2008 Woodie Awards
NHL has not quite died off
Matt Rydberg
Issue date: 10/8/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Denver sports columnist Woody Paige said on the popular ESPN show "Around The Horn" that "the NHL's official time of death will be noted as Oct. 4, 2007."
Like the old man in Monty Python, the NHL is being tossed on the dead bin still screaming, "I'm not quite dead yet."
In spite of the NHL's best efforts, the league will continue.
To frame Paige's comments, he was referring to the Detroit Red Wing's first home opener not being sold out for the first time in many decades. A scary omen - sure. But I don't think anyone should be holding the wrist and checking a clock quite yet.
The NHL certainly has been trying to do everything in its power to implode the league. A year-long strike which ended poorly for everyone was only the beginning of a long process in which the NHL continues to alienate fans.
The result of the lockout was player salary cuts supposedly to make teams more balanced and to make it more affordable to attend a hockey game. Apparently the NHL felt "more affordable" and "raise prices 6 percent" were synonymous.
The rule changes were nice enough. Looser icing rules, shootouts to end tie games and other little tweaks to the game have certainly made a difference between NHL and college game speeds.
Some of the die-hard fans argue these things have made the game as "gimmicky" as the 17th at TCP at Sawgrass. These changes do bring a broader fan base, which is something the NHL is desperately lacking.
The rule changes were a good start, but I would argue they need more. Don't go so far as to expand the nets. Other subtle changes could change the game's speed and overall appeal. Snoop Dogg, a first time hockey fan last year at Anaheim's post season run, said he liked the game because of the speed and the hitting, along with the incredible talent it takes to handle the puck.
I don't know for sure what rule changes to make to improve those attributes, but when big name celebrities start noticing hockey, the NHL should continue to encourage those attributes.
Like the old man in Monty Python, the NHL is being tossed on the dead bin still screaming, "I'm not quite dead yet."
In spite of the NHL's best efforts, the league will continue.
To frame Paige's comments, he was referring to the Detroit Red Wing's first home opener not being sold out for the first time in many decades. A scary omen - sure. But I don't think anyone should be holding the wrist and checking a clock quite yet.
The NHL certainly has been trying to do everything in its power to implode the league. A year-long strike which ended poorly for everyone was only the beginning of a long process in which the NHL continues to alienate fans.
The result of the lockout was player salary cuts supposedly to make teams more balanced and to make it more affordable to attend a hockey game. Apparently the NHL felt "more affordable" and "raise prices 6 percent" were synonymous.
The rule changes were nice enough. Looser icing rules, shootouts to end tie games and other little tweaks to the game have certainly made a difference between NHL and college game speeds.
Some of the die-hard fans argue these things have made the game as "gimmicky" as the 17th at TCP at Sawgrass. These changes do bring a broader fan base, which is something the NHL is desperately lacking.
The rule changes were a good start, but I would argue they need more. Don't go so far as to expand the nets. Other subtle changes could change the game's speed and overall appeal. Snoop Dogg, a first time hockey fan last year at Anaheim's post season run, said he liked the game because of the speed and the hitting, along with the incredible talent it takes to handle the puck.
I don't know for sure what rule changes to make to improve those attributes, but when big name celebrities start noticing hockey, the NHL should continue to encourage those attributes.