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What's wrong with Hockey?

MorgothMorgoth Posts: 3,950 ✭✭✭
I was just watching some playoff games at home with the little one. I just realized how awful this game is to watch on TV. The NHL will never make it as a popular TV sport unless they do something. I think they should up the violence as the speed and finesse part of the game is lost on TV. I loved the end of the Calgary game except the pansy Red Wings who wouldn't drop their gloves. More hits, more fights would be more entertaining.
Currently completing the following registry sets: Cardinal HOF's, 1961 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1972 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1980 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, Bill Mazeroski Master & Basic Sets, Roberto Clemente Master & Basic Sets, Willie Stargell Master & Basic Sets and Terry Bradshaw Basic Set

Comments

  • storm888storm888 Posts: 11,701 ✭✭✭
    TV cannot capture hockey properly. You really
    need to be in the stands to "feel" the game.

    Folks Who Bite Get Bitten. Folks Who Don't Bite Get Eaten.
  • MorgothMorgoth Posts: 3,950 ✭✭✭
    I have been to MSG to see the Rangers and attended Cornell games so I have been to good hockey games and love it but man on TV it is just confusing to watch.
    Currently completing the following registry sets: Cardinal HOF's, 1961 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1972 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1980 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, Bill Mazeroski Master & Basic Sets, Roberto Clemente Master & Basic Sets, Willie Stargell Master & Basic Sets and Terry Bradshaw Basic Set
  • stownstown Posts: 11,321 ✭✭✭
    What is this Hokie you speak of, eh image
    So basically my kid won't be able to go to college, but at least I'll have a set where the three most expensive cards are of a player I despise ~ CDsNuts
  • They still play that game? When I sold sportscards full time I made myself watch the standings and the leaderboards so I could pretend I knew something about the sport. I really can't get into it.
  • What's wrong with hockey.

    1. Only a select few can play at a young age - too expensive and usually have to live near a big city
    2. NHL has done nothing to market their product - All Star game on Tuesday night on a channel named VS
    3. As storm mentioned hard to follow on tv
    4. Competition from the NFL and NBA is basically blowing the NFL out of the water


    Now all that said it is an awesome game to watch live
  • MichiganMichigan Posts: 4,942
    The season is too long, they start in October when much attention is on the world series as well as the NFL and college football. Hockey is
    lost in the shuffle. Like the NBA the playoffs seem to drag on forever (who wants to watch what many consider a winter sport in June?)

    The fighting is a stupid waste of time and sets a bad example (I'm afraid it is ingrained in the culture of the sport and will never
    stop however).

    They have bounced around from network to network who have tried various promotional things to try and increase interest only to
    fail time after time.

    Sidney Crosby was supposed to be the next Wayne Gretsky who would elevate the sport to a higher level of public awareness but
    things haven't worked out as planned.

    I think hockey is destined to be the small niche sport it is now for the forseeable future.

  • Bosox1976Bosox1976 Posts: 8,528 ✭✭✭✭✭
    About 18 teams too many, continued failure to find the way to properly televise it (they should take a lesson from NASCAR), failure to commit to either a violent game or a finesse one (either would be better than neither), nobody has any idea what any of the newer stars looks like thanks to helmets/visors, the season is about 40% too long, the playoffs about 50% too long, they have basically a homogeneous player base (white guys), tv timeouts ruin the flow (esp. in person), shoddy league-wide decision making (tv deal, expansion, etc.).

    In summary - the league lacks the brain power to operate at the same level as the big 3. Probably not capable of operating at the same level as the PGA, NASCAR, PRIDE/UFC, or wrestling either. Very much a travesty.

    A venture finance company made a very legitimate offer to purchase every team in the league during the strike. With the ability to make unilateral decisions to fix any/all of the above, it could have been a dramatically different scenario. A league that needs a 17 year old kid to "save" it is in rough shape.

