Is hockey's passion gone for good? If so, how can it return?

[Big Phil]

It is only October, and you never judge a season from October, but with fighting down even from last year's low levels and just a lack of anger or animosity I am just wondering if anyone wants to win out there anymore. Teams don't hate each other and try and name the best rivalry in the NHL right now, you can't. There isn't one. I am glad there were a couple of fights in last night's game between the Preds and Vegas but I think the further we get away from the days of classic rivalries the more fans that will think the pacifist way of playing hockey is the permanent one.

Okay, maybe it is just being a Leaf fan. We have a soft team, that team wouldn't drop the gloves if their grandmother was being mugged, so it is fair to say most teams are like us but overall there is a general feeling of everyone being friends and buddies on social media and not having time for hatred or animosity or just flat out wanting to beat the other team.

This seems to be what the media has always wanted. A soft game with no passion and no confrontation. But what does it leave for the fans? At least back in the day there was always the chance of things boiling over. Now? You can almost bet the bank it doesn't happen. No one wants to hit because they are scared and no one just simply gets mad anymore. Is the entertainment value just reserved for the postseason now? I will admit the last two Cup winners could hit and do it well. The Blues did it to Boston last year and San Jose. The San Jose series was physical and physical doesn't always mean line brawls. But there is just this political correctness that has crept into the game that affects how the players play. It is weird to see nowadays.

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[holy]

Reformat divisions, divisional teams play each other 8 times a season. Boom, guaranteed insanity compared to the boring crap we’ve been seeing recently.

Every Habs Leafs and Habs Bruins game actually meant more when they played 8 times a season. There would be epic home and home’s going on, crazy beefs happening that you knew would get resolved within the next few weeks, and all in all just more memorable games.

Now I don’t even know when the teams face off next anymore. Nor do I really care, every game has blended into the next. Boooring

 

[Habsfan18]

I could do without the fighting. With so much more now known about CTE and the affects of head injuries, it makes me cringe when I see people get punched in the face repeatedly. I can agree that physical play has been lacking and players being too buddy-buddy now, however. We need true rivalries again but can’t we do without the actual fighting? I guess being for or against fighting is an entire topic on its own though. But I do agree that nobody wants to see a “soft” NHL.

 

[tealhockey]

Reformat divisions, divisional teams play each other 8 times a season. Boom, guaranteed insanity compared to the boring crap we’ve been seeing recently.

Every Habs Leafs and Habs Bruins game actually meant more when they played 8 times a season. There would be epic home and home’s going on, crazy beefs happening that you knew would get resolved within the next few weeks, and all in all just more memorable games.

Now I don’t even know when the teams face off next anymore. Nor do I really care, every game has blended into the next. Boooring

I've been following college hockey way more closely than the NHL the last few years, and one of the reasons is that the Big Ten basically has that kind of schedule. Of up to about forty~ games each team will play, 24 of them are 4x against the other six teams in the Big Ten. It makes for a really fun season and the majority of games have narratives, are meaningful, you can tell how much they dislike each other and get into the match-ups. I think for all the downsides that come with it, the upside of all that is totally worth it and would be great in the NHL.

 

[Big Phil]

I could do without the fighting. With so much more now known about CTE and the affects of head injuries, it makes me cringe when I see people get punched in the face repeatedly. I can agree that physical play has been lacking and players being too buddy-buddy now, however. We need true rivalries again but can’t we do without the actual fighting? I guess being for or against fighting is an entire topic on its own though. But I do agree that nobody wants to see a “soft” NHL.

One way is to have back to back games. Man, I remember the 1980s and 1990s and there were several times a year where Toronto played a team like, say, Detroit on a Friday and then back home on a Saturday. Or Chicago. Or whoever. Philly and Pittsburgh was another one. How about juicing up the Montreal/Boston rivalry that way? It is the best one in NHL history and it is about as intense as a fight between June and Ward Cleaver (no offense June and Ward).

The fights have always happened with the players agreeing to it. It is in the game because it has been a way to police the game. A game can be tough without having a fighting major in it, but it seems like this has gone hand in hand. With less anger, animosity and rivalries not only has the hitting dropped but the fighting too. I think it goes hand in hand. In the 1950s and 1960s fighting wasn't at all that different of a level than now, but there was animosity. You wouldn't even eat at the same restaurant and there was still the chance of a bench clearing brawl.

Hockey needs a physical injection in the arm. I love skill, but does anyone remember when the skill was on display but you always knew things could blow up at any moment?

 

[Apotheosis]

There needs to be a balance between the skill and the high intensity of of physical play. Plus, the formatting of the divisions and schedule leave "rivals" playing too infrequently.

 

[MessierII]

Your not wrong. The political correctness that’s taken over society has for sure crept into hockey. There’s much less raw emotion in the game today than there was when I was growing up and I’m not even that old (born late 80’s).

