Tampa losing like this is bad for the sport

[aufheben]

God forbid NHL news actually reaches people.

 

[VoluntaryDom]

I mean ... Columbus went all-in and got very good players. I love how people talk as if they're a **** team that should've gotten swept.

All their key players are playing for a contract. Good attack, good D, good goaltending.

columbus is a very good team. i picked tampa in 6 coming into that series. they are a team that should be able to give any NHL team a run for their money. not the best team in the league but very arguably top 10 after their TDL

with that said tampa getting swept by ANYONE after the season they just had is unacceptable

 

[VoluntaryDom]

Personally I think it's great for the sport. They relaxed. There has always been a problem with teams so far ahead that they relax. It makes some of the end of year games less exciting and sometimes gives easier wins for teams competing with others for the last spots in the playoffs.

we didnt even really relax down the stretch though, for example our last two games were hard fought wins over toronto and boston.

the wheels just fell off in that third period in game 1 and cooper wasnt able to re-motivate the boys

 

[Dr Pepper]

we didnt even really relax down the stretch though, for example our last two games were hard fought wins over toronto and boston.

the wheels just fell off in that third period in game 1 and cooper wasnt able to re-motivate the boys

What NHLer worth his salt even NEEDS help with motivation this time of year?

 

[Howie Hodge]

"Bad for the sport" if you're a Tampa Bay Lightning fan.

 

[PuckMasterZero]

You know what I mean. Don't go balls out, don't aim to dominate, just play well enough to get at least the 8th seed.

So puprosely lose occasionally?

 

[Negan4Coach]

Well... not all teams fan bases.. I am a Blackhawk fan.

Oh boo hoo did you guys not have your time in the sun

 

[josra33]

Did someone literally make the argument that money increasing league wide is bad for the sport?

 

[Walter Sobchak]

How is it bad for the sport? Haha, there are no casual Tampa Bay Lightning fans outside of the casual hockey fans in Tampa Bay.

Playoff hockey does not equal regular season hockey.

I like that. Build a team to win the Presidents Trophy you win the Presidents Trophy.

 

[goeb]

What NHLer worth his salt even NEEDS help with motivation this time of year?

Agreed. I want to know some recent examples of a coach re-motivating his players to win? Words can only do so much in professional sports

 

[Sojourn]

God forbid NHL news actually reaches people.

You want to grow the sport? Dude, what is wrong with you?

 

[Sojourn]

Every single sport is trending down in raw TV viewership. It's a problem that they all face. The English Premier. The NFL. etc. etc.

Every single sport except maybe golf?

The NFL has been trending down in both revenue and viewership since the 2000's.

Hmm. The push to streaming services over cable tv?

 

[BlueDream]

People really overreact to these things.

The majority of people don’t really care if there’s upsets or not. People watch sports because they like them. It’s entertainment. It’s that simple.

Everyone knows the Warriors are winning the championship, but people still watch the NBA.

It really doesn’t affect anything.

Sports will always be popular. Bottom line. There’s very few things that are good or bad for it.

 

[Chimpradamus]

What a weird thread. OP is angry Tampa were swept, followed by 32 pages of people telling him otherwise. And yes, upsets and cinderella stories are great for a sport.

Number of people who believe this is bad for the sport: 1
Number of people who believe this is good for the sport: 32 pages of posters.

 

[c9777666]

I'd honestly be more annoyed that Calgary may be about to make an exit than Tampa (albeit for personal and different reasons)

 

[buud]

on the contrary, i think it is GREAT for the sport! as a fan of the Ilses, yes i want them to win all the time, but as a hockey fan, i love parity...

 

[Ted Hoffman]

You know what I mean. Don't go balls out, don't aim to dominate, just play well enough to get at least the 8th seed.

So puprosely lose occasionally?

Whoa, no. This sets a bad precedent, teams knowing they can float into the postseason by losing down the stretch to get the 8-seed. We need rules against teams even semi-intentionally losing like this.

I say we take away their playoff spot of anyone does this. Maybe even limit how many times teams can finish in a given spot. That will get teams to play harder but give other teams a shot at those prime playoff seeds and no one will be squandering away playoff spots that should go to more deserving, harder-working teams.

 

[Socks]

columbus is a very good team. i picked tampa in 6 coming into that series. they are a team that should be able to give any NHL team a run for their money. not the best team in the league but very arguably top 10 after their TDL

with that said tampa getting swept by ANYONE after the season they just had is unacceptable

Or, and I’m just spitballing here, they could have gotten their shit together and played harder.

The Jackets were the better team in this series. Period. And to those saying that it’s better for the league that the powerhouse teams win it all I would argue that those teams sucked at one point. Washington, Pittsburgh for sure, Chicago back in their day. The bizarre case of the Golden Knights aside, no team has only known winning. Unless these folks are saying that they only want the same 2 or 3 teams winning forever and ever, which is frankly just dumb, this is how new blood makes a statement.

 

[Viqsi]

Did someone literally make the argument that money increasing league wide is bad for the sport?

No; the argument was that said increases do not mean that there are no problems with league health.

I'm not sure about the validity of the argument to begin with, but it sure as hell wasn't that strawman nonsense.

* * *​

Hmm. The push to streaming services over cable tv?

I would love to know how/if this is getting accounted for.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

Upsets are best parts of sports. Miracle on ice was more than a hockey game.

 

[JS19]

You might as well just coast through the season and only play well enough to make the playoffs.

???

What kind of logic is that. You're disregarding the difference in quality between a playoff game and a regular season game. There are times where the gritty/adversity-facing team like the Jackets are better suited for the playoffs because they have the experience to overcome challenges, whereas Tampa Bay was never really in that situation throughout the regular season. If anything, you can argue that Tampa Bay's problem was that they coasted and never gave themselves the opportunity to face adversity until it was too late. It exposed key character flaws within their team.

Also, you did nothing to show how you arrived at that conclusion. Where in your mind did "coasting /only play well enough to reach the playoffs" somehow lead to the conclusion that "TBL losing is bad for the sport"?

 

[Megaforce]

Tampa is the true champion of the NHL this season. The President Trophy is a superior indicator of supremacy than a brief post-season tournament.

 

[txpd]

Agreed. I want to know some recent examples of a coach re-motivating his players to win? Words can only do so much in professional sports

Barry Trotz. Trotz faced this exact situation with the Caps 3 seasons in a row and he kept the team pushing forward. Words do matter. Tampa's primary issue was pressure. The only way to ease pressure is thru coaching and leadership

 

[Do or Die]

Tampa losing like this is good for the sport

It simply reinforces the fact that nothing is given, guaranteed, or preordained........ when the chips are on the table, and you have to lay it on the line. As long as you make the playoffs, there is hope.

 

[Sojourn]

I would love to know how/if this is getting accounted for.​

It seems significant, right? So it should be factored in, when you’re seeing numbers dip like that. So, is it? And then you need to ask how it’s being factored in.

Too many unknowns to read much from those graphs.