Thanks for this, Kreskin. Would this have been a special event or was the size of the crowd indicative of the numbers that normally attend hockey games in GM place?
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Thanks for this, Kreskin. Would this have been a special event or was the size of the crowd indicative of the numbers that normally attend hockey games in GM place?
From all that I have been reading here, wulfie, it would seem to me that the number of players who fight on the ice are now in the minority. As talloola has pointed out to me, the level of play has been elevated in recent years which begs the question of why the good players would not support a prohibition on fighting?
It is obvious, 'from your own words', that you have been
disconnected from hockey for some time, true, there are
still fights, but not like the times you mention, the
broad street bullies etc., those days are far behind us,
and the fighting has been reduced substantially, but not
gone all together, and many fights are between players
who agree before the faceoff to have a fight, drop the
gloves right after the drop of the puck, and seem to want
to add a bit of spice to the game, and are not mad at each
other at all.
Not many fights now, from sheer hate and anger on the ice,
but still a few.
The game is great now, I love it, even with the fights,
which over time seem to be getting fewer. There are not
many players in the league, who are hired for their fighting
abilities, and nothing else, those players are gone.
The game is healthy, faster, more skilled than I have ever
seen it, the broad street bullies wouldn't even make the
team now days, with exception of the super star types.
I have watched hockey since television first showed games,
and am very familiar with the growth of the game from
very early on.
Yes, the officiating must continue to balance their calls,
with what is happening on the ice, but they do miss calls,
they are only human. The Bertuzzi situation is an albatross
among infractions, and a one of a kind, and I believe many
have learned much since that awful night.
The league must push to make the officiating better, because
this year, it seems to have fallen behind.
We don't want brawls any more.
The problem with the bertuzzi situation 'was' bertuzzi, who walked around for
some time with a mad on, like a child, and made a decision
to get revenge, get over it inside of 24 hours, and move
on, so I would not blame anyone, or the officiating or the
NHL, only bertuzzi for that incident.
At that time Bertuzzi had a very arrogant attitude about
himself, and his interviews showed that, he was very big
headed, and made childish remarks about other players.
Cheap shots must be called, there was one last night in the
Montreal/san jose game, I saw it, lots of jostling and
pushing and shoving after the incident, (no
penalty on the play, and the league will embarrass the official by giving a suspension ), I hope. It was a cheap
shot.
The league does not need fighting to settle cheap shots,
it does nothing to reduce them, and just will encourage
the fighting every time a player does something the other team doesn't like,but good suspensions will, and sharp officiating.
As the game goes on, the league must get even tougher with
these types of infractions, and they are, so the more a
player receives suspensions, the less they will do these
things, and even their own teams will look down on them
for it.
But that's just the thing: its not a one off. Chris Simon had an incident not long after where he twohanded one of the NY Rangers not long after this, and while the specifics change, the scenario was far too similar. Simon was crosschecked from behind into the boards (the Isles said he actually sustained a concussion on the play), no penalty was called, so he got up, skated over and twohanded the guy who did it in the head, a la Donald Brashear/Marty McSorley. The truly severe instances are what the sport gets painted with and they always seem to have that revenge factor in them. The only way to remove that is punish the offenders, not whitewash over it and say " ah shucks we might have missed it but its done".
And some of the great players in the game DO fight. Sid has done it. Jarome Iginla does from time to time, almost any member of Team Canada that you want to look at has.
When I think back to the days of Gretzky and Lemieux, they whined in public a bit and the thing wasn't about fighting, but about the stars not being accorded respect and being constantly mugged. Gretzky's Oilers solved the problem by getting the Semenko's and McSorley's so everyone knew if they messed with Gretzky they would feel the pain. In some ways that IS lacking in today's game: its way @$$holes like Sean Avery are able to be effective, and why a lot of the charges/elbows that are headshots happen: because the NHL won't call them ("no one wants to watch 60 minutes of powerplays") and the players are hamstrung in enforcing themselves because of the instigator rule. The NHL has the ability to change the paradigm, by pushing on the cheapshots, like they did with the enforcement of the holding/stick infractions/interference that was instituted post lockout, but it is also a tricky thing because we fans LIKE the physical aspect of the game and don't want that removed.