    Could easily be surpassed by the Arena Football League as the #4 team sport. The NHL's slogan will then be changed to...."We're still better than the WNBA."
    Mike
    Bosox1976
  • MorgothMorgoth Posts: 3,950 ✭✭✭
    I agree with all of the above sentiments. I think their only shot is being more violent and aggressive then all of the other sports. Finesse passing for scoring and runs through the neutral zone is great but happen maybe 2 to 3 times a game if any. W/O the fighting and hitting it is soccer on ice. Now if people thought full team brawls and enforcers who will drop em at a moments notice were regular events I think they would have something. I don't advocate stick swinging stupidity but in the 70's alot of teams fought and won, even the Oilers had some tough guys.
    Currently completing the following registry sets: Cardinal HOF's, 1961 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1972 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1980 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, Bill Mazeroski Master & Basic Sets, Roberto Clemente Master & Basic Sets, Willie Stargell Master & Basic Sets and Terry Bradshaw Basic Set
  • yawie99yawie99 Posts: 2,575 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Sidney Crosby was supposed to be the next Wayne Gretsky [sic] who would elevate the sport to a higher level of public awareness but
    things haven't worked out as planned. >>



    He's actually at least as good as advertised. Morons run this league.
    imageimageimageimageimageimage
  • ctsoxfanctsoxfan Posts: 6,246 ✭✭
    I am always surprised when I see hockey news make the ESPN ticker - it just doesn't seem like that many people in the U.S. care about it. Maybe things are different in Canada, but here the NHL is a big snoozefest. I have never even heard of the cable channel that carries their regular season games.
    image
  • dallasactuarydallasactuary Posts: 4,102 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I was sitting in the stands watching what was, at the time, a 1-0 game as the Stars were fighting for their lives against the Canucks and some booger-eating moron decides this is the perfect time to start a "wave". I don't know what percentage of the fans at other sports are booger-eating morons who'd rather do a wave than watch the game they paid to see, but I thought my blessed NHL was free of them.



    Sorry, this wasn't really on topic, but did you hear what I said? A wave? At a freaking hockey game?!? If attracting more fans means attracting fans who want to do the wave, I'd honestly rather the sport just died.
    This is for you @thisistheshow - Jim Rice was actually a pretty good player.
  • "If attracting more fans means attracting fans who want to do the wave, I'd honestly rather the sport just died."

    now thats funny! image

    p.s.
    I refuse to do the wave at sporting events, it's so over people; give it up!
  • joestalinjoestalin Posts: 12,473 ✭✭
    Cmon now, guys who won't fight and take falls are just sissies.

    Sincerely,
    The Italian soccer team
  • WabittwaxWabittwax Posts: 1,984 ✭✭✭
    It is true that it's hard to capture the feel of a hockey game on TV, but I would much, much rather watch a Hockey game on TV than a Baseball game. Talk about a snoozefest. I used to love watching baseball as a kid but as I get older, I can't stand sitting through 10 minutes of foul balls to watch the guy ground out to the shortstop. Unless I really like one of the teams playing, I can't sit and watch a Baseball game on TV. If hockey is on, I can sit and watch any 2 teams play just because of the non stop action. Football is great for action too. Basketball is ok except the last couple minutes are kinda exciting. I won't even get into soccer.
  • It's ok for non-fans to admit they just don't understand the game. It's like me with NASCAR - I think it's the most boring, idiotic, dull, moronic, backwards "sport" there is, and I can't believe anyone with an IQ higher than 7 watches it. But I'll happily admit I just don't get it - I don't need to start threads asking "What's wrong with Nascar?"....
  • MichiganMichigan Posts: 4,942


    << <i>It's ok for non-fans to admit they just don't understand the game. It's like me with NASCAR - I think it's the most boring, idiotic, dull, moronic, backwards "sport" there is, and I can't believe anyone with an IQ higher than 7 watches it. But I'll happily admit I just don't get it -


    I don't need to start threads asking "What's wrong with Nascar?".... >>




    By putting something down you might learn from those who defend it.


    I think cars painted up with advertisements look cheap and gaudy, I know it is all a part of the sponsorship thing but who wants to watch
    moving billboards for hours at a time?

    Most NASCAR fans decide on a "favorite" driver and that gives them something to cheer for, they also sometimes have someone they
    really dislike and hope he does badly (I think Jeff Gordon is the current driver most NASCAR fans love to hate, something about his
    personality and the fact he is a Yankee I believe adds to the unfavorable opinion many have of him).
  • TheGuyTheGuy Posts: 68 ✭✭
    Too much of fighting and scuffing in a hockey game is what makes it bad, some of those players just don't show enough good sportsmanship. Sort of makes fans not wanting to watch it.
    "Sometimes we don't know just what to do when adversity takes over." -- Cannonball Adderley
  • sagardsagard Posts: 1,898 ✭✭✭
    You have to really want it to be a hockey fan. You have to get VS and then get an HD package. Things don't come easy like they do for NBA/Nascar/NHL/MLB fans. I'll watch enough of the first three rounds of the playoffs that the finals will be fantastic. It will be another clash of fun hockey (east) vs. defensive systems hockey (west) in the finals and the contrast will be great.

