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Underground > Games & Gameplay >

NHL

  
 
Papess
12:09 / 09.02.07
I did a search for "hockey" and nothing came up. I am a hockey fan, (mostly a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, even though I am a Montreal rez). There are more NA lithers now than ever before and perhaps there may be a few NHL fans amongst us.

As a Leafs fan I am used to the losing aspect of the game as they haven't won the Stanley Cup since 1966-67 season, yet they are the second place with 23 championships in the history of the NHL, just below the Montreal Canadiens, or "Habs" as they are often called.

So, this year for the Leafs, it looks like the same story. Last night they were beat out by the Nashville Predators. Checking the paper this morning, the Predators, a very new team, are actually the leaders in the entire league, much to my surprise.

How do people feel about the new rules and shoot outs? I am not certain how I feel about them, yet. How about the proposed "wider nets" suggestion? I forgot which genius suggested it, but the reasoning was for more goals in hockey for the fans. Obviously, whomever it was never watched pro football in Europe.

Anyone else want to wax on about the ice hockey?
 
 
Jake, Colossus of Clout
16:24 / 09.02.07
I'm not a huge hockey fan, as the dynamic of the game doesn't grab me too terribly much, but I respect the sport greatly and I'll watch the Bruins if they're on in a bar. They're fucking awful, though.

That said, watching the state of the NHL the past few years has been painful for me as a general fan of sports. The lockout was crippling, and the league never really seemed to get back on it's feet. The new rules smacked of gimmickry and desperation. If baseball were to replace extra innings with a home run derby I would quit watching, despite the fact that I can't imagine life without baseball.

Gimmickry isn't going to solve anything. My impression of hockey's malaise is that the NHL got too big for it's britches. The NHL has always been weaker in popularity than the NBA, NFL and MLB in the States, and the idea that it could support 30 franchises like those larger leagues was cockamamie. When you're putting hockey franchises in Tampa Bay and Phoenix, there's something wrong. That's not what you think of when you think "hockey town," no matter how many championships the Lightning bring home. Besides, you can't trust Tampa Bay to do anything right. They built a dome stadium for the Devil Rays. Yes, I'm in beautiful Tampa Bay! What should I do? Oh, I know! Let's go watch a ballgame... Inside!!! Idiots. People have actually said that the reason no one goes to see the Devil Rays is because they have the word "Devil" in their name.

But I digress. Hockey can't support a 30-team league. there just isn't enough interest. You can't trust the official attendance figures. The Bruins games are full of empty seats, even when they're on a modest win streak, and Boston is an old-school team with a loyal fanbase. The Celtics draw more fans, and they're one of the most atrocious teams I've ever seen. The answer is not a larger net (for fuck's sake) or any other stupid gimmick. They need to contract the league to 16 or 20 teams, drop franchises like Phoenix that no one cares about, and go back to basics. When people care more about the Tampa Bay Lightning than the Chicago Blackhawks, there is a fundamental issue at work. So, yeah, too many expansion teams.
 
  
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