All-purpose hockey thread...

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

Talked to an old bud of mine for the first time in a while.

We go back a long long way, hockey wise. He was a Red Berenson fan when the Baron was on the Blues.

That far back.

Anyway, after some chitchat, he starts in on how he can't stand the New NHL, how it was better with the clutching and grabbing. Yes, he's a Devils fan, of course.

I couldn't believe the guy. I tried to remind him that the league was finally bearing some semblance to the game we knew and loved, but he was having none of it.

What a putz.

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

It could have been worse. He could have been a Minnesota Wild fan...(ducking Rosie's wrath).

The clutch-and-molest NHL was great for teams like the Devils and Wild because they didn't have to deviate from "the system." And why would teams want to change "the system''? Opposing goal scorers weren't scoring and GAA was in the low twos.

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

Mr Beat,

There are more Ali books than title defences he made.

There are more Jordan books than titles he won.

There are more Barkley autobiographies than he ever read.

Lemieux has two rings, Olympic gold, Canada Cup-winning goal to be proud of, and a World Cup. Crosby should be comparable over his career and will get his due. Remember: Yzerman was a loser until he won. Also remember that the first 99 book came out before he won anything.

YHS, etc

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

A pretty good Bergen Record piece on how fans and players are adjusting to the new NHL.

http://www.bergenrecord.com/page.ph...lRUV5eTY4MjE5NzImeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

Good piece.

HATE the salary cap. Then again, I hate it for any sport. Just glad to see the NHL back in some form and even happier that it appears to be succeeding. Maybe now TSN, SI and all those magazines that are writing "nobody cares" will sit up and notice ya, people do.

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

From The Record piece:

"The most popular rule change has been the introduction of the shootout to break tie games. Fans are brought to their feet by the breakaway confrontation between shooter and goalie."

I still don't understand why the alleged popularity of the shootout continues to be quantified this way. First off, you can find three fans that think it's a cheap way to determine a winner for every one that loves it. Secondly, if the virtue and popularity of something in hockey is measured by how many fans stand up and cheer, then there should be a fight every five minutes.

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

Well, not everyone loves the shootout...

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

The league will never resort to shootouts in playoff games.

And as Crass would say, FACT!

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

I agree that even the most liberal hockey minds -- the ones that have openly embraced the shootout in spite of its institutional and competitive flaws -- have vowed to never have it decide a Stanley Cup playoff game.

Still, once you sell your soul to being a televised sport, it's a slippery slope, especially when your sport is known for 6-hour playoff games. The more you begin to make your sport telegenic, the less compelling it is for the fans in the building.

I mean, have you been to an NFL game in the last seven years?

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

I've never been to an NFL game, period.

I agree with you about the "selling your soul" part.

First, they'll institute it in the first round of the playoffs but only after nothing's been decided after a 20 minute overtime.

Then it'll be downhill from there.

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

I can understand Brooks' concern about playoff games being decided by the shootout; I don't think there's anyone who wants to see that.

But...

The shootout has been good for regular season hockey, simply because it guarantees that there will be a winner. I met up with a friend who went to Saturday's Crapitals (Hi Hokie! Hi Moddy!)-Rangers game, and he said everyone was standing during the shootout.

 

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

HB,
I don't have a  problem with ties.

This one point for an OT or shoot-out loss bothers me more