There shouldn't be two 'sets of rules' one for so called start like Gretzky and the like and the other for the rest of the players. The NHL is at an all time low, and things will not change al long as the idiot Bettman is in charge. He has to go, but he is the only one who doesn't realize that.
The Canadian teams should withdraw from the NHL, take the Stanley Cup, and start their own league. I would bet the majority of Canadian hockey fans would like to see that...
And what would be wrong with that? The CFL is more exciting than the NFL. Gray Cup games are usually better than the Super Bowls, too.
Why do you say that? Because the CFL is in Canada? :lol:
The leagues aren't even close. The CFL is the minor leagues of the NFL. You've got Quinton Porter as a QB up there. I watched him play at Boston College a number of times and I spent most of the time moaning.
No I say it because the games are more exciting because of the rules. Hey don't get me wrong, I watch and bet on the NFL.
A Canadian hockey league would draw more interest in Canada. Half of the teams in the US generate little or no interest in their own cities. There are several additional cities in Canada that could support a professional team.
US Television markets would crush any All Canadian Hockey League.
If the US cities have no interest...why are the teams here? If Canadian cities have interest then why aren't they there?
In answer to your question, just look at Phoenix as an example. The man on the street is not interested, (saw interviews on TV) and yet Bettman wouldn't even consider a move to Hamilton. The man is retarded. The league buys the team? Isn't that a conflict of interest?
In response to your first comment, yankee television would pose NO THREAT to a Canadian hockey league. How many US TV stations actually show hockey now??
"In answer to your question, just look at Phoenix as an example. The man on the street is not interested, (saw interviews on TV) and yet Bettman wouldn't even consider a move to Hamilton. The man is retarded. The league buys the team? Isn't that a conflict of interest?
In response to your first comment, yankee television would pose NO THREAT to a Canadian hockey league. How many US TV stations actually show hockey now??"
Risus, the man on the street in Phoenix no less interested in Hockey, than the man on the street in Winnipeg was before that franchise had a new lease on life in Arizona.
Ditto, with the former Nordiques, who flourish in Denver.
Let's face it: If Canadians are too cheap to support and NHL team, it will move to the United States.
In response to your first comment, yankee television would pose NO THREAT to a Canadian hockey league. How many US TV stations actually show hockey now??"
Risus, the man on the street in Phoenix no less interested in Hockey, than the man on the street in Winnipeg was before that franchise had a new lease on life in Arizona.
Ditto, with the former Nordiques, who flourish in Denver.
Let's face it: If Canadians are too cheap to support and NHL team, it will move to the United States.
Well how about we move a couple teams to Winnipeg and Quebec? :lol:
Putting a hockey team in Pheonix Az was silly to begin with but there they are.
Yankee Television absolutely poses a threat to any All Canadian Hockey team just as the NFL poses a threat to the CFL. It has nothing to do with ticket sales. Let's just say that Canada creates a Canada only hockey league. First off, you aren't going to take the Montreal Canadian, Maple Leafs, etc. Those teams belong to the NHL as well as the contracted players. Sure the players can quit and go to this new league, but they would make less money as the NHL with the US Market has a lot more money. The NHL teams would siphon all the best players and there you go, another hockey minor league.
There is all kinds of hockey on TV with ESPN, Sports Channels, and local TV networks. I think CBS has a game of the week. I have no problem watching the Bruins on TV when they are on. Canuck markets can't compete with Yankee Markets.
Either you are smoking some of your wacky tobacco, or your yankee ego has taken over.
Putting a team in Phoenix is the mentality that you have running the NHL.
If Montreal or Toronto wants to leave the league there is diddly squat the NHL can do about it. The money for the players would be there, and they would be lining up at the doors to sign up.
