Quote:
Originally Posted by transplant99
I'm glad you enjoy it. I certainly don't as much as I once did and for the reasons i mentioned. I hope it's OK to have that point of view?
I'm not talking about fighting, though that was always a by-product when the game was played with the emotion displayed years ago. Skill and finesse were always part of the game, as I mentioned. Again though, it's the passion that is missing. It's like watching robots at times. People complained last year when Johnny got his finger broken on a blatant slash...where was the response? There wasn't one. That's the kind of stuff Im talking about.
Its funny, Warrener was just on the radio and saying the exact same thing. He was at the game last night and said there was nary even a body check in the first 10 minutes. Against the friggin Oilers? Unwatchable stuff. He never played in "rough and tumble 80's".
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I tend to agree with you, and think it's largely a byproduct of the game and the players being overcoached (or heavily coached, if you prefer). It takes spontaneity out of the game to an extent, and removes both errors and creativity, in addition to reducing big hits and fighting in favour of discipline and positioning.
My main gripe - other than the lack of jam that's so often on display - is the muffling of both skilled play and errors due to the format of the game and the level of coaching. Watching the Young Stars tourney, it occurred to me how much the game would benefit from the rink just being expanded a foot or two in every direction. With the speed of the game, the size of the players, and the level of coaching, skilled players are always being asked to stickhandle in a phonebooth. If they just had another half second, or another couple of feet of space, we'd see less chip and chase and more skilled plays, and more defensive errors, making for a more entertaining game.