NHL 2007-2008 Season

[Animeniax]

Why isn't there a thread for the new NHL season? Oh yeah, because NHL hockey sucks. It will be another year of passionless euro-brand hockey that lacks heart, physical play, and fighting. Actually the euros are playing a rougher game these days than in the NHL, because they know what the fans want.

Anyone else watch hockey?

[Munsu]

I usually don't follow the season, I don't care enough... but I tune in for the playoffs, they are usually good.

[Animeniax]

You're not missing much. The front office is now dishing out suspensions and fines for any aggressive play on the ice. Refs and players are no longer allowed to police the game or themselves. It's pathetic. It's not even a top 4 North American sport anymore. I think it's number 7 behind the NBA, NFL, baseball, Nascar, Golf, and figure skating. I hear curling will take over hockey popularity-wise in a couple years.

[Abdula]

behind the Nascar, Golf, and figure skating. I hear curling will take over hockey popularity-wise in a couple years.

Has it really gotten that bad? I stopped watching Hockey years ago around the same time I stopped playing NHL games, I found myself watching a game a few nights ago, strictly because of a lack of anything else on television, it was either hockey or basketball(blah).


The front office is now dishing out suspensions and fines for any aggressive play on the ice. Refs and players are no longer allowed to police the game or themselves.

Are you serious? Now it looks like I'll really have no reason to watch it anymore, I will have to force myself to sit through the drudge that is the NBA.

[masamuneehs]

let's go Sabres!!!

(but seriously, i don't care much for this sport. It's fun to watch in person, but something about how it's shown on TV doesn't pull me into it... and also apparently fails to attract viewers... but i root for Buffalo, and that means I hope the sabres do well, even though they lost alot of talent in the offseason)

[Animeniax]

@Abdula: yes, both on and off the ice. Game outcomes are still mostly determined by the officials, who are still calling penalties willy-nilly so the players don't know what's legal and what's not on any given night. Tough guy players are singled out and penalized for breathing hard or looking in the other team's direction. The front office reviews all "questionable" plays and hands out suspensions and fines, regardless if the on-ice officials called a penalty on the play. Two guys just got fined for trash-talking during pre-game warmups. It's not like their comments were shown on air and the FCC had to get involved, it was just the NHL front office doing their gestapo impersonation.

The on-ice game sucks too. Players are afraid of penalties and suspensions which results in long stretches of back and forth skating with no physical contact. There's less passion, almost zero aggression, and little excitement in games. Arena seats are empty and Versus shows the same 2 teams almost every week (the Penguins and Rangers).

@masa: lots of people complain they can't see the puck on TV (hence the stupid Fox glow puck a few years back), but one writer had a great argument: how can people follow the ball in baseball? They don't, they follow the action. Same thing in hockey. Look for the guy being chased by almost everyone on the other team and that's where the puck is.

Btw, the Sabres suck, they don't let Andrew Peters play.

[Abdula]

Well in hockey as with all sports, no body really cares about the quality until it starts affecting their bottom line.