This is EXACTLY what the NHL needs

During these NHL playoffs, we’ve seen a few moments where Charles Barkley of TNTs The Inside Crew has brought up hockey and the fact that he’s a fan. That has been great and provided some incredible sound bits! But today in the pre game show of the Miami Heat vs the Boston Celtics, the TNT Basketball crew guest featured Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers and this was awesome to see! This is EXACTLY how the NHL should market the game. Tkachuk has blossomed into an NHL superstar and is a great figure to market to the American audience. I cover this and more in todays NHL video!
FULL TNT INTERVIEW VIDEO: • Matthew Tkachuk Joins ...
#hockey #nhl #highlights #nhlplayoffs #floridapanthers #TNT #charlesbarkley

[@nextmanupNMU]

What are your thoughts on TNT's hockey coverage this year?

[@StarzNHL]

Isa W

[@NoahS_]

good but i hate the scoreboard

[@1227_Washington]

The camera work is horrific. They constantly try to keep the puck in the center of the TV frame and they zoom in too tight leaving a lot of the action in front of the net out of the picture. Leave the camera framed and centered on the offensive zones keeping the blue line and the net in the picture. Stop chasing the puck!!!! The ridiculous replay video zoomed in too tight. The weird need to zoom in to the goalie after the puck goes in the net instead of focusing on the goal scorer. Who cares about the goalie? Let's watch the celebration for the love of Pete. Wildly swinging cameras around and zooming in during game play is not good technique. This goes for ESPN also.

[@rickjames9888]

TNT is killing it compared to ESPN. Biz being a donkey on the broadcast has been so damn funny, mixed with the best point getter in the league with Gretz, and top notch goalie insight by Henrik. Its a great combo of guys who make it an enjoyable broadcast. ESPN has been dog shit.

[@ohla3644]

to me sportsnet is boring, its way to like classy? i don't know the right word to say it. i feel like the people on tnt and basketball the people over there actually have fun with what they're doing and sportsnet talk way to much about what's happening with the game which im sure people like that but to me i like the less serious tnt brodcast.

[@Justme77400]

TNT is great. ESPN is terrible and has always treated hockey terribly. The NHL’s decision to get back on that channel was so stupid.

[@NorthAmericanEditing]

Preach 🙌🏼

[@meyou8141]

ESPN core audience isn't for people who like to watch sports. It's for clowns who think watching Skip Bayless, Stephen A Smith, and company yell at each other is entertaining.

[@adisonfarrel8626]

yes, TNT coverage on NBA & NBA r top notch. the ESPN r just straight up pure nauseating garbage

[@toriamansfield2999]

The NHL saw $$$$.

[@Damianoutlaw]

TNT is so much better than espn at hockey. It’s not close

[@daviddavenport1485]

When Sir Charles does a better job of marketing the NHL than the NHL itself

[@imnotyourfriendbuddy1883]

He's a big Sir Jay fan

[@shpendinesimi2954]

This man is a gem. Barkley is the king of sports talk radio/tv/anything really. Don't believe me? Just ask the women if san antonio

[@pineapplegamer6986]

He does a better job advertising and talking hockey than basketball 😂

[@NobleDemonTim]

Back when Comcast used to own the 76ers, Barkley adopted the Flyers as his favorite hockey team.

[@Wayf4rer]

Charles Barkley is good friends with Lightning head coach John Cooper. One of reasons he's getting into hockey!

[@jadenwaz9585]

On Spittin Chicklets recently he said he’d been into it since the late 80s.

[@alexschneider8494]

@@jadenwaz9585 Yeah he’s friends with Gretzky lol idk what this guy is talking about

[@jasper.maxwell]

​@@9mmSafetyAlways0ff Pretty sure Alex was referring to the OP lol

[@derkaiserzen]

he's been a friend with John Cooper without knowing he's a Lightning coach in the first place

[@kwizzeh]

@@derkaiserzen I love how this just shows that Chuck is a good dude

[@uranium54321]

If he pronounces Sergei Bobrovsky “Serjay Babobkov,” I’d love to see him try to pronounce Ukko Pekka Luukkonnen’s name lmao

[@MetalDetroit]

😂

[@America-First2024]

That’s what is funny about Barkley! He messes up easy words at times. 😂

[@MrKevlarkent]

He'd probably say something like Okk-pecker Louwka

[@axe2grind244]

I’d like to see UPL make big saves and be a #1 goalie like he was drafted to be at some point this century.

