It’s no secret where the NHL is on ESPN’s pecking order, at least on the television side. At last check, it still ranks somewhere between Texas Hold’em and fantasy MMA.

But one would imagine – or hope – that two Stanley Cup championships by the same franchise within the last four years would be something they’d remember.

You’d hope the fact those championships were captured by a team playing in Los Angeles would, you know, ring a bell or two when the discussion turns to, you know, teams that won championships in Los Angeles over the last two decades.

Alas, this was apparently too much for which to hope from the World Wide Leader.

As reader D.J. Malone noted on Tuesday night, ESPN SportsCenter’s montage of Los Angeles sports between the Rams leaving and returning to the City of Angels did not include any reference to the two Stanley Cup championships and the massive, black-jersey-clad bandwagon of the Los Angeles Kings, or either of their well-attended parades. In, like, Los Angeles.

What happened? A "space issue."

@Rob_Greer space issue! Had to choose top 3 — Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) January 13, 2016

Which again, is again, what we’ve come to expect from ESPN when it comes to hockey on television. (Its digital media hockey coverage, as always, remains excellent.) Throw Levy and Melrose on for a few minutes to placate the few hockey fans watching, call it a day. We get it: You’re not a rights holder. You don’t care.

(Help us World Cup of Hockey, you’re our only hope!)

So once again, ESPN sleeps on the NHL. Or perhaps this is just another way to diss Bill Simmons.

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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.

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