People/things you are nostalgic about that might raise an eyebrow

[Uncle Rotter]

As hockey goes, I miss the personality and distinct character each arena used to have. When I say "used to", I mean as recently as the mid-90s. After that era, pretty every old 'classic-6' team building closed or was demolished. Even newer teams like Buffalo lost their building, which was a big part of the team's character.

And a game from an arena you didn't see very often felt "exotic".

 

[Uncle Rotter]

I miss international games where it sounded like the play-by-play announcer was talking on a telephone. And the big flashing "R" during the replays.

 

[DowntownBooster]

I miss the old Maple Leaf Gardens score clock that lowered the Canada and U.S. flags for display during the national anthem(s).

 

[66871]

No ads on the boards.

 

[blood gin]

No ads on the boards.

I've noticed in some international games from the 70's they did have ads on the boards. 72 Summit Series had board ads

I also miss smaller center ice logos. Or the two little logos teams would put there. I never warmed up to the massive team logos inside the faceoff circle

 

[LeafsNation75]

No ads on the boards.

Since I got into Hockey during the early 1990's I never grew up during that time when there was no ads on the boards.

So I'm going so say I don't like seeing some teams having ads on the glass behind the net during their TV broadcasts.

 

[BlueBull]

The 2011 Canucks. I'm young, and it's relatively recent, but im nostalgic for it.

 

[blood gin]

The 2011 Canucks. I'm young, and it's relatively recent, but im nostalgic for it.

Pretty sure I still have dry cleaning from 2011 that I haven't picked up.

 

[Killion]

I miss the old Maple Leaf Gardens score clock that lowered the Canada and U.S. flags for display during the national anthem(s).

.... I miss Dominion Stores. ... way better than Loblaws, Safeway, IGA etc.... Damn you Conrad Black....

.... Also miss.... square or rectangular goalie creases.... if you cant protect yourself, make room, shouldnt be out there.... and.... move the frickin red line goal line BACK to where it was already as no, no there will not be another Wayne Gretzky so cut it out already.... taking away real estate out front of the net with bigger, faster players.... ya, that makes a whole lotta sense.

 

[weaponomega]

Panini sticker albums. I loved buying the sticker packs, and putting them in the albums - my dad would buy me 5 packs every friday when we went to the grocery. I had an album from the 89-90 until 93-94.

 

[Johnny Engine]

.... I miss Dominion Stores. ... way better than Loblaws, Safeway, IGA etc.... Damn you Conrad Black....

.... Also miss.... square or rectangular goalie creases.... if you cant protect yourself, make room, shouldnt be out there.... and.... move the frickin red line goal line BACK to where it was already as no, no there will not be another Wayne Gretzky so cut it out already.... taking away real estate out front of the net with bigger, faster players.... ya, that makes a whole lotta sense.

Still got Dominion in Newfoundland. One right across the road from me actually... and you have to walk through a hockey arena parking lot to get to it.
You'd love it here.

 

[Killion]

Still got Dominion in Newfoundland. One right across the road from me actually... and you have to walk through a hockey arena parking lot to get to it.
You'd love it here.

Really?! Thats awesome... plus... you guys have the greatest house parties on the planet.

 

[whcanuck]

Small goalies that could still stop the puck. Wood sticks. Smaller arenas. Bone crunching hits that didn't always lead to concussions and suspensions

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

i miss the one giant trough that wrapped around two walls in the men’s room at the old pacific coliseum that everyone had to pee into in unison.

ye olde days, a real sense of community

Fenway Park had the troughs into the mid 90s in the bleachers.

During a game in April, my son (maybe 11?) came back to our seats from a men's room stop and said, "Dad, the throughs are gone!".

He was so disappointed. I was so proud.

 

[Iapyi]

I miss the days when all hockey fans were hard core hockey fans and at least knew something about the game. How just about everyone had at least played the game and could skate.

 

[shello]

CBC end of the playoffs montage in 2011 or U2's song of The Streets have no name for the Canucks playoff run.