[@MrKevlarkent]

@@axe2grind244 iirc, he was never as good as saros, or lankinen, even as a junior

[@colonelpanic7865]

Fact is, no other sport or league makes it as difficult to watch a game outside of going to the arena itself. I grew up in the 80s and 90s and watched hockey games on regular TV, during the season. It was no different than with the NBA or MLB, or practically any other big league remains today... But with the NHL today, they seem hellbent on pushing special subscriptions, for the privilege of getting to watch an indetermined number of random games, as most will still seemingly be blacked out to you, depending on where you live. Even for fans, it gets frustrating when you plan to watch the game tonight, and then try to tune in, just to see a black screen and a "regional blackout" message. It's to the point where I'm more invested in my local major junior team than in the NHL these days, and that feels like a major marketing and accessibility failure on the part of the league and its leadership.

[@geoff3103]

the NHL today seems hellbent on making money but not fans.

[@colinbrunette54]

Same. The 67’s sucked this year though so it was hard. Should’ve went over the bridge to Gatineau and seen some QMJHL

[@that_guy0_0]

Arrrgh matey! Ye must go on the high seas to get the booty, ya land lover

[@088l]

NHL doesnt know how to market anything besides Ovechkin and Crosby. any special events are inconsistent and are clear cash grabs. they couldn't even market McDavid properly until the TNT deal... 8yrs into his career.

[@scruffy-thejanitor]

This is why free sportsstreams are the go to. No commercials, no blackouts, no overpriced B.S. Not to mention the amount of people who pay $50+ a month only to have their service cut out in the middle of a playoff game (looking at you HULU). There's no reason all games can't be available to you through cable or one subscription.

[@sadface6635]

TNT has the best broadcasts. Hard to beat biz and the great one goin at it

[@emfingcasher3735]

Got a friend of mine into hockey earlier this season and he’s now a huge Golden Knoghts fan who watches every game! He had no previous exposure to the sport and didn’t even know that fighting is allowed. Just goes to show how many people would be fans if only they were showed what hockey has to offer.

[@IAmAHeater]

ESPN gave up on hockey decades ago. First Take never talks about it.

[@thespeculum785]

Thank God they don’t. First Take-type nonsense is exactly what hockey doesn’t need. It’s all nonsensical blather about tabloid-type news. Keep it away from hockey.

[@IAmAHeater]

@@thespeculum785 True, but it is still the most watched show on sports television, not counting the games.

[@Conada1002]

Nobody cares about left wing woke ass first take

[@CKC298]

I’d take it a step further and say they actively belittle hockey. I live in NYC and the day after this happened, people were pisssssssed at the disrespect kzbin.info/www/bejne/pYClhIJsrdilbLs

[@CoolHandLuke196]

what is there to talk about?

[@faulknavy]

The NHL needs to get Barkley on it's TNT Hockey Crew FULL TIME!

[@1337slic3]

I wish they would have more cross-promotional stuff like this. I wanna see Biz in there with Chuck and Shaq on the reg

[@HammerJammer81]

The Fact that Barkley knows the names of stars in Hockey makes me smile. Ask any other NBA player and see what they say.

[@RoadTripzz14]

NBA tons of trendy fake fans. NHL (at least in the US) real, passionate fans. Basketball everywhere. Hockey (at least in the US) a sport fans find on their own and don’t mindlessly follow others into.

[@deesee2051]

He’s always talked about his love for hockey for years

[@terrencecoccoli524]

He surprised me with that

[@lostaccount2923]

Thats a ridiculous thing to say, you basically just said. “The fact that a hockey fan knows the names of stars in Hockey makes me smile. Now ask people who aren’t fans and see what they say.”

[@HammerJammer81]

@@lostaccount2923 NHL isnt as popular in the US. Get over yourself

[@jakenichols2626]

I LOVE TNT's coverage and their panel. I hope that it proves successful for them so they can continue to do so and grow the audience.