    For those who want to "like" hockey try catching an Eastern conference game. When the Stanly Cup finals are taking place try to get a peek. You will likely wish your favorite team would play as hard as either team you are watching.
  • What's wrong with Hockey?

    The ball is too flat. image
  • RedHeart54RedHeart54 Posts: 2,267 ✭✭✭


    << <i>Too much of fighting and scuffing in a hockey game is what makes it bad, some of those players just don't show enough good sportsmanship. Sort of makes fans not wanting to watch it. >>



    This is one of the most hypocritical statements possibly made when discussing not only hockey but sports in general. Have you even BEEN to a hockey game?? If you have you might remember that the crowd cheered LOUDER during a FIGHT than they do during a GOAL. Hell, it was the whole premise of the movie "Slapshot": Fighting equals bigger crowds. I admit that there have been many instances of bad sportsmanship in hockey but I guarantee those instances have only been equaled in baseball, football, and basketball. The difference is hockey players play by a certain code of respect towards one another and that's why you have the fights. It's a code that's just not equaled by any other sport. Not to sound arrogant but if you have to ask you just won't understand.

    Hockey fans are among the most loyal of all sports fans. Nothing will change that. Go to any NHL rink this time of year. You'll see what I mean.



  • I second all the statements by RedHeart.
    To add to what he said though I will also say that unlike the NFL for intance, hockey players drop their gloves in the arena for everyone to see, or take out justice against another team during the context of the game, GOOD or BAD. Where in the NFL, a defensive lineman doesn't like an offensive tackle he can't do much, so on the weekend during the off season they show up at the same bar and he shoots him in the face with a gun...hmmm. Or, because it's hard to punch someone through a football helment, the NFLer goes home and slaps his wife around. This can't be argued on these boards guys, sorry, every other week there is another NFLer in jail or dead.
    Hockey is the real deal, although I do love baseball (and I actually do love the NFL). But it's one of those sports where if you haven't followed it since you were young you just won't catch on. I've said it on these boards before--if you don't get it, you're probably a redneck, regardless of where you live. And this isn't a durogatory statement, but you will never get it.
    Jay
  • hockey is a lot of crap
  • Bosox1976Bosox1976 Posts: 8,528 ✭✭✭✭✭
    I was as die-hard of a hockey fan as you will ever meet. The Orr/Esposito era, the Bourque/Neely era were huge in Boston. I have been to 50+ games including the stanley cup final game against the Oilers when the lights went out. I "get it" - there just isn't as much to "get" these days. The product on the ice is vastly inferior to the product in the 70's & 80's.

    And I am not a "good old days" guy. I think the NFL is better than ever, the NBA is slipping, Baseball is strong, boxing is weak, golf is slipping. I love the sport - but I would much rather go to a beanpot game than an NHL one these days. Most businesses, organizations, governments, etc. go through up and down periods - the NHL has been in a rut since the Oilers broke up. For those who write that board members who feel this way are uninformed - think again. Name five good decisions the league has made in the last 10 years if you really feel that way - maybe I am missing something.
    Mike
    Bosox1976
  • MorgothMorgoth Posts: 3,950 ✭✭✭
    The point of my post was that the NHL is trying to de-emphasize fighting and brawling and promote it with players like Crosby for their scoring prowess. My opnion is that this is the wrong approach. The NHL talking heads on ESPN (except guys like Hull or Roenick) want fighting to be totally outlawed and 50 game suspensions handed down like in other sports (NBA for instance). If you take this part of the game away it will always just be the diehard fans who go to the game and the rest of country w/o NHL teams won't have a reason to watch. BTW I like watching NASCAR because of the banging and wrecks does this make me a moron?
    Currently completing the following registry sets: Cardinal HOF's, 1961 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1972 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, 1980 Pittsburgh Pirates Team, Bill Mazeroski Master & Basic Sets, Roberto Clemente Master & Basic Sets, Willie Stargell Master & Basic Sets and Terry Bradshaw Basic Set
  • JrMacdaddyJrMacdaddy Posts: 506 ✭✭
    Hockey is a regional sport but won't accept that its a regional sport.

    Not sure what about hockey you don't get. Put the puck in the net, beat someone up and then go drink beer.

  • BoopottsBoopotts Posts: 6,784 ✭✭


    << <i>hockey is a lot of crap >>



    Right-o. Unlike the Cubs, of course, which are the paragon of excellence.

