Does hockey bring you joy, or is it becoming a drag

[CaptainCrunch]

So I've been thinking about this for a while and it comes back to the discussion. Does Hockey and specifically NHL hockey bring you the same joy and satisfaction as it used to. This isn't about how good or bad the team is, that's really irrelvant to the discussion.

Let me put it this way.

When I was a young lad in the mid 80's I was a fantatic. I used to watch every game that I could. I had a little radio digital wrist watch and when I had to take my dog out for a walk, I had that plugged into my ear. I knew every Flame, I knew their win loss record, I knew their schedule off by heart. Even in the days without Internet, I would race out and spend my hard earned money on the hockey news, and the hockey digest. Stay up late to watch Sports at 11:30 to see stories on the team.

It all lead up to the Win in 89, sitting in a bar watching the Flames hoist the cup. At least I think I did but I was far too drunk.

My fanaticism, continued into the 90's, with the pushing forward of the Internet and information at your finger tips. I became even more of a fan. I could follow prospects better, and do draft preparation, I knew more about other teams. All the games were being televised, and I would make time to either watch them or record them to watch later. From October to June it was hockey time. I participated in virtual hockey leagues like APBA leagues (Remember those).

Maybe it was the long years of bad hockey, maybe the game has changed too much for me.

But now, I just don't know if there's that hockey passion anymore. Even in a tight playoff race its not like I want to rush home, just to watch a game. I have a tablet with NHL.com's app on it, so I can see the highlights and even the stats. I can't remember the last time, I dove super deep into the prospects forum or the farm teams stats. I get excited about certain games.

But even last night watching that Pittsburgh game, halfway through I had a book in my face and I half listened.

Look I want to be clear. This isn't about the whole argument that you see on this board about the Flames sucking or not sucking.

I've just come to the realization, that somehow this game has gotten too monotone, in a way too serious, too stats oriented, and pretty passionless.

What do I think has happened to make the season too long and dropped my interest from super fan to fan to interested bystander

1) Advanced Stats discussion - I get it, and I applaud people who follow them. But I can't subscribe to it. It makes the game too video gamish and too dispassionate. I also wonder about the over all worth in adding to the entertainment value of the game. I guess I'm too old for it. But when someone goes into a lengthy discourse about Corsi, or Fenwich, or Possession, and all I can think about is why that player pulled off of a hit, or my eyes glaze over while the Golden Grahames theme song echo's in my head, it makes me think that I'm not the intended audience.

2) Passion Play - I just don't see it anymore. Hockey has become a systems game. It started in the 80's when coaches for bad teams took the concept of late game Kitty Bar the Door and spread it to the whole game. When coaches defensive strategies were to put a shadow on the best player for the opponents team, maybe it lost me. At some point, hockey has become too much like slot hockey. Its probably caused by coaches trying to hold onto their jobs by playing caution based systems, but what made hockey fun to follow was that it was a fast (for its time) mistake filled game with lots of hitting and passion. I'm not saying its sucks or its bad, but its a disconnect to me.

3) Money - The internet was/is great for getting information. But at this point, it just seems like the fan experience has shifted off ice and there's more excitement around things like Cap Management, and player salary levels and points per dollar. We spend out time talking about arena deals and TV deals. Its almost become like a business meeting when people talk about dollars.

4) Has hockey become a perimeter game? - I think that the move to get hockey off the boards has gone too far. Because hockey is now a donut game to me, it starts two feet from the boards and 10 feet from the slot. Its all about circle like basket ball around the key.

Ayways, is it me, I would happily accept that the game has left me behind. That my groaning when the calendar turns to march that I'm the only one saying, "I'm out of gas on these things".

For the most part, I love this community and the people here, but it seems to be that for the most part, I come to this board for the off topic stuff, the other sports stuff and because I love playing a over the top Oiler hater (Don't worry folks I actually do dislike the Oilers).

Does hockey need to worry about people like me, that have steadily decreased the dollars spent on actually watching the game (C class fan represent Yo).

And no, I 'm not saying, bring back goons and fighting because that's what I want to see.

Is the league missing the boat here by becoming too much like a robot hockey league?

Anyways, I thought it would merit a discussion.

[Canehdianman]

I was never as huge of a fan as some of you guys are, but I used to watch probably 30 Flames games a year.

This year, I haven't watched an entire game yet. Part of this is because I have two young kids and other priorities so I don't have the time to laze about like I used to. But its also that I don't find it entertaining anymore.

I think the blame is 50/50 between the game not being as entertaining as it used to be and me moving on to other priorities.

Further, between losing TV revenue, cities being less willing to provide subsidies and players suffering life-altering (life-diminishing) concussions, big name sports are in for a rough ride in the coming years.

I don't want to see these sports end, but it is clear that their business model is not sustainable.

[GordonBlue]

I cheer for a different team, but I agree with you on all your points.

