How would you rate the entertainment value of the league (NHL) today?

[Voight]

Entertainment wise the NHL is behind the NFL & NBA. That is fact, not opinion.

 

[Voight]

Imagine being the kind of hardcore fan who has an HFBoards account and still answering 1 to this question.

We are all in denial my friend

 

[DannyGallivan]

Let's see, I'll give a ranking (but remember, this is a PERSONAL view only... for instance, the 80's were lower for me than the 70's cuz I had to endure some horrible Winnipeg Jet seasons):
1970's: 9.5/10
1980's 9/10
1990's (first half): 9.5/10
1990's (second half): 4/10
2000's (up to lockout): 4/10
2000's (after lockout): 7/10
2010's: 8/10

Today's NFL: 7/10
Today's NBA: 4/10 (that's because I don't like basketball... these are my personal views, right?)
Today's MLB: 4/10 (I used to watch baseball regularly from about the mid 70's to the mid 90's... then I just lost all interest. When you examine it, baseball is an extruciatingly slow sport).

 

[Legionnaire11]

I know i'm an outlier, but I watch as much NHL hockey as I can every season, read stats, news and message boards constantly throughout the day and play multiple GM sim games. I can easily see how other people aren't as enamored with the product and storylines.

Some other questions I am interested in:

• When was your favourite period of hockey? The mid-90's coinciding with the prime of Eric Lindros
  
• What team do you cheer for? Predators are my primary die-hard team, but the Flyers and Lightning are in my heart as well.
  
• Are you more or less likely to passively watch a game today than you would have 10 years ago (distracted). About the same, I watch a lot of games intently and I was a lot of games passively, just depends on what's happening.
  
• Do you think the NHL measures up well with other sports leagues for entertainment value? Yes, as far as the on-ice product, but they have a lot of catching up to do in the marketing department and growing the game at a youth level.
  
• How "sad" are you to miss your team's games when you have other things to do? I hate it, it's such a rare occurrence, if I miss more than 2-3 Preds games in a season it's a pretty bad year for me.
  
• Do you ever tune into other teams playing? As much as possible, I have already seen 20 different teams play in the first month of this season.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

It's still enjoyable but a lot of the emotion has been sapped out. I think the NHL had it right between 2005-13, it was a good balance between skill, physicality, and emotion. Game feels kind of sterile at the moment.

 

[trick9]

I love the pace of the game right now, but sort of miss the physicality when watching some teams. I watch mostly the Capitals though and their games are often fast and physical games so that suits me well.

Lots of flaws but mostly it's fine. Voted 8.

 

[Dynheart]

It's a 5/10 for me, maybe a 6.

 

[Sheppy]

4/10

 

[JasonRoseEh]

I think it's a pretty great product and the most entertaining sport to watch cover to cover. The NHL also boast the best postseason BY FAR. I don't really care what ratings say, popularity =/= quality just look at music.

 

[dukeofjive]

For me personally, i voted 7, habs need more games againts boston and the leafs, refs need to figure something out before we get another shitty series where they mess up big time.

I watch hockey everyday usually, sunday is Usually a day off, well unless the habs are playing.

Its hard to say what was my favorite era, i started watching in the 70s, the 90s where when i was at my most hardcore fan mode, now i just love hockey not just my team.

I like to watch other players, ovechkin, Mc David, dr Drai, marner.

I also like to root for underdogs or teams that have never won a cup in the playoffs.

 

[Bounces R Way]

Even though I watch 2-3 games a night it's a soft 6 for me.

There's tons of speed and skill in today's game but it gets so stifled by coaching and systems. There's barely any room out there to make plays. So much dump and change, dump it out, dump it over there, dump it over here. Barely any physicality, one soft penalty after another. Too many offside and icing calls.

I've said this a million times but I think if you widen the rink 5-6 feet you could have a much better flowing product rather than the dump and muck for 40 seconds circle the wagons BS.

 

[Critical13]

Big thanks for all the in depth replies. Just spent half an hour reading them all.

I picked out two posts which which match how I feel. I mourn the loss of big time rivalries, and I find the stifling systems of many top teams to be hard to stomach.

Hockey is one of the few sports where defence isn’t very entertaining. I love a big defensive play in Basketball, Baseball and Football, not so much with Hockey and Soccer.

Many of my favourite hockey memories are chaotic moments where something great happens, where a player becomes a legend. Everything feels more measured and even keeled now, which I get enough of in my day job.

It isn't at all what it once was.

A very reactionary league with rule changes.

Doing it's best to turn the league into 31 Toronto's (no offense intended) - soft, speed, skill with no animosity or emotion.

Less chance of insulting the very vocal anti toughness/hitting/fighting crowd that way....

Coach challenges are a disgrace as well.

Leave challenges to the league only if something is blatant.

Questionable scheduling. Arizona vs Boston twice... or more divisional games?

Few rivalries.

Officiating is a significant issue with the game management factor. Softer penalties than ever for artificial boost in PP offense with more embellishment and players dropping lightly tapped sticks to draw slashing calls. Counteracting negated goals from millimeter offside plays minutes before highlight reel goals.