  • sagardsagard Posts: 1,898 ✭✭✭


    << <i>...but I would much rather go to a beanpot game than an NHL one these days... >>



    College hockey is a great game. Certainly more interesting than the current Bruins. image
  • dirtmonkeydirtmonkey Posts: 3,048 ✭✭
    Name five good decisions the league has made in the last 10 years if you really feel that way - maybe I am missing something.

    To be honest, I think the NHL has made some great rules changes over the last couple of years. Some may disagree, but I think the basic elimination of the blue line, allowing touch-ups on offsides and the overtime shootout are great changes. I think it makes the game more pleasing to the eye of the occasional fan who may be beginning to follow the sport. They've tried some things like the "in the crease" rule, but they quickly got rid of it when they realized it didn't work. They've reduced the size of the goalies equipment too. Further, I think that hockey has one of the better playoff set ups in professional sports. Reseeding seems unfair at times, but the intent is to get the best 2 teams in the conference & cup finals. Again, maybe it seems unfair to the lower seeds but an 8 seed made it to the finals the last 2 years.

    To those who argue that the season is too long, the same can be said for any sport. Baseball... 162 games of snore, stretched over 7 months. Football only has 16 regular season games that takes them over 4 months to complete. They only play once a week, but still have a bye. Basketball is basically the same as hockey, so hard to compare much there. NASCAR, for those who watch it (including myself). They start in February and end in November. So the sport is really only too long for those who don't watch it.

    Some in this post say up the violence, some say eliminate it. You can't please everybody as indicated by this post alone. As far as a TV deal, they were always on ESPN and usually on NBC (used to be on ABC) until the strike. ESPN dropped their deal and then tried to pick it up for cheaper when they came back. The NHL decided to go with OLN (now VS), hoping to get a better deal after a short stint. They now have a deal with NBC again and are apparently still working on a new deal with ESPN for next year. I do agree that it will severely hurt them if they don't settle on something with a bigger network.
    image


  • << <i>TV cannot capture hockey properly. You really
    need to be in the stands to "feel" the game. >>



    Very true.

    I've struggled in vain since I was a kid to like hockey, especially when there was no other sports on. I never could. But then, a few weeks ago, I happened to score free Washington Capitals tickets. So I figured, what the heck, and went. Oh my God, what a blast! By the second period, I was yelling and screaming like a life-long fan. And these are the crappy Washington Capitals!

    The next day I was thirsty for more hockey, so caught a game on TV. Within three minutes I had to turn it off.

    image
  • dirtmonkeydirtmonkey Posts: 3,048 ✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>TV cannot capture hockey properly. You really
    need to be in the stands to "feel" the game. >>



    Very true.

    I've struggled in vain since I was a kid to like hockey, especially when there was no other sports on. I never could. But then, a few weeks ago, I happened to score free Washington Capitals tickets. So I figured, what the heck, and went. Oh my God, what a blast! By the second period, I was yelling and screaming like a life-long fan. And these are the crappy Washington Capitals!

    The next day I was thirsty for more hockey, so caught a game on TV. Within three minutes I had to turn it off. >>



    Some of this can be because of the announcers. When the hockey playoffs started and the Wings were being shown on ESPN and on Fox Sports Detroit, I ALWAYS ended up watching it on FSD simply because Detroits announcers know more about the team and they announce the game with emotion. Both guys are great and funny to listen to. On ESPN, they usually sucked and I only went there occasionally to hear a more unbiased view on a call made or a goal scored. Further, there's something always happening somewhere on the ice and the camera is unable to catch it all because the rink is so large. They always show a panned out picture in the hopes they can show everything, which means people end up missing the close ups and some have difficulty following the play. Most of the best plays have to be seen via replay because they weren't zoomed in on the guy who made the play. People may have other reasons, but those are two I could see being a problem for some. I enjoy watching the game on television, but still prefer the experience of a live game... but the same can be said for most sports.

    But if any game is boring to watch on TV, it has to be baseball. Going to a game is fun because they have something usually going on to try to keep you awake between innings. But all of the stoppages are freaking horrendous. Fouls balls, catcher visits to the mound, pitcher trying to pick up signs, manager visits to the mound, pitcher cleans his cleats, warm ups, batter steps out or box for numerous reasons, pitching changes, throws to first, pitch outs, intentional walks... Sometimes all in the first half-inning. YAWN.
    image
  • from George Carlin...I love this routine.

