NHL 2004 - Page 17 - Guitars101

POD GOD · 01-05-2005, 06:13 AM

Gotta agree with Sucka on this one. Not only is the product "watered-down" but financially, hockey can't support 30 teams. The market just isn't big enough. I'd like to see it trimmed down to 20 -25 teams.

SuckaInA3Piece · 01-05-2005, 06:14 AM

So would I, and I'd love for Rick Nash to land on my Flyers.

Lodewijk5150 · 01-05-2005, 06:43 AM

If you want to trim the league , that's fine , as long as you don't cut out my Jackets ! We have no other pro teams (except for the Buckeyes

)here so hockey does really well !
Why should the big cities with all the pro sports get to soak up all the hockey? That's not right either !
Sucka , you're sounding like a spoiled elitist !

I think you're just jealous the flyers didn't get Rick Nash!

SuckaInA3Piece · 01-05-2005, 06:45 AM

Oh I AM jealous! LOL We always have to pick late cause of you frickin small market teams. I hate it!

LOL

Lodewijk5150 · 01-05-2005, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by POD GOD

Gotta agree with Sucka on this one. Not only is the product "watered-down" but financially, hockey can't support 30 teams. The market just isn't big enough. I'd like to see it trimmed down to 20 -25 teams.

Hockey can't support thirty teams because player costs eat up 75% of league revenue ......... not to mention the fact that the T.V money isn't there because the game just doesn't translate well to the small screen !

I know a few people who hated hockey with a passion until I treated them to a game , now they're hooked !
At least that's my take on it !

vh resurrected · 01-05-2005, 07:08 AM

I totally agree that it doesn't translate as well to TV. Anyone I've ever taken to a game (5 or 6 different people) for the first time loved it. It makes it easier to follow the game on TV if you've seen it live a few times. That's another complaint we've all heard about hockey: "I can't follow the little, round, black thingy!"

Lodewijk5150 · 01-05-2005, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuckaIn3Piece

Oh I AM jealous! LOL We always have to pick late cause of you frickin small market teams. I hate it!

LOL

I think you're confusing being from a small market with sucking !
If your Flyers would just bite the bullet and SUCK for a couple years , you guys could get in the lottery ! You're almost there now anyway !

SuckaInA3Piece · 01-05-2005, 07:24 AM

OUCH!

I think you're right about the players sucking up 75% of the revenue, however, if the league were smaller there would be more money to be made out there. You'd have teams stocked with talent like the Pens of the late 80's early 90's, or the Red Wings of the 90's, instead of all these teams with one or two lines, and the other three made up of AHL players, or NHL players that are good, but not great. Plus if you cut the season down a bit, that would help a bit too. Hockey doesn't need 82 games of nothing special. Hockey doesn't get good till right around january anyways.

Lodewijk5150 · 01-05-2005, 09:25 AM

Just heard that the Czks beat us to get the bronze ! That blows !

SuckaInA3Piece · 01-05-2005, 10:08 AM

Damnit! There are some good players on Team USA, but they really don't have four solid lines they can throw out there, and the goalie, whom I like, has been shaky.

SuckaInA3Piece · 01-05-2005, 10:28 AM

AN NHL PART OWNER named Wayne Gretzky was heard from at the World Junior Championships, and it wasn't pretty regarding the lockout few seem to care about.

Gretzky, part owner of the Phoenix Coyotes, said he fears we could be looking at 2 years without an NHL season if the lockout is not settled in the next few days.

"I'm scared we could be looking at a year, year-and-a-half, 2 years, not just 3 months like a lot of people thought back in September," Gretzky said in Grand Forks, N.D. Since players are not paid between April and October, Gretzky said there might be little chance of any breakthrough during the summer and that could mean no NHL next season.

"We're going to be back where we were last Sept. 15 [at the end of the collective bargaining agreement] come this Sept. 15," he said.

It's January, and he's already talking gloom and doom like Sept. 15 is right around the corner? Oh, Canada meets Russia in tonight's championship game

vh resurrected · 01-05-2005, 11:36 AM

I think what hockey truly needs are changes to the rules. The casual fan wants goals. I enjoy a 1-1 tie as much as (I assume) most of you who frequent this thread if the game is fast-paced but the general public does not. Sure the talent is diluted, but I think with the right rule changes excitement can be brought back to the game and the seats would begin filling if the cage was being filled more often. I admire Shanny for setting up a summit to discuss the current state of the game itself.

I went to the WBS Penguins game on Dec. 31 and one of the first things I noticed is that they still use the 'touch up' rule for offsides. It keeps the game moving and allows more aggressive forechecking.

I also wish they would eliminate the two line offside pass. If your team can handle leaving a guy up by the opponent's blue line to cherry pick then more power to ya. You'll either get more breakaways or basically a power play in your own zone.

When Mario came back one of the first things I remember him saying is how big the goalies were. I'm pretty sure it's a fact that humans in general are getting taller and larger but I also know that the equipment that goalies wear has gotten bigger as well. If you've been watching any of the classic NHL games you've seen how much more net there seems to be.

I truly believe that hockey can be saved in most current markets by just bringing back the excitement that I remember from the "old days."
:end semi-coherent rant:

SuckaInA3Piece · 01-05-2005, 11:48 AM

Yea that touch up rule is fantastic isn't it. Much more free flowing without all the stoppages. Plus I just think the linemen in the NHL are just horrible. They're not like the old days when they would get out of the way along the boards. Now they'll just stand there, and if you're carrying the puck and hit them with it, well too bad for you. And some of their offsides calls are just BRUTAL. So giving them that touch up rule really bails them out from embarrassing themselves.

I also agree with Mario that the goalies are huge, like that even matters for him! LOL He's right though, and the league should make the equipment a bit smaller. Guys like Sean Burke, Garth Snow and Roman Chechmanek are huge men without the pads on, and then you put all that junk on and there is just nothing to shoot it. Then you throw in the trap and goalies playing the puck, you just don't get as many scoring chances as you once did. On the other hand I'm a guy that enjoys good defense, but stuff like the trap should be outlawed. The friggin Devils won three cups usin that shit too, that's what irks me.

Lodewijk5150 · 01-05-2005, 12:03 PM

I thought I had heard last year , that some rule changes were already approved for this year and one of them was shrinking the goalies pad size ! It's a step in the right direction , but more is needed for sure !
I guess we'll have to wait and see !

SuckaInA3Piece · 01-05-2005, 12:08 PM

Yea it'll only be a 2-3 year wait!