Is ESPN Killing the NHL in the US

Great article over at the Situationist postulating that ESPN's coverage or lack thereof and constant snarkyness toward the league are killing the NHL among casual sport fans in the US.

It really shows why Betteman's arrogance in not doing a deal with ESPN post lockout is really dragging down hockey.

Other than the obvious number of viewers that don't have Versus, the loss of the carry over exposure that the NHL doesn't get from the ESPN's other products and the negative coverage that they get when they are mentioned on their TV and radio shows have a cumulative effect on the casual hockey fan.

The die hards will always be there but if the casual fan thinks its uncool to watch hockey they are less likely to check out a game, follow the players or just care about the league in general.