There was something that just wasn't right about yesterday's game one. I'm going to blame NBC Sports as there is still a sour taste left in all of our mouths for blacking out the big screen, aka the TribTron.

Perhaps blame isn't the best word, but it's the most appropriate at this point. When the Pens play and coverage falls upon the entire nation via NBC, there is always an extra element of wonder that makes us fans wince. Don't get me wrong, it's great to see the Pens get country-wide coverage and there is a lot of ritz and glamour to the broadcast, but as a hometown fan, the game is all that really matters.
Maybe its day games in general, but the Pens are quasi-cursed on NBC.

With games 2 and 3 scheduled to air on the Versus network, we are on our way back to hockey reality. NHL on Versus is well produced and does a good job of balancing the flash with raw sports coverage. Versus keeps NHL games true to the roots from the days of Canadian OLN. I would certainly prefer Versus coverage to NBC any day of the week. Not to mention, we steer clear of the Pen's NBC Curse and of course, Mr. Obvious, Pierre McGuire...

While FSN Pittsburgh will always be the hometown network (games 4 and on for round 2), and my personal favorite broadcast, Versus is doing some cool things to get involved with the NHL community. For instance, it was pretty cool to see that they will be sponsoring the Second Pens Tweetup during game 5.






Some recent Tweets regarding TV coverage:

@deberito - "I just think we should be able to watch the game outside the arena. Builds team spirit & community. Win, Win. Versus better."
@svanormer - "Unfortunately for me stuck in Caps land that means FSN will be blocked out. I see Pens Radio DVR sync up in my future"
@erinkpgh - "Usually if the game is on Fox Sports the Versus feed is blacked out. So don't pick that if you're in Pittsburgh."
@AxsDeny - "Game 1: NBC. The site says games 2 & 3 are Versus. I have to set my TiVo because I'll be out of town. FSN or Versus DVR?"
@Choesephine - "NBC can kiss my Korean ass"