Maybe Fans of NHL Are Becoming a Rare Breed

The Westminster Kennel Club has given ESPN officials debating whether to drop NHL game coverage an interesting tidbit to chew on: The USA Network’s recent coverage of the dog show generated better ratings than last spring’s Stanley Cup finals.

The two nights of dog-show coverage were viewed in an average of 2.91% of the nation’s homes with TV sets, according to Nielsen Media Research, compared with 2.2% for the 2004 Stanley Cup finals on ESPN and ABC.

But then, there were plenty of people saying when a lockout canceled the season that hockey was going to the dogs.

Trivia time: What do Tim Floyd, who will officially become USC’s basketball coach April 1, and UCLA Coach Ben Howland have in common? (The answer involves a former UCLA coach.)

Ripple effect? The NFL could return to Los Angeles this fall, but only on TV in the form of the L.A. Quakes.

Among the pilots under consideration by NBC is “Dante,” starring Morris Chestnut as the titular “arrogant, self-absorbed NFL superstar, who’s secretly nervous that the end of his career is nearing,” according to Thefutoncritic.com.

The cast includes J.P. Manoux as the owner of the Quakes, Kevin Hart as Dante’s best friend, Jennifer Westfeldt as Dante’s agent and Tony Cox as Dante’s Uncle Goldey.

From juiced to wired? The producer of the soon-to-be-released Pax TV series “Lie Detector” has invited Jose Canseco to prove his steroid claims by taking a polygraph test on the show.

“Jose, we are ready to prove to the world that you are not lying about the accusations you made in your book,” producer Mark Phillips said in a news release.

“Additionally, if Mark McGwire says that Jose Canseco is lying, then we formally invite him to come on, get hooked up and prove it too!”

Phillips makes putting your credibility on the line sound as exhilarating as a week in the Bahamas.

Gauntlet update: USC had better start posting some victories over UCLA if it intends to retain possession of the Lexus Gauntlet trophy, which goes to the school that wins the most direct competitions in the cross-town rivalry.

Heading into tonight’s basketball game between the schools, the Trojans have only three victories in the series -- two in volleyball and one in football. If the Bruins win tonight, they will take a 40-20 lead in points, with 57.5 needed to clinch the trophy.

At this rate, USC will have logged more basketball coaches in 2004-05 than victories over UCLA.

Trivia answer: Each has an 0-1 record against Steve Lavin. Floyd’s Iowa State team lost to UCLA, 74-73, in overtime in the 1997 NCAA tournament. Howland’s Northern Arizona team lost to UCLA in the 1997-98 season, 90-68.

And finally: Host John Salley, talking about Jeff Gordon’s victory in the Daytona 500 on “Best Damn Sports Show Period,” said there was one thing he didn’t understand: “A white guy drives 200 mph, they give him a trophy. I drive 57 in a 55, and I wind up on ‘Cops.’ ”