[@ssfalk41]

paul missthenet and lundquivist have been great aditions. now if tnt covered every game and offered 4k id be ready to pay $25-30 a month

[@rhyta5042]

The attitude Shaq displayed is so common in most sports departments, they don't care about hockey and think it is only for fighting. I was really dismayed last year when the NHL gave the contract back to ESPN. Their coverage was awful before and hasn't improved much. TNT was pretty sad last year but they are actually doing much better this year . It still ticks me off that I pay for ESPN+ and most of this season my teams games are blacked out. No wonder viewership is down.

[@easygoing2479]

Charles and Shaq are _great_ for sports commentary. I love watching the NCAA tournament with Charles making his predictions; he's so fun to watch and is always honest and interesting even when he's a mile off. Having Matthew Tkachuk on this broadcast was refreshing to say the least.

[@fasteddie9867]

I am very pleased with TNT's coverage of the NHL--especially the panel with Biz.

[@alexx9252]

Thats great that the NBA guys want to help the NHL, now if the NHL can help the NHL get popular we may see better results lol

[@we5t5id3gunn]

yup i remember i saw an sb nation video on the rivalry of my flyers vs the pens and they noted how this game should have been marketed huge, i mean the fights and every game between the two teams was so intense, plus the whole crosby vs giroux thing.

[@QuackAttack]

Charles Barkley is giving Don Cherry a run for his money with those mispronunciations lol

[@MetalDetroit]

True !

[@themanhands5599]

Closed caption Charles Barkley is always enjoyable.

[@drlca6601]

I'm a huge hockey fan, and I used to be a huge NBA fan, but since superteams became a thing I've slowly tuned out. Was big when the Raps won, but that team fell apart. I have always loved the TNT show and everyone except Kenny provides charisma and entertainment. As for Chuck's comments, they are my thoughts exact. I always say that the NHL shows would do well to emulate TNT's show, a stop looking and feeling so wooden. Even just a few chairs, some NHL legends and a 24 of beer to start? Gretzky cracking jokes the other week is basically the vein they need to tap. Just bring in the old guys with their knowledge and let them breathe, and from time to time let them do an interview of two. They NHL needs to work with sports networks and give fans a show like NBA fans have. Just give us something fun.

[@jonmendelson1104]

Haven't super teams pretty much always been a thing in the NBA?

[@redskinsxvii]

What do you think the 80s Celtics and Lakers were, exactly? Or the 60s Celtics?

[@thechosenhero8157]

Super teams are not new in any way man

[@fireproximity4225]

Kenny is the assist man on TNT, he has set up a lot of Sir Charles' best jokes like the Stove Clock and indirectly like "Kenny bring me some water",

[@dfm-fn1qg]

serjay bebobkov

[@joshbehehe]

Dude. I’ll go to war for Charles Barkley that’s a real ass dude. I’m so happy to see these guys push a prominent “white” sport, this game needs to be mainstream and this is how you do it. Hell ya

[@pmaigotthat7211]

Hell yeah doggy

[@LostinMIA]

I had no interest in hockey until on my birthday my girlfriend and I went to a Florida Panther game in 1996. I was hooked after that. I suggest people go to a game and sit up close. Amazing sport!

[@RoadTripzz14]

Excellent comment. Work in our local NHL arena and multiple people approached me and told me they loved their first experience watching the fastest game on earth live.

[@ShakeNBakeChicken]

@@RoadTripzz14 Much better in person, still good on tv, but in person cant be beat

[@andrewevans8305]

I absolutely cannot stand that ESPN lets the analysts disrespect hockey and belittle it with their comments regularly. Until NHL takes those comments seriously, no outsiders will take hockey seriously. Bad look for Shaq imo

[@LC-ht7sg]

Barkley is awesome. He’s honest and smart. And so funny

[@abelplays9237]

As a new viewer of hockey, it is true that hockey is basically heard come playoff time. However, it is a great sport, and the games are intense. I wish more people would give it the opportunity, even though I am happy it is starting to be shown more on tv

[@immaleaf4964]

I love Serge K Bobrovbka! Great goalie

[@Unholy_Louie]

The fact that this even notable in any way (and it is, you're right, in 2023, just shows how insanely inept the NHL is when it comes to marketing itself correctly and acceptable coverage... Ridiculous! Loved the vid dude, thank you!

