If anyone has read this post already I am sorry for cutting it short before, it is now finished. I got interrupted and didn't want to lose what I already started, so I published prematurely. Anyway, it is now complete so enjoy! And, if no one noticed, then this little blurb is irrelevant all together.
Look, who really cares? I work in an office of about 100 people or so, relatively small, and there is only one guy out of that bunch that truly misses hockey. No one else gives a damn, and there are 97 men in that 100 people! One out of a hundred, that is pathetic. In fact, the only reason why I miss hockey is because it gave me something to put on TV late at night and fall asleep to. Of the four major sports ( NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL ) it is, by far, the least popular. Why? One word - BORING!!!! See to me hockey is too much like NASCAR, either you are a die hard or you are not ( ironically, the majority of hockey fans I meet are also NASCAR fans. ). There really seems to be no in between with it, either you are in or out, love or hate, but no in between. For me I would rather watch paint dry why I am getting my legs waxed ( not that I do, but I am trying to make a point! ) then watch guys skate one way then the other for a few hours. Sounds about as exciting to me as watching dudes drive cars in a circle really fast for awhile, doesn't it? Wait, they already do that, it is called NASCAR. My point is this - do they need a salary cap? Yes, there is no other way to fix it and fix it right. But, after that, they need to take a good, long look at the game itself and make it a whole lot less boring. It is the most boring and least watched of the four major sports and a salary cap or not won't change that! Do I miss hockey at all? No, I could give two shits less either way. In fact, I still hope the union breaks, but that is my own personal opinion and I have my reasons for that. Furthermore, I think it would be funny if, for the first time in major sports history, an entire season was lost due to a labor dispute - and it looks like that is where they are headed. In fact, they may lose more! Plus, I still like the solution I posted about maybe a month or so ago - find Wayne Gretzky, make him go to Bettman and say "We will give you the cap if you give me your job!". That way everyone wins - Bettman is out, the players have a true "hockey guy" running the league and the owners get there cap - done.
That is all for now, later on I plan on discussing the Pistons trade rumor I heard, the U of M big house renovation ( thanks Dan Joseph! ) and, of course, my weekend NFL Playoff Picks. Until then, signing off, the sports dude.
Luke Waltons Forehead presented by the Sports Dude.
Friday, January 21, 2005 at 9:14 AM
NHL Lockout - whatever?
Dan Joseph said...
Umm... I am one of those that miss hockey, and am curious.. What do you find boring about it? What would make it more appeal to you?
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the sports dude said...
I am not sure what to say as far as what would make hockey more exciting - it just doesn't appeal to me! Maybe rule changes to allow more scoring, opening up the game a little more. Maybe allowing more fighting. Not being a hockey fan at all makes it hard for me to say things about the "what" when I really don't know enough about the "why", you know? I keep hearing people say, however, that Bettman implimented a lot of rule changes to slow the game down, slow scoring down, less fighting and more emphasis on defense, etc. Maybe they need to go back to the pre-Bettman rules, whatever they may be. A lot of the talk I hear, things I read, etc., say hockey was more exciting before Bettman. Than go back to that, I guess - whatever it was! Like I said, not knowing hockey enough doesn't allow me to really give a straight forward answer because it was not there. For me baseball was always there because my dad taught me that love. Football - all I can say is that if it is H.S., college, pro, arena, Canadian - whatever - football is football and there can never be enough! Basketball is what I played, so I love that and hold that dear to my heart. But hockey, maybe it is a lack of knowledge more than anything else and I am not ashamed to admit that. But for whatever reason it just does not appeal to me. I am 27 years old, and it was not until the Red Wings won with Hasek that I watched my first full hockey game on TV from beginning to end. That is 24 years or so of life on this earth, living in "hockeytown" for christ sakes and never watching more than a couple minutes here or there. I never meant to offend, if I did I apologize, but there is, for me, no appeal. It is just there and maybe it is my lack of knowledge that really is at the root of it and I won't hide from that fact. The game to me is slow, maybe it is because I don't understand icing, two line passes, off sides, etc., but I just don't get it. I can not say what would make it appeal to me more because of my admitted lack of knowledge, but I just don't get it I guess. Sorry to have offended you if I did, it was not my goal to do that to anyone, but hockey for me is just not there, you know?!?! T.S.D.
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Dan Joseph said...
You're definitely not alone in those thoughts. Hockey, mostly in the Eastern Conference, plays a trap game, which slows it down, and makes it a battle for the puck at center ice. Yay. There have been talks about rule changes that open up the game more, and up the offense. Brendan Shanahan had a summit in Toronto to talk about changes to make the game better to present the NHL.
If you ever get a chance to see a game in person, you should take it. You'll find a completely different game. Its more exciting than just following the puck.
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the sports dude said...
I know it is not a pro game or a Wings game, but it was a Whalers game. I went to one last year for my sons boys scout troop, it was a group outing. Even then I still felt the same way! I truly think it is just a lack of education as far as hockey goes, I don't understand it enough to follow it! Maybe a Wings game would change my mind, but that seems two years away and with replacement players anyway!
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