Quote:
Originally Posted by Vulcan
Yeah, sure the players are bigger, faster, more skilled than they were in the old days. You'll find that with all athletes in any sport but we were discussing the style of play and the danger.
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I'm not sure where you get that, because this is not at all what I was getting at. I recognise that there are trends in gameplay and "style", but this has less to do with my argument about quality as primarily a product of skill. Put simply: better players make for a better product. Players are better now than they were 10, 20, 30, 50 years ago. Players 10 years from now will likely be better than players today. So again, my point was twofold:
1. There is nothing really to miss from bygone NHL eras, since the game is a higher quality now.
2. It is puzzling to disturbing that a fan would miss the old days based on a collection of video clips that feature a potentially high number of head injuries. If this is indeed what Zarley means by his identification "the old NHL", then I really do have a problem with that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vulcan
As said the style changes with the times depending on what is successful and if rule changes are needed because it's gone down one path too far. I enjoyed hockey just as much in the 50s, 60s, 70s etc as I do today except now I get it in HD when not in person. So bullocks to you.
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I looked again at your post and more carefully read the final paragraph, which I find quite redeeming:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vulcan
...I'd like to add there is nothing wrong with low scoring games as long as the skill and effort are there. I read an article once where it was shown that as the skill goes up, the scoring goes down and visa versa. An example is the 70s and 80s where there was lots of expansion and the WHA lowering the skill levels causing the scoring to go up. Now they've changed the rules in order to raise the scoring but I look at it as just trying to keep the casual fan interested.
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I completely agree, and should point out that it was quick and careless of me to characterise the "old NHL" as poor on the primary basis that it was low-scoring. Much like you, I also enjoy hockey from all eras, and appreciate the skill that was on display in the 80s and 90s—when I first became a hockey fan. However, that does nothing to alter the fact that today's game is played at a higher level, and requires a higher skill set than it once did.