Is passion completely gone though? I don’t think so. It’s just less so than it was. Players are all buddy buddy now for the most part but there still is some scrums. Leafs are probably one of the least emotionally engaged teams so your probably getting a bit of bias from mostly watching them.

When I was growing up playing in the 90’s and early to mid 2000’s it was defiantly a tougher game but I also feel like there was less cheap shots. Less petty slashing and slewfoots more big open ice hits/elbowing. It’s a different game now there’s no doubt.

 

[Big Phil]

I've been following college hockey way more closely than the NHL the last few years, and one of the reasons is that the Big Ten basically has that kind of schedule. Of up to about forty~ games each team will play, 24 of them are 4x against the other six teams in the Big Ten. It makes for a really fun season and the majority of games have narratives, are meaningful, you can tell how much they dislike each other and get into the match-ups. I think for all the downsides that come with it, the upside of all that is totally worth it and would be great in the NHL.

Not a bad idea, but they can't do much about it in college hockey as fighting is banned, right? It lacks that intensity that way.

I am not saying they have to play each other 8 times a year like they did post lockout in 2006 for a few years. Because then the complaints were that you were barely playing any out of conference games. But with the divisional play at least make it back to back games, even nights. There becomes a buzz that way.

 

[Habsfan18]

Also, I think the lack of physical play is a result of the game changing to a faster, skill based one. Hard to play physical with back and fourth offensive hockey when the ice is filled with speedy 5’11, 190lbs players are going all out on the ice every single shift. In today’s game more so than ever before, one single player making a mistake and going out of his way to make a hit and removing himself from the play can almost certainly result in a scoring chance for the opposition. That seems to be where the game is heading. Almost all-skill.

 

[illpucks]

I wonder if the recent Canadian attendance stats support your argument that people aren't as interested as they once were.

 

[Big Phil]

Players are all buddy buddy now for the most part but there still is some scrums. Leafs are probably one of the least emotionally engaged teams so your probably getting a bit of bias from mostly watching them.

I know people want to say Don Cherry is a dinosaur and perhaps he is, but he is right when he says the Leafs won't win if they aren't tougher. Even in 2019 he's right about that and if you aren't tough enough to win in 2019's NHL that's pretty bad. We saw the weak teams lose these past playoffs. Tampa, Toronto, Winnipeg, etc. But do we have to wait until the postseason before this gets exposed? Can't there be some animosity and physical play before that?

 

[Habsfan18]

Scoring has been trending up the past few years which is what I wanted to see. I like where the game has been offensively in 2018-2019 and in the early part of this season.

 

[Big Phil]

I wonder if the recent Canadian attendance stats support your argument that people aren't as interested as they once were.

Well, serious question, is it higher or lower? I know in Toronto you can lose for a decade and have a team below .500 and still sell out the place (1980s and in recent years)

 

[MessierII]

I know people want to say Don Cherry is a dinosaur and perhaps he is, but he is right when he says the Leafs won't win if they aren't tougher. Even in 2019 he's right about that and if you aren't tough enough to win in 2019's NHL that's pretty bad. We saw the weak teams lose these past playoffs. Tampa, Toronto, Winnipeg, etc. But do we have to wait until the postseason before this gets exposed? Can't there be some animosity and physical play before that?

Yeah you still need some grit especially come playoff time. Like Tampa picking up Maroon. To most people that seems like a meaningless depth signing. To me that’s a huge addition. In the playoffs you need gritty guys who will fight through non calls and get to the net. The Johnny Gaudreau/Willy Nylander types just don’t get it done.

 

[Big Phil]

Scoring has been trending up the past few years which is what I wanted to see. I like where the game has been offensively in 2018-2019 and in the early part of this season.

Agree completely with the offense and the skill. Once they shrunk the goalie equipment, and they did a little bit, I knew it was only a matter of time before more goals would go in instead of a giant Michelin Man blocking it. That's good, but even with the speed of the game it shouldn't change the physical side. I've seen both in there. They can co-exist.

 

[Habsfan18]

That's good, but even with the speed of the game it shouldn't change the physical side. I've seen both in there. They can co-exist.

I think we can all agree though, that hockey players and the game of hockey in general has never had a quicker pace. Ever. So this is technically new ground.

 

[tealhockey]

Not a bad idea, but they can't do much about it in college hockey as fighting is banned, right? It lacks that intensity that way.

I am not saying they have to play each other 8 times a year like they did post lockout in 2006 for a few years. Because then the complaints were that you were barely playing any out of conference games. But with the divisional play at least make it back to back games, even nights. There becomes a buzz that way.

Yeah it does lack intensity in that way, teams can get into it from time to time but not in a full-out brawling kind of way. I think the amount of tightness in the standings and how much each game matters versus the typical 82 game season kind of makes up for it in 'intensity' but that is very subjective.

