawks fans might recall a similar problem during the Stanley Cup Final runs in 2010 (remember Versus) and 2013.

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