Is the NHL still a dying league. Has the new system of calling everything taken the fun out of the game?
I still delight іn watching NHL games bυt іt seems tο mе thаt thе game hаѕ bееn watered down. Yου know I аm a hυgе Red Wings fan аnd I reall ѕtаrtеd watching b ack іn thе heyday οf thе Colorado/Detroit rivalry. Thе passion аnd аll out support οf ones teamates seems tο bе a business οf thе past. I wіll nοt lie I miss fighting. All season long I hаνе nοt seen more thаn two fights. Dammit іt іѕ раrt οf thе game. If thе fans delight іn іt аnd thе players still hаνе thе willingness аnd thе ability tο dο іt thеn whу dοеѕ іt seem lіkе thе NHL leadership hаѕ absolutely tried tο eradicate іt?
The NHL is flourishing and has never been better! Attendance is up! TV ratings are up! Everything is up!
You sound like a fossil fan lamenting the “glory days” when no-talent thugs ruled the game and bench-clearing brawls were a nightly occurrence. I found that to be abject and embarrassing! All it did was made the NHL look like some bush league where professional wrestling fans and other such losers could go to swill bear, scream obscenities and pick fights in the stands. No thanks!
*Update: I’m glad we had our small offsite IM exchange, bugman, as I reckon we know each other better now. We might not be on the same page, but we both like the game. And I promise you it is only vacant to get better! Go Sabres!
I dig the new game… less trapping slow stylishness games. I reckon we will have a few 60+ goal scorers… and the playoffs will be intense.
As a Kings fan, I like the fact that we play the Ducks eight times now. I reckon it was only 4 previous to this season.
I don’t like the fact that western confrence teams only play a few teams from the east. I use to like vacant to the Kings Rangers games because there are a lot of ex-New Yorkers here.
All and all the game is still fading out… Not many new fans!
The NHL must do a better job marketing the league…
PS the wings SUCK!!!!
I have been watching and playing hockey for nearly 50 years. The NHL finally got something aptly. The game is quicker now that the hooking and holding is out of it. And, the digit of retaliations is way down, which means the fights are down.
Real finess players now dominate and the flat footed are on their way out.
Way to go NHL. You finally got it aptly.
Many of the posters have got it aptly. The crackdown on obstructions and holding has made the fantastic players in the game shine again. There was absolutely nothing worse than watching an inferior team hang close in a 1-1 game because they would slow play to a crawl by putting a stick in some ones mid-section and “water-skiing” (hooking) all the way through the neutral zone to slow down the more talented and skilled team.
I also like the thought of more divisional games so I can watch my beloved Rangers play the despised Devils, Flyers and Islanders many more times each year. I do miss seeing more games with the other Origianl 6 teams even if.
The one business I do not like to see is excellent hard clean hitting being legistated out of the game. I judge it is the combo of skill alacrity and toughness that make the gsame fantastic. What I have seen this season is too many players receiving penalties for what I perceive to be clean hard checks. I hope they can find a way to bring more hitting back into the game without sacrificing the open ice the new rules have brought.
Glad to see others like hockey as much as I do.