I don’t know why everyone assumes the “non-hockey” fans would have hated it. Soundsl ike just the hockey fas did.
They were talking about it on the Radio down here on multiple stations all morning. Sounds like it was a hit?
On top of that, non-hockey fans are hardly going to notice a slower game pace / less quality game due to the ice/weather conditions.
It sounds like NBCs coverage blew. Wish I had realized it was on TV, I would have watched some.