Quote:
Originally Posted by jayswin
Treliving's a smart hockey mind. The point system is peanuts compared to what the game of hockey has become, and Brad nailed the major issues right there. Hockey is now a perfectly executed systems based game, where scoring chances are so few over the course of a million blocked lanes and blocked shots that it has even the most hardcore supporters bored during most games.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jayswin
Just think of how this presents itself to the casual/new/potential fan. Not very well. Hockey is losing (and I begrudgingly agree it has to) what attracted so many people to the game; it's toughness.
The hard hitting, glove dropping nature of the game that separated it from it's competition is going the way of the dodo. Which would be fine if fast paced, edge of your seat, chance swapping action was in it's place, but instead I'd argue we're back to where we were in the late 90's/early 2000's where coaches have mastered the offense out of the game in favour of perfect defense.
I don't see why it isn't time to revamp the game a little, just like we did over a decade ago, to reset the game so to speak, and force coaches to have to adapt all over again.
Tre nailed it, literally as soon as the teams are set in the zone it's like shooting into a brick wall and a good chunk of a 60 minute hockey game is players just kind of skating and passing around aimlessly, hoping for a shred of daylight. Sure, it feels great when one finally does get through, but there's very little threatening offense in the game today. It's just about boringly keeping possession until maybe something opens up.
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I don't really buy either of your arguments. It honestly just sounds like you don't like hockey and your version of it isn't the actual sport. Too many video games? Too high of expectations? Or maybe you're just a pessimist. You do seem to crap on the NHL, flames and Calgary at every chance you get.
Hockey will never be teams just trading chances back and forth and it never has been. And any rule that legislates river hockey into the game will just ruin it. Want ringette rules that mandate player positioning in the offensive zone? Eliminate shot blocking? Vastly change the size of the ice surface? Go permanent 4 on 4? May as well just create a new sport because that's not NHL hockey anymore.
It isn't fair to reference the Olympics, unless you want to eliminate 25 teams, or the world juniors, unless you want to eliminate 25 teams and make the NHL a U20 league.
Hockey after the lockout sucked. It was nothing but power plays for 3 hours.
All that being said I'd be in favour of some minor tweaks. Slimming goalie equipment, slimming player equipment, slight tightening of obstruction rules again.