 

[Dennis Bonvie]

I miss the villain/entertainers.

Hasn't been one for awhile.

 

[cupcrazyman]

70's & 80's Hockey Cards

 

[Zegras Zebra]

I miss getting excited over seeing a big open ice hit. There is something primal about watching a guy getting rocked that was just so exciting in that moment. Now when I see a big hit I immediately analyze it to see if there was a hit to the head, or if there is a possibility of an injury or a concussion. By the time everything is reviewed the moment has passed and the excitement is gone. Unfortunately with what we know about head injuries we as hockey fans lost this part of the game that made watching hockey fun.

I may not have grown up in the 1960's or 70's but I'm sure many out there miss the rivalries and pure hatred certain teams and fans had for each other. The days of Habs- Bruins, Rangers- Islanders, and more recently Avs- Red Wings are over and not likely to ever return. A lot of this is due to free agency, and the fact that most guys in the NHL know each other from playing junior, internationally, or on other NHL teams together. The only true rivalries left are within the fan bases and possibly internationally.

 

[GMR]

I miss the fighting and the enforcers. There used to be numerous goons who hit 300 PIM every year. You never see anyone do that now, let alone see someone on each team hit that mark.

 

[angrymnky]

Standup or hybrid goalies, spectators not all decked out in team colors, and getting info only from friends, newspapers and magazines/books.

 

[BadgerBruce]

I miss the days when . . .

1. Hockey-playing nations from the other side of the world were the “other” — largely a mystery to North Americans. The inevitable matchups were greatly anticipated and had a spine-tingling aura that is long since gone. The age of the “unknown opponent” is gone forever.
2. goaltenders were easy to instantly identify on the basis of physical stature, style of play, and equipment choices. Nobody ever mistook Ken Dryden for Mike Palmateer in the 70s for all of the above reasons.
3. Wooden sticks were customized primarily by the user rather than the manufacturer. The days of the torch, the rasp and the vice, a time when players selected twigs based on their potential to become something more and better. Guys would spend hours creating a stick that was “just right.” Artistry, really.
4. Howie Meeker showed up during the HNIC intermission intent on using video replay of the NHL game to actually teach young players watching at home how to do the little things right. I even remember seeing him use a pocketknife to slice open the ankles of a poor quality pair of skates just to show the audience watching a home the cheap cardboard inside. Meeker gave tangible (and enthusiastic) advice.
5. Bird-dog scouting (rather than worst-to-first drafting). There was a time when clubs from junior to pro competed against each other to find and sign players, and in a lot of ways that system was a battle of the bird dogs. I despise today’s “universal drafts” and the groupthink created by centralized league scouting services. The old bird dog scouts competed head to head and looked under rocks to find hidden gems.

 

[blood gin]

I like the old creases. The old rectangle as well as the more recent full blue semicircle where the ice in the net was also blue. Liked the look of that over this weird thing we have now

Also nowadays if you look at the net it's super padded up (which is not a bad idea as it ensures the puck deadens and stays in after a goal.) But I liked the look of the old net with no padding and how loose hanging it was. I loved how the twine would whip back and bulge after goals.

I also liked how on some old broadcasts (maybe it was the lighting) but the ice looked brilliantly white at all times. No wattery reflection at all. Just matte white. It almost looked like the players were skating on markerboard.

Canucks had something like that going on

 

[c9777666]

Regionally nat. televised games on FOX/ABC/early NBC years.

If you had NHL Center Ice, you could actually channel flip between multiple these nat. televised games instead of the Game of the Week package we have now

 

[brachyrynchos]

Before it seemed college football and basketball took over, ESPN used to have games on all the time, with great coverage. The late Tom Mees was stellar in how he relayed the game to both diehard and casual fans. Not necessarily something that might raise an eyebrow, but worth mentioning.
Looking forward to the old sportschannel games with Stan "the Maven" Fischler (retiring soon) and his hockey gossip and trade rumors when not many other sources were available.