I would add my age has something to do with it. As I've gotten older I've had more responsibilities that are a priority and developed different interests.

to point three, I would call it money/business side of hockey. where even to the people involved in the NHL it's a business and not a game.

all the lockouts contributed to my declining passion for the game, and for the fact that very few players stay with a team for an extended period of time. players seem more like mercenaries than anything.
I remember it was rare for a player to play for more than two or maybe three teams in a career. now many seem to play for 5 or 6.

video replay and the quality of refs hurts my enjoyment of the game also. the way the games are called are so inconsistent that it's frustrating. I've been trying to watch other teams more this year and every team has calls that make you shake your head over the stupidity of them. but even then, if the refs were consistent in their stupidity, I could understand it.

and replays make me long for the days of accepting the occasional bad call by the ref on the ice. offside calls being a good example. not to mention video reviews of potential goals and goaltender interference.

online message boards probably haven't helped. the reinforcement of negativity around the crappy team I cheer for saps what enjoyment is left right out of things. that and the over analysis of every little thing.

[kyuss275]

Was hoping for more this year. I have to remind myself that i thought they would be a bubble team and thats what they are. Truthfully CP is starting to become a drag. Probably need to take some time away. I can't imagine how awful CP is going to get once they are officially elimanted and no 1stor 2nd round pick to look forward to.

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by kyuss275

Was hoping for more this year. I have to remind myself that i thought they would be a bubble team and thats what they are. Truthfully CP is starting to become a drag. Probably need to take some time away. I can't imagine how awful CP is going to get once they are officially elimanted and no 1stor 2nd round pick to look forward to.

but what about your feeling about the NHL and watching hockey overall, not just the flames? or is it one and the same for you.

[kevman]

I don't remember the last time I've watched and they managed to win. It feels like they've been on a 2018 losing streak. That's a bit of a drag.

The Oilers however always seem to bring me joy, so that helps!

[Ashasx]

Some times it feels like I have more emotion yelling at the TV than the coaches or players do on the ice. That feeling has gotten old and I'm more likely to just turn the game off now than anything.

Beyond that, there have been a few really nonsensical, completely avoidable moves over the last few years that people employed in hockey operations should never have fallen for. It's really hard to get behind that without the fear of more mistakes clouding my enjoyment of the team.

Not not mention the whole arena debacle has been a punch in the gut as a fan.

[cKy]

I've found my interest becoming less and less. When I lived in Calgary i'd probably go see 20-30 games a year and rarely miss a televised one if not in person to see it. When I moved to Victoria 9 years ago I would still watch every single game possible (or listen on the Fan). I find I end up watching more Boston games (better time zone, better hockey, second favorite team) than I do Calgary ones at this point..

Lately, the last few seasons and like Canehdianman, with small children I just don't have that drive to watch really boring Flames hockey any more.

These are probably the 2 biggest reasons why;

* Small kids. Once I put kids to bed and make lunches I'm tired and only get an hour or two to myself and/or wife. The games better entertain me (they currently dont).

* Lack of hockey market out here. Not too many people talk hockey out here, and if they do they are probably dirty Canuck fans.

[Ace]

Agree with this. Definitely has a lot to do with growing up and having kids for me, just other things more important. But if the team made the playoffs those games are a different story.

I'm also somewhat convinced that the fake parity points system the NHL uses, has played a big role in diminishing the season games for me. 3-2-1 changes the game significantly in my opinion. The whole game play changes when you start playing for the win.

[bubbsy]

I think I agree with a lot of your points.

Though consider yourself lucky to have been old enough to enjoy that cup.

I was 7 when that happened, and I remember every detail of that series and that day vividly. Perhaps my most clearly remembered first memory to be honest. I've spent 30 years of my life trying to relive that joy, especially as I got older to really enjoy that cup journey.

The game has changed a lot. Personally, I think the fundamental problem is the enhancement of equipment. Every player is basically wearing weightless armour. That means every player on the team is a shot blocker and should a puck actually get past all that you have a goalie who's padding cover 70 % of the net.

With lesser equipment we'd go back to less shot blocking, more shooting lanes. We'd also see a great reduction in concussions in my opinion. If it hurt the hitter as much as it does the hit victim you'd likely see less full speed use your body as a missle type hits.

Anyways...

[Matty81]

A lot of the stuff I liked is gone or diminished too. I still enjoy it but I used to really like the personality and unpredictability of it all. The massive trades, the guys who were quicker thinking/smarter showing that out on the ice with on the fly decision making, interesting stories and interviews.

Now it seems overcoached and really honed into a business in the Bettman era and is increasingly devoid of personality. The systems are more important than the individual athletes and their ability to think or make decisions on the fly - they're trained to be robots almost. The players get media coaching from the time they are 15 to make sure they control what they say. The league is designed for casual fans, crank up the parity so every market gets a turn/playoff run every 10 years or so where everyone has a party and reconnects enough to want to go to a few games and their business stays healthy. Even worse there are so many markets where 95% of the population doesn't care at all about hockey.

I think a lot of this stuff is coming home to roost with the younger generations coming up though, outside of the hyper intense hockey families a lot of kids are disengaging with it (and pro sports in general) because it's failing to make that emotional connection and they can see it's just another business.

For me though I do like the decline in violence. It was riveting to watch but not in a good way for me.

