Commercial breaks

It's not that I pay a whole bunch of attention to television commercials. Like most others, I'll use that 90- to 120-second window of opportunity to grab a snack. Sometimes, I'll snag a stack of cards that need prepping or flash-card faces that need memorizing.

Most times, though, I simply ignore them.

Over the past few months, I must admit, an appreciation has grown for the NHL Network's commercial lineup. Yes, that's right. Commercials. On the NHL Network.

Rather than subscribe to the NHL Centre Ice package this season, we used that money to help subsidize our Lightning ticket packages. As part of the trade-off, we also subscribed to the more affordable, though much more limited, NHL Network from our local cable TV provider.

And while the CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, complete with the irascible Don Cherry's Coach's Corner, and the upcoming World Junior Championships broadcasts are main draws, the network's commercials and practices have led to these three observations:

~ Though these have been around for awhile, I can't get enough of the NHL Network's spots on the old-school coach's pep talks. It's not just the fedora he sometimes wears. I love how he rolls his eyes after he tries to make a point. It's almost like he's saying to himself, "Can you believe this load of hooey?"

My favorite is the 110 percent commercial. You know, the one where he implores 100 percent of his team to give 110 percent effort for 100 percent of the time. Not only is it funny, but he uses logic to make perfect sense.

~ I also get a kick out of the NHL.com spot featuring a hockey family opening presents on Christmas morning. Though three are Rangers fans, delighting at the Blueshirts-related items that Santa left for them, the fourth member is a Flyers fan. His gifts -- from dress socks to a spatula to a snow shovel -- reflect his fall from favor.

My favorite line? Nope, it's not the poor kid's "Dress socks? What the ...?" No, instead I like the mom's "Nice shovel."

~ My only complaint, and I'm certain this is solely because of my late-night viewing habits, is the rotation of these ads. Some 30-second commercials run twice within a two-minute window. And too much of anything -- even if it's good -- is grating.

Instead, perhaps NHL Networks can introduce some of the NHL teams' promotional spots into the late-night rotation.