    GEORGE CARLIN AND SPORTS
    To my way of thinking there are really only three sports: baseball, basketball, and football. Everything else is either a game or an activity.

    Hockey comes to mind. People think hockey is a sport. It's not. Hockey is three activities taking place at the same time: ice skating, fooling around with a puck, and beating the sh1t out of somebody. If these guys had more brains then teeth, they'd do these things one at a time. First go ice-skating, then fool around with a puck, then you go to the bar and beat the shlt out of somebody. The day would last longer, and these guys would have a lot more fun. Another reason why hockey isn't a sport is that it's not played with a ball. Anything not played with a ball can't be a sport. These are my rules, I make 'em up.

  • dirtmonkeydirtmonkey Posts: 3,048 ✭✭


    << <i>from George Carlin...I love this routine.

    GEORGE CARLIN AND SPORTS
    To my way of thinking there are really only three sports: baseball, basketball, and football. Everything else is either a game or an activity.

    Hockey comes to mind. People think hockey is a sport. It's not. Hockey is three activities taking place at the same time: ice skating, fooling around with a puck, and beating the sh1t out of somebody. If these guys had more brains then teeth, they'd do these things one at a time. First go ice-skating, then fool around with a puck, then you go to the bar and beat the shlt out of somebody. The day would last longer, and these guys would have a lot more fun. Another reason why hockey isn't a sport is that it's not played with a ball. Anything not played with a ball can't be a sport. These are my rules, I make 'em up. >>



    Carlin is pretty funny... But my way of thinking is this. It's not a ball just because you call it a ball. A ball is a round, spherical object. It can be rolled and will roll in a straight line. With that being said, a football is only considered a ball because someone called it that. It's not really round, or at least no more so than a puck is. It's round if you look at it one way, but not from all other ways. So by these standards, a pipe, donut, tire, middle finger, pen, egg and other such things could also be considered balls if someone just named them that first.

    And along Carlins same line of thinking, baseball is simply playing catch, jogging and visiting the batting cages. image
    image
  • ctsoxfanctsoxfan Posts: 6,246 ✭✭


    << <i>Have you even BEEN to a hockey game?? If you have you might remember that the crowd cheered LOUDER during a FIGHT than they do during a GOAL. >>



    What a telling statement that is. Think about it for a minute. It says a lot about one of the main reasons why hockey is where it is in the current sports landscape.
    image
  • dirtmonkeydirtmonkey Posts: 3,048 ✭✭


    << <i>

    << <i>Have you even BEEN to a hockey game?? If you have you might remember that the crowd cheered LOUDER during a FIGHT than they do during a GOAL. >>



    What a telling statement that is. Think about it for a minute. It says a lot about one of the main reasons why hockey is where it is in the current sports landscape. >>



    Not really. Many NASCAR fans (you know, one of the fastest growing sports anywhere) go just to see a wreck. I've also seen many fans cheer louder when another player gets plunked by a ball or gets clobbered going acrossed the middle. Fighting is a part of hockey as much as hitting a batter with the ball is in baseball. At least in hockey, the fighting is less dangerous (than throwing a ball at someones head) and the players accountable are there to take the hits... unlike the pussies in baseball. Pitchers will generally hit a batter because they don't have to stand in there against that player later.
    image
  • nightcrawlernightcrawler Posts: 5,110 ✭✭
    There's nothing wrong with hockey...

    ya bunch a retards!!!



    image
  • 1420sports1420sports Posts: 3,473 ✭✭✭
    The hockey fans I know also are very big into Dungeons and Dragons. Probably no correlation between the two, just a personal observation.

    I can't stand hockey. I tried to be interested in it, but just can't. I honestly could not name 10 current hockey players.
    collecting various PSA and SGC cards
  • Wow, and the NFL fans I know are all gang-bangers, former jail-birds and Nascar Hillbillies--but there can't be any correlation!
    Jay
  • dirtmonkeydirtmonkey Posts: 3,048 ✭✭


    << <i>The hockey fans I know also are very big into Dungeons and Dragons. Probably no correlation between the two, just a personal observation.

    I can't stand hockey. I tried to be interested in it, but just can't. I honestly could not name 10 current hockey players.


    Wow, and the NFL fans I know are all gang-bangers, former jail-birds and Nascar Hillbillies--but there can't be any correlation!
    Jay >>




    LOL, the baseball fans I know are circle-jerkers... and ummm... the basketball fans are former rapist and candyland phenoms. Yeah, that's the ticket!!! It's just a coinkydink though
    image
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