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HOCKEY OWNERS NEED TO GET THEIR HEADS OUT OF THE SAND
November 24, 2003
Courtesy The Fan View
Story by: Michael Hobson
The upcoming labour battle between the owners and the players
is the main topic of conversation for everyone in and around
the NHL. While the league's economic future is foremost on
the governors' minds I believe that financial control over
the game today is actually short-term thinking, and that the
growth of the game should be their most pressing issue. Why
dicker over the small monies the game earns today when with
a little bit of tinkering the game could grow beyond anyone's
wildest dreams. Instead of fighting to gain greater control
of one dollar the league could be working out ways to share
ten. Of course to be successful the league's hierarchy would
have to stop thinking like ostriches, and stop believing that
the game is fine the way it is being played.
As I have said many times before I grew up loving the game
of hockey. There wasn't any other sport for me as a youngster.
I played it regularly, watched it frequently, and followed
it religiously; I knew every team, their rosters, their records,
their histories, and their logos. I was the perfect fan-young
and enthusiastic. But as I grew older the game changed. The
game that was once billed as "the fastest team sport
in the world" slowed precipitously as the league expanded
beyond its capabilities, and the wrong men gained control.
Nowadays that "perfect fan" can't even bring himself
to watch playoff games, and the reason is simple-the game
is BORING.
While the game has always had its issues--how it can continue
to think that fighting is an integral part of the sport is
beyond me-at least its players were allowed to display their
skills in the flow of play. But instead of trying to raise
the average player up to the level of its superstars-the way
the other more successful sports do-the NHL brings its superstars
down to the level of mediocrity. It allows the slower and
lesser skilled players to clutch and grab and hold. Mario
Lemieux once termed the NHL as a "garbage league"
and this description has only grown more apt with time. Games
are now played mostly in the neutral zones as trapping has
become a standard form of defense. Computers and the video
age have assisted coaches in devising systems to slow down
the talented player. This has perpetuated a growth of the
larger, less skilled player capable of slowing the faster
skaters with a slight hook, capable of cycling the puck along
the boards for what passes for an eternity, and, with several
of them lined up along the blue line, capable of clogging
up the short passing lanes. The game is now the "slowest
team sport in the world" rivaling soccer for the team
sport with the fewest opportunities to score during a game.
Changing this mindset is a priority for the NHL. They cannot
continue along these lines, to be afraid of tinkering with
a traditional sport, afraid of angering the tiny fraction
of the North American populace that call themselves hockey
fans. They need to realize that the game today is a far cry
from the game that was played during the height of its popularity
in the seventies and the eighties. The game today is dull.
How long will it be before the staunchest of hockey supporters
begin to turn away from the game and look to invest their
heavy dollars in other entertainment vehicles? Even in Toronto,
where thousands would pay top dollar just to watch two teams
skate around the rink as long as one team was the Maple Leafs,
the thought process has to change. Their clientele is slowly
turning bitter as the organization puts dollars ahead of championships.
The game needs to change. The league is under the impression
that more goals is what the fan desires, but this is the wrong
impression. The fan simply wants more action-more skating,
more shooting, more opportunities for its elite players to
display their talents. The NBA knows that fans want to see
star players play like stars. The NFL knew enough to protect
its star players-fans don't want to see back-ups replacing
injured starters. Even MLB is trying to accentuate its star
performers. The NHL is the only league that is going backward,
going away from the absolute. The league needs to make the
changes needed to open up the game-make larger rinks, eliminate
the red line, reduce the players on the ice-whatever it takes
to speed the game up.
After all, if I wanted to watch this much holding I'd watch
pro wrestling. Or Oprah.
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