NHL Hockey, or the lack thereof!

Aww my sympathies Ron, really but boy am I glad I can live without it. *smile* Yeah, I'm not a big hockey fan anymore ... too much violence. I liked hockey when they played by skill, not by how hard they could ram someone into the boards. Busted noses and broken bones were totally accidents, not from ice rage.

Yeah, I think hockey just might be finished in this country, at least the way that it's been. Money has ruined the game here, and now it's heading down the same road in Europe. Russian teams have started offering salaries that even the high spending American teams can't match. The hockey that survives here will more at the minor league level. I guess that the saying, "Keep your stick on the ice!" won't have much meaning anymore.

Ron

Let the rich boys (players and owners) see how much we miss them. Not.

Personally, I preferred when there was hockey, at least then hubby was not watching poker, cricket & bowling as sports!!! He looks so lost without his hockey, he's lacking life. Maybe I should smack him upside the head with a rock? Get the blood flowing again… ;D

No such critter as sports anymore...it'a all business.
These players (no matter what "sport") are overpaid, under worked and out of controll. Same for the owners.

I'll start watching sporting events when it becomes a sport/game once again...which ain't gonna happen in my lifetime..so let the rocks tumble as they may.

Pho

Ahhh Hockey- Man I used to love that sport- Played it all summer (street) and winter (ice). Used to live for tickets to the Sabre Games! LOVED LOVED LOVED the game- Then something happened. Everybody got greedy! Fighting was the name of the game! Skills went out the window! Now- well I only watch hockey when Professional Wrestling is too tame! (just kidding)

Don't even get me started. I know a little about hockey. I played 3 years Junior A in the USHL, 4 years of Collegiate hockey in Wisconsin, and a year in the minors and europe.

First of all, I think they've over "expanded". Too far, too fast. I guess that's the case w/ baseball too. From what I understand, they don't even have a TV contract here in the US. Who are they trying to kid. They've moved most of their teams out of Canada (Winnipeg, Quebec...how the ()#@@ that happened I'll never figure out...NHL w/out the Nordiques is a farse.)

Hockey really is one of the greatest sports around; (I guess I'm biased right?) the athletes are extremely gifted, hardworking, and united. Rarely do they travel in a "posse" and desire to have all the attention. Most players are down home kids with humble, modest upbringings. Hockey is not a sport that people can just turn on the tube and say "hey this is great". People need to get into the stands, watch the puck move, hear the players' skates grind thru the ice, hear the boards rattle after a good clean body check. It takes 3 or 4 times to understand the rules and follow the puck. My wife has watched hockey for years and still cannot follow the puck too well. She's only 32 and has great vision. I know where the puck is because I know the tactics of "cycling", "supporting the puck" etc. The general public in the USA just doesn't have the "arena" time in to appreciate the tactics, dedication and passion that hockey players have. For the most part, our kids don't play hockey, we didn't play hockey, our parents or grandparents didn't play hockey. Canadians grew up on the ice, literally on ever corner, lake and stream. They played hockey, their friends played hockey and their boyfriends played hockey. They grew up watching Peter Puck, Don Cherry (and that stupid mutt of his) and Hockey Night in Canada (their version of Monday Night Football) and they are not foreign to it. Americans will probably never be that fortunate, except those in northern climes where every park is turned into a sheet of ice in winter. If I've been told correctly, the Minnesota High School Hockey Tourney is the largest attended high school tournament in the nation.

The NHL games are every bit as expensive to attend as the other major sports. There is no freaking way, I'm gonna spend that kinda caaaaash to go to the games. (I live in Utah so that's a moot point). If I lived in San Jose, Denver, Phoenix I still wouldn't. But if I lived in Detroit, Pittsburgh or Boston I would every once in awhile because of the tradition and the fact that their fans seem to "understand" hockey more than other locales for the most part.

Having said all that, I've not missed the NHL. I've REALLY enjoyed turning on the satellite TV and watching college hockey every Fri and Sat night. I get to watch Denver, Col Coll, Wis, Minn just about every week. I wished I get the same team every weekend so I could become more familiar w/ the teams and players.

If you have a chance, try watching some of those college games. Now it's about tourney time and a good time to look for them on the tube.

Whew, it's time for bed.

Gaetz

So what part of SE Mich are you from. Do you live close enough to Flint, Saginaw or Kalamazoo? Ever go see the old IHL games of the past??

You've got a lot of colleges up there (and Junior A), do you follow any of them? Just watched (or tried to watch.....kids prevented that) Mich. State and BG last weekend.

Given your Penquin signage, are you a Pens fan, or a Wings fan??? Gotta love the Octopi....there's really no better tradition than the throwing of the octopi after a crucial Wings goal.

Later, Gaeter

I forgot to mention above that I live roughly an hour from Joe Louis Arena where the Red Wings play used to play. Watched a lot of games there. It was better than the old Olympia as there are no bad seats or obstructed views. Of they only have one bathroom per every 5,000 fans (all of whom are drinking beer) and if they ever had a fire, there'd be 20,000 dead fans as the only way out is down the narrow, steep, tall stairs that access the arena. But what the hell, we're hockey fans. We can take it! We don't need no stinking bathrooms!

Ron