[@bradnewsbear]

Serjay Bobovka, everyone's favorite cop. BOBOVKA!

[@_meury]

Best NHL channel - best from tiny Switzerland

[@cygnusx-1862]

Gotta love Barkley....says it like it is.

[@Irishhaf]

Only problem I had with TnT's coverage was if you are not a fan of a canadian team you would think nobody else plays the game. But yes they have done a wildly better job than espn.

[@noahrivera2092]

Never been a hockey fan till a few years ago .. hockey honesty is the most fun sport to watch not even close … hockey is absolutely electric

[@BourneIdentity45]

As someone who has always known about hockey but hasn’t watched it as much I have the last couple years I agree with Chuck, the league needs to figure out a way to market their stars a lot better you look at some of the social media pages that the stars have and it’s nothing compared to basketball even though some of the stars play in big markets like Boston New York Toronto etc, I think what Florida is doing right now is definitely something positive but the league as a whole needs to find a way to promote hockey as a whole. I think McDavid said something around the time that baseball had the WBC baseball classic right before the beginning of the season and he said something along the lines of “that’s something hockey needs and that they’ve been crying out for something like that” where the best play the best and get to represent their country without any real regulating of who gets to play for their countries, even basketball doesn’t really have that only thing I think that comes close is fiba, and then the olympics where almost every big name is going but that’s only once every 4 years. I do like how TNT has had Gretsky on there as a analyst (idk what it’s like in the regular season) but it’s definitely a bonus having someone of his stature giving his say so on games and having banter between the other guys similar with the nba TNT set with Charles Shaq Kenny and Ernie.

[@OmarWinkie]

Having someone watch hockey on TV will not make them a fan. Taking them to a game will, i have showed people the game when they come over to the house and there like yeah cool. Then i take them to a game and now they buy jerseys, watch all the time and even buy tickets. nothing like watching live.

[@that_guy0_0]

This is what happened with me and NASCAR 😂 but hockey is always my first love

[@jonbenjisnomore7935]

As a Oilers fan I can't believe that I'm cheering for Matt Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and Ryan Lomberg & the Panthers to win the Cup. Barkov Bobrovsky,Ekblad, Montour and Verhagie are great players in their own right as well. Shaq is right Matt is way better than Keith Tkachuk ever was.

[@jwdepriest]

Sir Jay Babovkov! Love it! Hahaha.

[@gged]

barkley is right they need to market the shit outta the league the players do their share. bettman pockets all the money he should spend on marketing and he wonders why the league dosent grow

[@lexis4490]

I literally started watching hockey because of the Mighty Ducks movie. They don’t have the best marketing, but the sport is one of the best sports in the world.

[@rowjoe2409]

It's crazy to see the size differences

[@lgsg65]

I agree but there is big and strong, and there is hockey strong.

[@paulhudson4254]

I’m with you Sir Charles! 🤠

[@revan5293]

The tnt crew is the best for the nba

[@nd8490]

Does anyone remember how got hockey was getting around 99' When Dallas won the cup? It was getting bigger and then they went into a strike and it killed all that growth.

[@Crimsonfangg]

The NHL definitely did a much worse job of marketing its superstars vs the NBA. I'm not a fan of basketball, but I know who Jordan, LeBron and Kobe are.

[@criticaljacques2237]

This is true... it's also true some of the stars are less marketable personalities.

[@Crimsonfangg]

@@criticaljacques2237 Well it's the role of marketing to elevate a product beyond its station. There's inferior products that are more successful simply because of great marketing campaigns.

[@ChrisTallant]

Honestly, I love listening to PK Subban talk to Steve Dangle when they would bicker back and forth... and if you could get people similar to that arguing back and forth polarized in front of a camera, you can bring people to watch a show.

[@jamesdiato]

Hockey is so entertaining to watch

[@geoff3103]

NHL needs A LOT of things

[@eyeexaggerate7687]

I’m not sure how much excitement the production needs, Hockey Night in Canada was never a spectacle and I had always appreciated that.