As far as TV goes, one weekly game on CBS?? LOL, you can't be serious. That is a drop in the bucket. We hane sports channels, CBC, TSN, Sportsnet etc, who all have a number of games on a week.
Anyway it is one option that is out there. Fans in Canada would lap it up and not give a crap about the old NHL...
Don't really know what you want, you block everything, every
step of the way. The suspensions are coming more and more,
the mcSorely stuff is the exception, so 'we' shouldn't deal
with them, and the gretzky protection is a thing of the
past, and I don't see the stars of today getting treated
poorly, and if they do, a crowd gathers, and in the next
play, usually there is a fight to counteract it.
Fights are down in numbers, cheap shots are dealt with by
suspensions, the game has improved from the old days, when
there were brawls, I wonder how I watched them, now that
I look back. lots of cheap shots back then, spearing was
in the game, not so much any more. Bobby Clark stuff would
not be tolerated now.
They have to sort out, giving suspensions for the hit,
irrespective of how much injury, so officials have to
learn how to do that, and NHL have to also, eg. don't
know if yesterdays hit has a suspension yet, I just am
not up to the recent sports news, maybe it did, maybe
it didn't, it is the officials who have to be better, and
the league as well.
don't know what to say to you, just cancel the game, and
go play shuffleboard I guess.
Fights right after cheap shots, will not stop anything,
didn't in the past, and won't now, body guards are not
necessary, the good players are doing fine, not many
cheap shot types do anything to them, it would be the
exception.
Nothings perfect.
I think my Yankee ego is in competition with your Canuck ego.
No, the NHL owns the Canadians logo, trademark etc. The money for the players may not be there because the NHL will start a new Montreal Canadians with different owners. Same with the Maple Leafs. This new league would be starting from scratch like the XFL.
Did I say that there is only one game on per week or just one per week on CBS?
TV Markets bring money. Our TV Markets are bigger. That's why there are 24 teams in the states and 6 teams in Canada. That is why there can be teams in Tennessee, the Carolinas, Texas over Winnipeg, Hamilton, and Quebec.
At any rate it will never happen because it would be doomed from the start. The NHL would siphon the best players and you'd have a minor league up there like the failed WHL. Remember that league?
Why the Winnipeg Jets failed...
"As the NHL expanded in the United States, operating costs and salaries grew rapidly; this development hit the league's Canadian teams particularly hard. As Winnipeg was the league's fourth-smallest market (eventually becoming the third-smallest market after the Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver in 1995), the Jets were unable to retain their best players. Various schemes were devised to save the team through a tremendous grassroots effort and government funds, but in the end the efforts were not enough. The Winnipeg Jets played their last-ever game on April 28, 1996, a home playoff loss to the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 4–1. Norm Maciver scored the last goal in Jets history."
Do you think the NHL would give up their share of the big TV Canadian markets to make room for this new All Canada League? I HIGHLY doubt it. The league is probably run by Canadians for the most part.
"As the NHL expanded in the United States, operating costs and salaries grew rapidly; this development hit the league's Canadian teams particularly hard. As Winnipeg was the league's fourth-smallest market (eventually becoming the third-smallest market after the Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver in 1995), the Jets were unable to retain their best players. Various schemes were devised to save the team through a tremendous grassroots effort and government funds, but in the end the efforts were not enough. The Winnipeg Jets played their last-ever game on April 28, 1996, a home playoff loss to the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 4–1. Norm Maciver scored the last goal in Jets history."
Do you think the NHL would give up their share of the big TV Canadian markets to make room for this new All Canada League? I HIGHLY doubt it. The league is probably run by Canadians for the most part.
Obviously you don't have a good memory. It was actually the WHA. And the reason it failed was because it was founded by yankees. Case closed...
Then my mistake.
However if you are going to end the argument on that...then case closed and you know I am right.
The NHL is here to stay. There would be no interest in Canada, none whatsoever in an All Canada league. The Yankees bankroll all of these players (mostly Canuckies) and any deviation from the current formula is doomed to fail. That is why there is an NHL in reality and any other dream is just that.
Case close. :lol: