Short-sighted Bettman leaves NHL fans out in cold

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Most of my workdays begin at home, in my office, where I'm researching topics or making phone calls or scouring the Internet for column ideas.And, usually, the TV is on.Tuned to ESPN2.First for "Mike & Mike in the Morning," then "First Take."And for a sizable chunk of the year, this is what I see, far more than anything else: The NBA.Lately, it's the NBA playoffs, which have been at the forefront of the network's programming since they tipped off last weekend. But even before the playoffs began -- go all the way back to September and the opening of training camps -- ESPN has prominently featured the NBA in its programming.On "SportsCenter," the twice-a-night, hour-long sports report that has been the network's hallmark since ESPN debuted in 1979.On "Around the Horn" and "Pardon the Interruption," a couple of gabfests that have turned sportswriters into TV stars.And on the morning shows. The flood of NBA coverage, though, doesn't end there.There's also "NBA Fastbreak" -- the basketball version of "Baseball Tonight" and "NFL Live" and "NASCAR Now" -- and the "NBA Shootaround" pre-game show.All of which are little more than infomercials designed to promote ESPN's telecasts of NBA games.Which is fine.If you're a big fan of the NBA.But what if you're a hockey fan? What if you care more about the NHL than the NBA? Then you've got the wrong network ... and so does the NHL. In case you haven't noticed -- and many of you haven't -- the NHL playoffs are under way, too.They're in the second round, in fact, with some terrific matchups: New York vs. Pittsburgh; Montreal vs. Philadelphia; Detroit vs. Colorado; and Dallas vs. San Jose.Those series are making headlines in those markets, where passionate fans know that nothing in sports rivals the excitement and intensity of playoff hockey.But the rest of America? Even for the avid sports fan, the NHL is barely on the radar -- because ESPN drives our national sports conversation. And ESPN doesn't talk much hockey.Not anymore. Not since 2005, when the league refused to accept less money from the network, which cited disappointing TV ratings as a reason for its reduced offer.After NHL commissioner Gary Bettman foolishly sold the league's soul to the cable network now known as Versus, ESPN no longer had any real reason to devote much time to hockey. There was no need for ESPN to give the NHL the same priceless cross-promotion currently enjoyed by Major League Baseball, the NFL, NASCAR and the NBA.ESPN has a vested interest in those leagues: The network pays millions of dollars for the rights to televise their games and races.It has no such investment in the NHL, which is still struggling to come back from the 2005-06 season lost to a labor dispute.Slowly, the abysmal ratings that followed the work stoppage are improving. According to the Nielsen folks, Versus' audience for the first round of these playoffs is up 24 percent from last year. And NBC's season numbers rose 11 percent.That's an optimistic sign.But what would the ratings be -- what would the interest in hockey be, all across the Fruited Plain -- if ESPN was pushing the NHL's product on a daily basis? How many more sports fans would appreciate and celebrate the hockey genius of Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Washington's Alex Ovechkin, this generation's version of Gretzky and Lemieux, if ESPN gave us more than a few minutes with Barry Melrose?Probably, the NBA still would be the more popular league. But, maybe, hockey wouldn't still be the niche sport it has become.Bettman made a huge mistake.I can see that. Every morning.(Ray McNulty is sports columnist for Scripps Treasure Coast (Fla.) Newspapers, The Stuart News, Fort Pierce Tribune and Vero Beach Press Journal. Contact him at ray.mcnulty@scripps.com or on the Web at www.tcpalm.com.)