[@robertfan332]

On my sports radio channel in Boston they advertise ESPN+ and make sure to wedge in "watch your favorite team". But being in Boston the only team you cant watch is the Bruins because of blackouts. And these ads are on local radio so they only reach the Boston area advertising games that can't be watched on their app after all. It's a cluster fuck.

[@zachw4829]

Anything for a check...LOVE IT

[@brooks9184]

Anyone not into hockey needs to just take a chance and go to a hockey game. Not my favorite sport at all, but probably my favorite live game I’ve ever been to, outside of college football (pre-NIL & transfer portal). Nonstop action beginning to end

[@christopherrhorer5192]

Paul Bisonette is a gem. I watch Sean Avery’s podcast everyday too. He is entertaining with keen insight. He called Florida a wagon after game 6 first round.

[@plainbagel9192]

Charles Barkley should guest star analyste with Gretzky and the crew on Tnt hockey

[@alphawoof7749]

i would also say that putting him with the tnt guys over like espn is better because those guys are naturally funnier than the espn nba crew, but i loved this

[@Rootword7]

That Shaq ad should’ve had his two front teeth out. That would’ve been hysterical.

[@144SLRP]

Nobody does hockey like Vegas! But I’ve seen a lot of teams stepping it up at their stadiums

[@America-First2024]

TNT is better than ESPN! Sadly they have to split time. Also I’ve been saying this for years, NHL has a poor marketing department, more games on free TV! NBA, NFL, MLB, NASCAR and WNBA all have events televised on free television!

[@THE.KAVORKA_KING]

🤯 cool

[@23ofSeptember]

Only two times have two teammates scored triple dubs in same game. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen for the Chicago Bulls in 1989 and Kidd and Vince Carter for the New Jersey Nets in 2007. And now, its three! Joker and Murray. Unbelievable!

[@floxy20]

The only thing which drives interest in hockey in a non-traditional market is when that market gets an NHL franchise, and then interest can slowly grow.

[@scottallan6770]

It would have been epic if Tkachuk would have asked, "How come you guys never fight? Or for that matter, why can't you even play 60-minutes?"

[@charlisantini3403]

You want Tkachuk to ask why someone else won't fight? Just take the rest of the day off and go sit in the corner

[@Blueicyyy]

You sound mad

[@boringbone7645]

They used to fight back then but it got banned because black dudes fighting on TV gave the league a 'bad rep', so the NBA put heavy fines on it. Same reason why Iverson was very controversial back then for his dreadlocks and tattoos

[@billshogun7068]

The problem with getting nhl players more exposure is that most of them are not like Tkachuk.They are so scared to show any personality.Bill Simmons on his podcast said that the main reason he doesn’t like interviewing hockey players is that they don’t say anything interesting and he’s right! Wouldn’t it be great to have Bedard at the draft say-“I’m the next one and I’m coming to the NHL to make everyone look like a bunch of AHL players!”.But that would never happen in a million years.

[@6hughmungus9]

Sergey babakov is my favourite player in the NHL too

[@gbalph4]

We need more cross promos and Barkley said it perfectly.

[@e.c.winner7252]

Sergei Bobobkov is my favorite goalie!

[@luigivincenz3843]

Butler is good buds with Tkachuk and even wore his NHL jersey during a scrimmage before a playoff game. The comeback by the Panthers vs Boston 3-1 DOWN and win the series, is said to be the greatest comeback in NHL history. Then the Heat beat the Celtics. South Florida owns Boston.

[@MGTV1]

i don't think they are doing it in a new way at tnt. i think they are doing it the old way, which was the best way. they have made it look and feel the way it used to, which is a main reason i came back to the sport this year. they put actual stars with guys that weren't as good, but know how to do the media end well. they talk about hockey in a way that i don't have to re-explain to someone sitting next to me who is new to the sport, but still has me interested in the point they are making.

[@zergbong]

I live in Czech Republic, there are A LOT MORE people playing hockey than basketball, but you see more NBA merchandise than NHL.

