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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