 

[BenchBrawl]

One problem is my generation (early-80s born) was the last one to grow up with people playing in the streets, hockey cards, the entertaining 1985-1997 era full of superstars, our parents still vividly remembering glorious eras and passing the memories down to us in a direct way, etc.

What I'm trying to convey is a mood—an ambiance—where hockey was more important than it is today in society. You could smell it in the air everywhere around you. Maybe I'm not seeing clearly, but our era (80s and 90s) had a sense of continuity from the past to it—in a way that today doesn't.

What is happening to the NHL is similar to what is happening to the internet. Internet had soul up until about 2008-2010—then it went astray. The whole experience is cheesy, superficial, centralized, soulless, aimed at the idiot masses. You still have pockets of soul here and there—this HOH section was an example in the 2010s, just like today's NHL still have a few bright spots—but overall it's a cadavre.

Watching the NHL feels like eating at McDonald's—with the bright neons reminiscient of a visit to the dentist and a cold void behind the noisy "ISN'T THIS COOL?!" surface.

The philosophy of the NHL is clear: they'd rather have 100 half-hearted fans than 10 passionated ones. The product will eventually reflect that.

Maybe I'm yelling at clouds. Maybe.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

The passion is not gone, people are just remembering games from their youth more fondly. It's natural and happens in every sport.

Similarly, the definitive best year of Saturday Night Live was the year that you were 12 years old.

 

[BenchBrawl]

The passion is not gone, people are just remembering games from their youth more fondly. It's natural and happens in every sport.

Similarly, the definitive best year of Saturday Night Live was the year that you were 12 years old.

To be fair, I prefer watching games from before I was born than a modern one. This can't be nostalgia.

To be even fairer, I am from Montreal. There was definitely a "break" in the continuity in the mid-1990s, when the team transformed from a glorious franchise to a joke.

 

[illpucks]

The passion is not gone, people are just remembering games from their youth more fondly. It's natural and happens in every sport.

Similarly, the definitive best year of Saturday Night Live was the year that you were 12 years old.

Perhaps you are right, and we don't enjoy things like when we were 12.

Though, there are also examples of companies that have a good product and a smaller audience, and as they scale up their product quality goes down. So I suppose it's also possible that NHL is in that stage of its life cycle.

 

[VanIslander]

Last year's Stanley Cup Final had THE HIGHEST TV RATINGS in NBC HISTORY for Game 5!

NBC. The network that was televising the Rangers-Bruins game when news of the Pearl Harbor bombing came on in 1941.

The NHL's huge popularity in Vegas and quick support in Seattle also shows the game today is liked a lot.

If there is a lack of passion, wouldn't the popularity of the game suffer?

There is less fighting and dirty play, but that's not the same thing.

 

[Bear of Bad News]

True on both counts (figured I'd save a tree and respond once instead of twice).

But behavioral economics does support this - it's more of "what you're used to and how you learned the sport", which you then compare everything else to. It's not the only factor (as you pointed out), but it is a factor.

 

[Canadiens1958]

One problem is my generation (early-80s born) was the last one to grow up with people playing in the streets, hockey cards, the entertaining 1985-1997 era full of superstars, our parents still vividly remembering glorious eras and passing the memories down to us in a direct way, etc.

What I'm trying to convey is a mood—an ambiance—where hockey was more important than it is today in society. You could smell it in the air everywhere around you. Maybe I'm not seeing clearly, but our era (80s and 90s) had a sense of continuity from the past to it—in a way that today doesn't.

What is happening to the NHL is similar to what is happening to the internet. Internet had soul up until about 2008-2010—then it went astray. The whole experience is cheesy, superficial, centralized, soulless, aimed at the idiot masses. You still have pockets of soul here and there—this HOH section was an example in the 2010s, just like today's NHL still have a few bright spots—but overall it's a cadavre.

Watching the NHL feels like eating at McDonald's—with the bright neons reminiscient of a visit to the dentist and a cold void behind the noisy "ISN'T THIS COOL?!" surface.

The philosophy of the NHL is clear: they'd rather have 100 half-hearted fans than 10 passionated ones. The product will eventually reflect that.

Maybe I'm yelling at clouds. Maybe.

But clouds do not change. Same impression when the viewer was/is a pre-schooler, pre-teen or goldenager.

Difference is that clouds are not televised to exhaustion, do not have online followers that represent a critical population base.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Last year's Stanley Cup Final had THE HIGHEST TV RATINGS in NBC HISTORY for Game 5!

NBC. The network that was televising the Rangers-Bruins game when news of the Pearl Harbor bombing came on in 1941.

The NHL's huge popularity in Vegas and quick support in Seattle also shows the game today is liked a lot.

If there is a lack of passion, wouldn't the popularity of the game suffer?

There is less fighting and dirty play, but that's not the same thing.

Like I said, they'd rather have 100 half-hearted fans than 10 passionated ones. A half-hearted fan count just as much in the ratings. In the long-term though, it's a risky move because you put yourself more at risk of negative black swan type of events.