Game 5 on NESNplus

So the commercials they've been running are a flat out lie? Why am I not surprised?

talk about jumping off the band wagon although i am surprised that the bruins were able to bump off the all mighty red sox to nesn plus for a couple of games well when you are down and out you get put on the back burner

what a joke. i love the red sox, but its april. i understand it's the yankees, but seriously the only reason why people think it's so important is because they are uninformed red sox nation muppets who do what the media tells them to. the bruins-canadians rivalry is not bigger in appeal down here, but sports fans around here should open their eyes and pay attention because it is bigger in emotion, intensity, and passion.

this is just pathetic. NESN, if you dont want to support the bruins stop taking there money to broadcast the team. Cant wait to watch that 7 hour sox yanks game instead that is completely overhyped by people who cant name 3 people on either team

I will Boycott all Red Sox games on NESN this season! Playoff hockey is by far the best time of year on the Sports Calender. Having the Bruins in the series has been a bonus and to not feature them during the playoffs when they have brought their "A" game against one of the top teams in the League does not make sense.

Is there a phone number for NESN??? I have sent my 4th email since the playoffs started, stating that I am disgusted with them. I'd love to call and really give them hell.

This is ridiculous. Playoff hockey should trump a regular season game every single time- no exuses. NESN just a lot of respect in my book. I don't care if it's Red Sox vs Yankees. A playoff game is much more important than regular season baseball in April.

This is a completely Bull**** move by NESN.

CALL 617-536-9233 ask for the program director, I believe it's Gary Roy....Roy it figures.
Just don't swear, exprees your displeasure with out swearing.

Call the number Chip posted. you can also e-mail feedback here...

http://www.boston.com/sports/nesn/feedback/

And I also fired an e-mail off to the Bruins asking they support their fans in this...

http://bruins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&id=5095

Might not accomplish anything, but at least we'll be heard. Lying outright to your customers should never get a free pass.

A Red Sox game in April vs. Bruins Canadians playoff hockey? and NESN Picks the Red Sox. What a joke. You mean to tell me that the Red Sox game in April is more important that a Bruins playoff game? I don't care what sport is playing but if you have a team playing in the play-offs and a team playing a regular season game the nod goes to the team playing in the play-offs. That is just common sense.

I want to see the B's in HD just like everyone else on here, but reading these posts makes me wonder what everyone did before NESN HD? It wasn't too long ago that Sox and B's games were only in standard def, and the bumping to NESN+ would have been an issue.

Maybe the MOJO channel on Comcast could pick up the game just like they did for Celts games before Comcast SportsNet went HD.

you can also call the bruins fan relations and ask them to help hold nesn's feet to the fire

Fan Relations Department
Tel: 617.624.BEAR option 3

NESN - KEEP YOU PROMISE

Will I get NESN plus out here in Seattle on Direct TV? Im a die hard Bruins fan and have watched every single game this year on NESN. I will be really disapointed if I miss this game beacause of the Red Sox. It's Bruins Habs for crying out load! The rest of the world needs to take the back seat for those 3-4 hours.

Matt, you're right it wasn't too long ago that ALL shows & sports were in "regular def", but most if not all of us here that are replying have HD sets. And watching regular def on on HDTV is like opening your eyes under water. You can not identify anything. You can't follow the puck, the lines are squiggly, just a horrible experience. I am saying that about the Sox games too.
They NESN should have a fall back HD station, 38-56 (Reves games are in HD)not some public access channel.
Have you noticed that the score/time remaing banner still has the NESN HD logo, when CLEARLY it's not in HD.
The whole point is about commitment. You have 2 teams, one in the playoffs one in the early stages of a season. You did notice that some B's games were on the "other" channel in the early part of the season when the Sox were battling it out for playoff positon.

Matt, the issues are 1) they said "Every Game in HD" all year, and 2) it looks HORRIBLE on Comcast Channel 8. Looks like the Home Shopping Network is carrying the game.

It's the playoffs. It's Montreal. It should take precedence. The Red Sox will have the next six months.

.........I'm speechless.....a freeking APRIL baseball game gets the nod over a STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF game.......The Red Sox , "Red Sox Nation" and the pink hat crowd make me sick.......GO YANKEES!

This might be the most ridiculous thing to happen to the bruins since Jeremy Jacobs. Honestly, it is the 15 game of the season for the red sox and its do or die for the Bs. I dont care that "red sox nation" wants to wear their pink hats and spend 50 bucks to be a member and watch the game because it is "cool"...There are people out there that actually care about the Bruins, because they are hockey fans, people that actually bleed black and gold...grow a set and do whats right for Boston.

Ps have you ever seen youkilis' face in HD? Please do us all a favor

I'm in town tomorrow night and want to watch the Avalanche game. Can some one recommend a good hockey bar that would show the game? Love that Bourque, we call him "The Messiah" in Denver. Thanks All!

The loyality in Boston stinks.When the Big Dig started all the Rats came out and stuck around.

Christ, what I don't understand is what NESN only has 1 HD camera? Do they truck it back and forth to every game? Why can't in 2008 2 sporting events be carried in HD by a broadcaster??? Isn't everything going to be in HD in 9 friggin months? What a joke. Guess they need to cut Hazel's and Kathryn's salary and buy another HD camera.

And yes, its all about ratings crap, yet there is NO argument why a PLAYOFF Bruins-Montreal game should be preempted by an April baseball game, even Sox-Yankers. It will sill be in the 3rd inning anyway when the hocket game ends.

