The answer to improving hockey ratings is HD broadcasts. I realize that HD is almost unheard of in ND, but it is popular eslewhere. There have been new fans that watch hockey just because it is HD (mainly on HDNET, sometimes when ESPNHD can get it right). It no longer becomes to fast for people, and the new watchers state they can easily follow the puck in HD. Obviously it will take a while for HD to become more mainstream, especially with our local stations and cable companies in no hurry, but it can be done if there isn't a lockout next year. Unfortunately, ESPN has already signed a deal that will show less games and all regular season games will be on ESPN2. The only hope is that the new ESPNHD studio will allow them to choose between ESPN and ESPN2 for what they broadcast on ESPNHD. For anyone that is lost or wants to learn more about HD, I suggest checking out the AVS Forums