Condemnable playoff format vs 1-8.

3v3 not what it could have been as coaches have a stranglehold on it. Outside of a mistake by a player the constant regroup at center for possession is tiresome and predictable.

It is the highest level of the sport we love however. A tough pill to swallow.

Even though I watch 2-3 games a night it's a soft 6 for me.

There's tons of speed and skill in today's game but it gets so stifled by coaching and systems. There's barely any room out there to make plays. So much dump and change, dump it out, dump it over there, dump it over here. Barely any physicality, one soft penalty after another. Too many offside and icing calls.

I've said this a million times but I think if you widen the rink 5-6 feet you could have a much better flowing product rather than the dump and muck for 40 seconds circle the wagons BS.

 

[Caffeine]

I'm living in Europe so there is zero change I could watch games during weekdays. Im mainly watching highlights and catching 1 game during weekends. But even if I was living in NA (like I used to) I wouldn't watch a single Red Wing game because of current state of the team.

 

[Cats2TheCup]

I’m a 10 for Panthers games only. Every other team I could care less.

 

[bukwas]

Voted 10.
I love the sport and the NHL is it's pinnacle. There can be stretches where i'm not entertained up to the usual level as, lets face it, not all teams are created equal. When those rare moments of questioning occur i simply switch to a different major sports broadcast and am quickly reminded how much more entertaining NHL is compared to all the others. Contentment soon follows.

 

[klozge]

7 for me. Would be an 8 but the refs are really bad in this league and ruin it a bit.

Edit:

• When was your favourite period of hockey? I don't really have one. They're all good for different reasons.
• What team do you cheer for? Avs
• Are you more or less likely to passively watch a game today than you would have 10 years ago (distracted)? More likely but still very unlikely.
• Do you think the NHL measures up well with other sports leagues for entertainment value? It's the best imo.
• How "sad" are you to miss your team's games when you have other things to do? I never miss out. nhl.tv.
• Do you ever tune into other teams playing? Yes

 

[Ace Card Bedard]

Imagine being the kind of hardcore fan who has an HFBoards account and still answering 1 to this question.

That's me.
I still enjoy watching games now and then and go to 3-4 games per year at the United Center but I'm not as invested as I have been in the past.
Partly because the team sucks right now and partly because I'm older and have a much busier schedule compared to years past.

 

[JoelWarlord]

8 right now, the last few seasons have been excellent to watch in my opinion. Guys like Crosby, Giroux, Bergeron, Backstrom, etc. from the past era are still hanging around and playing at an elite level while an exciting crop of young players enter the league. Coaches have finally seemed to ease up a bit and let guys play with more creativity. McDavid is the most exciting player we've seen since prime Ovechkin (and Ovechkin's still amazing to watch and seeing him get closer to 700 is great). There's just a ton of star power around the league and it just feels like so many teams have a marquee 1st line that I want to watch whcih goes a long way towards making regular season games in the middle of winter worth tuning in for.

 

[Skolman]

About a 5. NFL absorbed alot of my attention during the last lockout and their product is just great overall...plus all these damn "blackouts" make me not even bother to try any game listed on the menu unless it's my team bc 9 out of 10 times its blacked out in my region

Between 7-8 for me.

I absolutely love the speed and skill of the game. However I really think we’re missing the nastiness and physicality of hockey.

I thought the mid 90s was probably the best era from a fan entertainment perspective. You had it all. Speed, skill, physicality, fighting, true rivals who ****ing hated each other, etc.

I’m not talking staged fights I’m talking more emotions and passions during the game is needed. Hockey is better with hate. Having that, the game is more skilled than it’s ever been top to bottom. I mean the things these guys pull off on a nightly basis is jaw dropping.

This.

 

[Crabapple]

My team being garbage for a decade makes it a 5, but come playoff time I will always watch a ton of games in the first round.

 

[Elvs]

I voted 5. Maybe it's just me being nostalgic, but I feel like games were more intense 10-15 years ago. I think it's due to that era having more grinders and rugged defensemen. In today's game, the average 3rd and 4th liner has better hands, but are also prone to float around more. I like skill, but I also like players battling hard.

Actually I feel like changing my 5 rating to a 4 or even a 3. I forgot my biggest pet peeve of the game today - all the commercial breaks, power breaks, coaches challenges, increased intermission time etc. Games are taking forever and I also believe this contributes to decreased flow and intentisty in the game.

 

[Eternal Leaf]

It's not as entertaining as it was in the 90s.

Even playoff hockey is so timid these days. They play like a bunch of monotonous robots out there. I guess that's what happens when everyone is good and well-trained but it's not entertaining.

Rivalries have pretty much gone out the window too.

 

[authentic]

Not that close to what it was in the 90s and much of the 2000s but still easily better than the 2012-16 period.

 

[SotasicA]

I watch every game but would still only give it a 2.

 

[Lolaimbot]

Entertainment wise the NHL is behind the NFL & NBA. That is fact, not opinion.

I disagree, watching basketball is like watching paint dry.