I feel like if they cut the goalie equipment down massively it might open things up a bit and make it a bit more interesting again as teams wouldn't be able to systematically choke games out as much. But to do so they'd probably need to ban the new sticks in the name of safety and bring back wood ones. Will never happen.

[White Out 403]

I realize this is probably aimed towards Flames fans, but, I'll answer. Even in the darkest years of the Jets 2.0 ... mired in the quagmire of bums like Pavelec and stuart and thorburn on our team, I still was very happy to have a team to be disappointed in. Nothing demonstrates its worth to you quite like not having it. I love hockey and even with the Jets having 0 playoff wins and years of being mediocre they were/are still my mediocre team.

[Erick Estrada]

It's not really apples to apples when comparing the 80's to today. In the 80's you were lucky to see 30 games televised a season so every televised game was a treat. Now every game is televised so if you are a fan that tunes into all 82 games it's natural that there's going to be an element of fatigue. When a team has a solid season, making the playoffs that fatigue is offset because for the majority of the time you are going to bed pleased the team won. In a non-playoff season chances are you are going to bed frustrated more than not and it's going to wear thin. Has this season been fun to watch? No. It's been one of the more frustrating Flames seasons since pre-Darryl Sutter Flames hockey but I love my team and I'm holding optimism that things will be better next season. That's all you can do as there's no point dwelling on what's happened as it's just sports entertainment at the end of the day and if it's becoming a drag maybe it's time to find another hobby and take a step back.

[The Cobra]

If winning was easy, it wouldn't be that much fun.

When the team is down (like it is now), that's when they need the fan's support the most, as hard as they might be.

[btimbit]

I've always disliked the constant talk about the need to grow the game and attract more viewers. I loved hockey the way it was and my whole life all they've talked about was how to change it.

Now, that said, exciting hockey is still out there. They may have not been the best years really, but the Hartley era was some of the most enjoyable hockey id watched in a while. I feel part of this is just how cautious and boring Gulutzan and many other coaches has teams playing.

The biggest thing for me though is probably the attention on off ice stuff. Fans arguing over contracts, who's overpaid and who isn't, who has to lo much term, the constant bashing of a player the second they turn 30. Then the whole arena issue taking so much attention and guys like Eric Francis constantly trying to start arguements. The internet is good for this sort of exposure but it's taken a bit away from the on ice product I think

[madmike]

I still enjoy the game, but I don't follow it nearly as closely as I used to. Family, job and other hobbies (video games/Netflix) have seriously cut into my hockey time. Which is maybe a good thing. I used to get so upset when the Flames were doing badly, but these days I really don't care all that much.

[automaton 3]

My passion for hockey in general is down. I was a kid for the '89 cup and in university for the '04 cup run. Great times.

My interest is significantly down for the NHL though. I rarely watch an entire game and even then I usually PVR it and skip through parts. I've turned down tickets multiple times the past few years as it feels like the effort and cost of attending vs. the experience is just not there.

My interest was somewhat rekindled in the Hartley era (please don't turn this into a Hartley bashing thread) as I personally find north-south hockey with quick transitions entertaining. Yes it was bad on advanced stats and often on the scoreboard but it was fun to watch. I quite dislike this robot-like positioning, east-west short passes and moving up the ice as a 5 man unit game. It reminds me of soccer.

It doesn't help that my kid has little interest in hockey, which is a bit puzzling to me but seems to be a trend with youth.

We still attend some CHL hockey, which I find entertaining. It is cheaper and accessible.

[CalgaryFan1988]

I used to watch 80 or so (would always miss a couple that weren't televised. Even being in Ontario, i would catch 60+ with Center Ice).

Now, I probably watch 5-10.

My lack of interest is pretty much due to the fact that it was something my late wife and I would do together. Also, since Iginla, Regehr and Kiprusoff have left, I don't find myself as interested.

The lack of contact and fighting in hockey now, it's not the same exciting brand of hockey I grew up with.

[habernac]

There are a number of things that have changed it for me.

As Erick states above, the game is no longer a novelty. It's everywhere. I have the ability to watch every game I want to. When I moved to Calgary in 95, I went to and watched every game I possibly could.

Frustration. I follow two teams. The management for both of these have been mediocre to abysmal for a long, long time. I'm tired of incompetence.

I have a wife and kids. I'm rarely at home, we're always out doing something. It's not all that important to me anymore.

[Kovaz]

I've definitely stopped watching more games the last two years than any previously. I feel like there've been a lack of intense, highly entertaining games in recent memory that make it worthwhile. Feels like we either jump out to an early lead and coast to victory, get an early lead and then collapse when adversity strikes, or go down a few goals and never look threatening. None of those games are all that fun to watch. I used to watch every game, start to finish, but when I do the math: 82 games * 3 hours, plus at least another hour on game days reading up on stats, refreshing twitter for lineups, arguing on forums, etc. I start to question if I'm getting enough out of it to justify spending 300-400 hours on the Flames every year.

I still want to watch and cheer for every game, but it's a struggle when you just don't believe in the team.