[@OfficialChris88]

TNT needs to just fully expand ( I don’t know if they are on regular cable or whatever) and fully get the rights for the NBA and NHL! ESPN is straight out garbage covering them

[@dylanbollinger6872]

This is great coming form a Hurricanes fan.😊

[@codyjordan4380]

Trying to watch a home team due to ‘blackout’ rules is always drama and an issue all season long.

[@kunstssst]

TNT nhl broadcast was done perfectly. ESPN has been abysmal.

[@kunstssst]

Anne-Jay Kobidor, Brad Doty and Serjay Babobkov first team all stars.

[@CKC298]

Nate Dog did the first basket the other night at the Nugs game!

[@sals79]

the NHL absolutely needs much better marketing. i've been saying this shit for decades now.

[@fightingscared180]

One of the biggest problems with hockey is the players can’t market themselves there’s no celebrity hockey athletes outside of Canada a little in the US but hockey players generally keep to themselves don’t show off the only person that has ever transcended the sport is Gretzky

[@manzac112]

I mean, it's their decision if they want to market themselves or if they just want to keep to themselves. And to other players or teams, you'll be seen as a target, kind of like what teams did when Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin came into the league.

[@Johnamekin]

Anyone who has played both sports at a young age will tell you, Hockey is by far superior in terms of entertainment, skill and overall complete sport. I did, I still very much love watching and playing basketball to this day but it has to be said. Doesnt help that its much harder to be introduced to hockey for children when the gear is 10x more expensive than just having a ball and a pair of running shoes....makes it so that much more people are unaware of hockey's superiority :D

[@pascalbolduc]

Saturday, you could get the NHL only on ESPN+ whilr ESPN was playing college softball. Enough said.

[@shardhoney]

GOOO CATS

[@SAJe_53]

I absolutely agree about TNT & ESPN doing a good job marketing & showing hockey, but they need to get rid of those annoying flags over the players showing their name. Even my father turns off closed captioning to declutter the screen.

[@vegasrenie]

I got an ESPN plus subscription so I could watch all of the golden knights games. Since I am a senior, that only makes sense. You know, old and fixed income. Unfortunately, they don't broadcast any home games. It used to be that if the venue was sold out, then the home team would be broadcast. In the days of overpriced subscriptions, that's no longer the case. The interesting thing is what ESPN considers to be "home" games. for instance, I live in Las Vegas, but I can't watch Dodgers or AZ Diamondbacks baseball home games because apparently, I'm the home audience. Stupid.

[@noellyp9767]

Canada has so many blackout regions. It’s terrible for the fans. It’s not just regional either. I understand local blackouts to sell more tickets but if the game is sold out, it should be broadcasted. NHL network is the only way to see all games.

[@titansboytc]

Charles Barkley did say the Stanley cup playoffs are better than the NBA playoffs back in 2017

[@mox9076]

Shaq is right. The crowd seems to get hyped over the fights. Like Richard Williams said about Tennisn Bring in some Hip Hop (I E youth, excitement etc...) and highlight the skills and hits. Educate the casual fan like me about the game.

[@randymarsh3677]

Hockey needs Charles barkley

[@joeford5181]

Reason why started watching Hockey... The Vancouver riot of 2011

[@liamcocnumberfour942]

Serjay WHO

[@GSB_KD]

That woman host between the legs shot in a dress is actually pretty cool

[@johnpaulgeorgeandringo3559]

Gary Thorne was great when he was the play by play announcer, but now there's Sean McDonough and Ray Ferraro.....

[@user-ns7sx9cc6r]

its true, love drai but he's only famous in Edm and Germany

[@ThatFilthyBastard]

charles barkley should be a new nhl commentator and maybe purchaser of arizona

[@kreegak3802]

Charles low key a awesome dude

[@templetonbob]

The NHL doesn’t need anything. It’s more than popular enough as is.

[@theeoarsman921]

I'll watch the video of Kolesar's dropping Tkachuk forever!!!

[@mrbone009]

Chuck shout out the Flyers every year

[@yurinoworry]

Charles Barkley: Sir Gay Balaclava

[@wrestlerecap1324]

Serjay bobabkov 😂 hey he tried

[@nickcastaneda203]

i miss NBC and doc still but TNT is great