Thanks guys! Thanks for ruining the sport of hockey for the fans. Both of you knew that any sort of work stoppage would absolutely kill whatever respect the league has managed to scrape together in today’s world of only three major league sports. I’ve been arguing w/ friends, coworkers, family members, etc, trying to show them that hockey deserves a place among the big three but now I see that I was wrong. Ratings have been awful, probably comparable to the 9-ball tournaments and calf-roping exhibitions occassionally shown on ESPN. I imagine that if you ever get your heads out of your asses and get the season started this year, that the ratings will pale in comparison to these events as well. I now see that my belief in the two of you to work things out in order to save the game was completely misplaced. Neither of you cares about hockey; neither of you cares about the fans. You know that you could work out a new CBA if you really cared about the game but this lockout proves that this simply isn’t true. Rot in hell, hockey…rot in hell!!!
I just heard Jim Rome’s take on this, it was similar to yours. MLB can/could survive a work stoppage, the NHL cannot.
Maybe the Stanley Cup playoffs will get 0:35 towards the end of Sportscenter in the future.
On the contrary, the NHL can survive a work stoppage and the longer and bloodier it is the better. This is the only way that
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We’ll finally be rid of the idiotic southern US franchises that draw six thousand fans a game, like Florida, Phoenix and Atlanta - hell, get rid of eight teams and move a couple back to Winnipeg and Quebec, and maybe shift a few more to cities where there are actual hockey fans like Portland. And,
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The NHL might finally realize the quality of the product needs to be improved by enforcing the rules against holding and hooking, encouraging more open skill play, and getting rid of fighting.
Hear, Hear!
(But can we keep a little bit of fighting?)
No, no, no…
Don’t get rid of fighting, get rid of the instigator penalty. Without that, the game will police itself. Don’t make hockey a bland and boring sport (like football is fast becoming with all their rules “protecting” various players); make it stand out; make it unique; make it hockey!
Nonsense, they need to get rid of fighting. It’s bush league. Minimum three game suspensions for the two participants.
Besides, hockey fights are some of the most boring fights in sports. They just stand there and flail at each other until one guy gets his shirt pulled over his head. Lame.
Anyhoo, I don’t think it’s such a big problem for the NHL. They’re a niche market, mostly, and the people who watch hockey will come back and watch hockey in 2006 or whenever. Especially since both sides will probably reach an agreement halfway through the season and pull a 1999 NBA on us. It’s not like they’re stopping in the middle of the season and cancelling the Stanley Cup.