OLN WANTS NHL, BUT ESPN LIKELIER.

Byline: - Tom Hoffarth

The Outdoor Life Network, apparently aware there are no ice-fishing tournaments staged between periods at NHL games, might be looking to make a splash by locking up the professional pucksters in a reported two-year deal worth more than $100 million.

But the league's cable TV future continues to be in the hands of ESPN, which has the right to match that package based on a prior contract, and that's probably where it will stay.

Despite some public display of non-affection, ESPN officially wants to keep the NHL, sources say, although the network balked in April at renewing its annual contract with the league for $60 million a year when it appeared there would be no agreement reached to start the 2005-06 season.

ESPN's decision might be made only to help quash rumors that Comcast, the cable company that owns OLN, wants to establish its own alternative sports channel to compete against ESPN. If the NHL landed on OLN, which in 64 million homes, it would answer questions about how the network would retain viewership following its award-winning coverage of Lance Armstrong's run in the past two Tours de France.

Spike TV and USA Network also were said to be interested in an NHL cable deal once the labor dispute was over, but neither has stepped up.

Comcast also has control of The Golf Channel and regional sports networks in Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore/Washington and Sacramento, and a partnership with the New York Mets to launch a channel next March.

Comcast also has been making a play for NFL games, particularly a Thursday-Saturday package that TNT and FSN also is believed to be vying for.