Suddenly, NHL hockey's got the glam

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TV This Week
Suddenly, NHL hockey's got the glam
By Diego Vasquez
Mar 25, 2008 - 1:00:51 AM

The NHL regular season ends in less than two weeks, and many teams are still jockeying for standing in the postseason. Two of those, the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers, ranked Nos. 6 and 7 in the Eastern Conference, square off tonight at 7:30 p.m. on Versus.

There are eight playoff spots available in the East, and 12 teams are still competing for them, all with at least 35 wins. As of yesterday, neither the 39-26 Rangers nor the 38-28 Flyers seemed to be pulling away from the pack, posting 11 wins in their last 10 games combined.

But Versus enters the playoffs, which begin April 9, on a bit of a hot streak.

In the channel’s third year of carrying the NHL, viewership for the games is up by roughly a quarter over last year, going from an average 200,000 viewers to nearly 250,000, the result of better awareness and distribution of the channel itself, a very competitive season and the rise of young, exciting superstars like Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin, this season’s points leader.

That coincides with strong interest in NBC’s New Year’s Day game between the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins, the first-ever outdoor NHL game in the U.S. It drew the best rating for a regular-season game in more than a decade.

Versus has been pumping the end of the season hard over the last week and a half. The network recently began a multimedia campaign spanning TV, print and online to promote the playoffs, and it has launched a new feature during game coverage that allows fans to text-message questions to the game broadcasters, who can answer them on the air. It mirrors a similar program begun on Canada’s TSN last year.

A look at this week’s top TV draws
TUESDAY, MARCH 25
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	ABC	“Good Morning America” (N)	Actress Demi Moore guests and chef Sara Moulton cooks it up.
7 p.m.	Versus	“NHL Hockey” (S)	The Flyers take on the Rangers as the Stanley Cup playoffs loom.
8 p.m.	Fox	“American Idol” (R)	The top 10 contestants perform. Who’s your favorite?
9 p.m.	ABC	“Dancing with the Stars” (R)	The first results show of the season sees one male and one female voted off.
10 p.m.	BET	“College Hill” (R)	What a stand-up roommate: Anthony brings strippers back to the house and messes with the girls’ alarm clocks.
10 p.m.	FX	“The Riches” (D)	Nina is held hostage by a couple of locals.
10 p.m.	Bravo	“Real Housewives of New York City” (R)	LuAnn hits the scene with her much younger niece.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 26
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	NBC	“Today” (N)	Actress Helen Mirren drops by.
7 p.m.	ESPN	“NBA Basketball” (S)	A finals preview? The Suns take on the Celtics in Boston.
8 p.m.	CW	“America’s Next Top Model” (R)	Tyra teaches the girls how to give “that look” at the end of a runway.
9 p.m.	Fox	“American Idol” (R)	Kimberly Locke performs and, of course, a finalist is eliminated.
9:30 p.m.	ESPN	“High School Basketball” (S)	An early look at next year’s top college players in the McDonald’s All-American Game.
10 p.m.	Comedy Central	“South Park” (C)	The guys have to help Britney Spears to the North Pole.
10 p.m.	MTV	“Real World/Road Rules Challenge” (R)	A reunion of cast members from the third edition of The Gauntlet.
THURSDAY, MARCH 27
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 p.m.	CBS	“College Basketball” (S)	Are your brackets already busted? Coverage of the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA tournament.
8 p.m.	ABC	“Miss Guided” (C)	The first time in her life, Becky acts like a rebel.
8 p.m.	CW	“Smallville” (D)	Clark tries to use his flying skills to take on Brainiac.
9 p.m.	NBC	“Celebrity Apprentice” (R)	Season finale. The Donald names his winner and awards $250,000 to his or her charity of choice.
10 p.m.	ABC	“Eli Stone” (D)	Still another appearance by singer George Michael.
10 p.m.	MTV	“Randy Jackson Presents: America’s Best Dance Crew” (R)	Season finale. The winning team is selected.
10 p.m.	TLC	“LA Ink” (R)	Kat’s boyfriend tells her dad all about their relationship.
FRIDAY, MARCH 28
Time	Network	Program	Description
7 a.m.	ABC	“Good Morning America” (N)	Doctors Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen both guest.
7 p.m.	CBS	“College Basketball” (S)	More coverage of the NCAA men’s basketball regional semifinals.
8 p.m.	CMT	“Ultimate Coyote Ugly Search” (R)	The seven remaining contestants compete in a challenge called “Don’t Stop Dancing.”
8:30 p.m.	Fox	“The Return of Jezebel James” (C)	Coco gets a job walking a neighbor’s dog.
9 p.m.	Travel Channel	“Mysteries of the Smithsonian” (N)	A look at some of the most unique items at the famous institution.
10 p.m.	Sci Fi Channel	“Battlestar Galactica: Revealed” (A)	A recap of the show’s first three seasons.
SATURDAY, MARCH 29
Time	Network	Program	Description
3 p.m.	NBC	“PGA Golf” (S)	Third-round coverage of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.
6:30 p.m.	CBS	“College Basketball” (S)	The first of two regional finals that will determine half of this year’s Final Four.
8 p.m.	Fox	“Cops” (R)	Cops in Las Vegas use their trusty spike strips to slow down a stolen car.
8 p.m.	Nickelodeon	“Kids’ Choice Awards” (A)	The 21st annual event, hosted again this year by Jack Black.
10 p.m.	Showtime	“John Witherspoon: You Got to Coordinate” (A, C)	The aging comedian delivers a stand-up special.
11 p.m.	Fox	“Mad TV” (C)	Spoofs of Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey, as well as a “Juno 2” sketch.
SUNDAY, MARCH 30
Time	Network	Program	Description
2 p.m.	CBS	“College Basketball” (S)	The first of two more regional finals, completing this season’s Final Four.
3 p.m.	NBC	“PGA Golf” (S)	Final round of the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, won by Nick Watney last year.
8 p.m.	Fox	“The Simpsons” (C)	Lisa becomes addicted to secondhand smoke.
8 p.m.	Univision	“Por Siempre…Selena” (A)	Latin music stars offer a tribute to the late singer.
9 p.m.	CW	“The Game” (C)	Serena Williams guests and goes on a date with Malik.
9:30 p.m.	Fox	“Unhitched” (C)	Season finale. Tommy teaches Freddy how to drive.
10 p.m.	FX	“Dirt” (D)	Willa and Farber try to find juicy tidbits on celebrity relationships.
A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.