Pretty sure NESN was thinking the Bruins were going to get swept

I hope this news doesn't reach the team.

What a move by NESN. They must have gotten some strong 'sugestions' by their parent company - the Boston Red Sox.

Here's a copy of what I sent to the NESN feedback funnel:

To Whom It May Concern:

Season after season, I have tolerated NESN's coverage of the Bruins. While the analysis has take great strides, with great additions to the intermission crew and Jack and Brick solid every game, the actual broadcasts have not kept pace. The cutaways are sloppy, no one knows when the commercials are, and graphics department can't seem to manage posting a power play clock to save its life. But that has been tolerated. Until now.

You can't seriously expect the hockey fans in this town to condone an ELIMINATION PLAYOFF HOCKEY GAME taking a backseat to a regular-season baseball game. Even if there will be more viewership from the Red Sox Nation tonight, consider the product you're selling to Bruins fans. A team that has made the playoffs for the first time since the lockout has its back against the wall. You are forcing a fan base that is trying to reemerge to reconsider whether they want to watch TV tonight. All indicators point towards a growing number of hockey fans in Boston. You really think you'll lose Sox fans by bumping their game tonight? Seems like you've got your foot solidly in the door there. But you have a responsibility to air the more important game on the better channel, and you threaten your at-best tenuous grip on Boston hockey viewers in failing that.

All the HandiCam-quality, high-school-AV-club shows (Rubber Biscuit, the Buzz, etc.) can not make up for the fact that you are letting down the team. Bigger game. Bigger priority. It's that simple.

Be advised, I'll be sending versions of this letter to W.B.Mason, Granite City Electric, Bob's Discount Furniture, and any and every other regular NESN sponsor I can find to express my disappointment in a way that you can understand. I will hit every message board, every blog, and every token feedback page in hopes that you change your mind. Here's hoping...

Sincerely,
Rick Richter
Fan

I think it is pretty bullsh*t that Nesn who referes to themselves as the hub of hockey is putting the Redsox who are what 8 games into the season on the HD channell and putting the Bruins who are on the verge of getting knocked out of the playoffs onto Nesn Plus. This is a joke, that Nesn continues to refer to themselves as all about hockey but as soon as the redsox come on its buh bye bruins. I am both a sox and bruins fan and I find it wrong that this is how the bruins fans and the team are getting treated on what could be the last game of the season, where the sox are 8 games in. This is terrible, nesn should be ashamed and embarassed.

God forbid the B's come back and force a game 7...we might be forced to watch the replay of the Sox game from that morning.

Yeah, nice move NESN. Those Sox-Yankee games are so riveting. I made up a new betting game by trying to guess which finishes first, the game or the Godfather trilogy.

Great job NESN. Why not let VS carry the game in HD for us fans here in Boston?
I know I could can less about Phily and the Caps right now.

The Bruins game may be more "important" but the Yankees/Sox game is going to get more viewers. A majority of the people in Boston would rather watch Josh Beckett take on the Yankees than the Bruins get knocked out of the playoffs.

It's about money. Pure and simple.

(And if I'm not mistaken, the Bruins are part owners of NESN along with the Red Sox.)

Yes, the Red Sox get more viewers for their games, even for a regular season game. But regardless of that, ITS THE PLAYOFFS. For any sport, playoff games should take presidence over regular season games. That is obvious. This Red Sox-Yankees game has little importance. There will be many more Yankee-Sox games this season. It is not going to hurt the Sox if they are pushed to NESNplus for these early regular season games.

I hope the Sox get their a**** handed to them tonight by the Yankees. What a shame that would be....

Apparently NESN succumbed to the pressure of the almighty Red Sox Nation. There are 162 games in a baseball season, so the fact that a game in April may not be available in HD is too much to take. I know it's Red Sox/Yanks and fans lose their minds over it, but it - is - only - April. Hmmm... What's gonna happen if the B's win tonight (I hope!) and they come back to play on Saturday night at 7? Red Sox/Rangers starts at 7:05.

BTW, I checked the TV schedule on the NHL website and guess what they have for tonight? Yup, Bruins vs Canadiens (Local) NESN HD. Apparently NESN didn't bother to let them know that they have decided to bump the game.

Here's the email that I sent to NESN (wish I would have included the NHL TV listing):

I had to write to express my disappointment in NESN's decision to move tonight's Bruins Playoff game to the NESN Plus channel CN8. I realize that the number of Red Sox fans in this area probably triples the amount of Bruins fans; however I can't understand how a regular season baseball game in April "trumps" a playoff hockey game. If this were Sox/Yanks in August I may buy into it but in April??

One thing I'd like to point out is that I do watch my TV in both HD and "regular-def" as not all channels are available in HD. If the feed on the CN8 channel was at least as decent as other "regular-def" channels, I wouldn't be as upset. But, has anyone from NESN actually looked at a game on CN8? It looks as though you're watching a computer monitor under water.

Again, I am disappointed in NESN and this decision. Perhaps you should have stopped running the commercial that advertised when both teams played, the Bruins playoff games will be on NESN HD.

Thank you for your time.
Lisa G.

Thanks NESN for not allowing me to watch possibly the last game of a team that i followed all year. Should i even bother watching the Red Sox, or should i just get satellite and try to follow another team with the hopes of being able to see the finale of a season?

Go VS! A station that knows the value of hockey! ITs too bad nobody in the Bruins organization loves the Bruins as much as most the fans posting here. Bob Kraft would never let this happen to his team.