This is the time the NHL has decided to implement a rule that so few have ever heard of?
With Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals set to take place between the Lightning and Penguins on Thursday night in Pittsburgh, the league forced the cancellation of a fan viewing party in Tampa.
The decision is based on an NHL rule stating that no team can have more than one watch party during a series. But the Lightning already broke that rule earlier this series — as did the Sharks and Blues during their Western Conference finals, which San Jose won in Game 6 on Wednesday.
The rule was established in concert with the NHL’s television partners in hopes of drawing more viewers. With the final four teams hailing from rather small markets, television viewership numbers for the conference finals are way down from last year — as much as 34 percent, according to sportsmediawatch.com.
It’s likely that the league is hoping for a big viewership number to promote after this Game 7, which will set the matchup for the Stanley Cup final.
Earlier reports that the Lightning were threatened with legal action if they didn’t cancel the party were false, according to deputy commissioner Bill Daly.
“There has never been a threat of litigation to my knowledge,” Daly said in an email to The Post. “Rules are rules.”
Just an odd time to remember them.