Is the League becoming too soft?

[txpd]

Over last 5 years the game progressively became too soft, no more hate, no more real rivalry

no hate? no rivaly? I can only speak as a Caps fan but the Caps have pretty hateful rivalries with the Penguins and the Islanders right now. Games with the Flyers are regularly ugly. Again. Tom Wilson. Seriously. No hate? come on

 

[ImpartialNHLfan]

I miss the good old days

 

[KingsFan7824]

All leagues and sports are getting softer. You couldn't have a Bad Boys Pistons or Riley's Knicks in the NBA today. Chin music is sort frowned upon in baseball. Can't knock the QB out, or hit a WR over the middle in the NFL. It's all that medical science and at least paying lip service to protecting players thing. Everyone has to worry about how all these players will be able to live life after they're done playing. Broken bones, broken bodies, broken brains, etc. They're not supposed to be people, they're supposed to be gladiators.

 

[Kreegz2]

The problem for me is the lack of hatred. Players/teams of 20+ years ago used to actually hate each other and held grudges for years. It made for some incredibly entertaining storylines and sub-plots over the course of the season and playoffs. Unfortunately the league has sterilized its on-ice product in order to protect their increasingly costly assets(players), and the players are perfectly happy not to pay the same physical price that was once expected of them(can you blame them? they have 8 or 9 figure careers at stake now).

It would take something unrealistically drastic, like a reduction of Player's share of the league revenue to 20-30%, before players will start playing more for the pride like they used to and less for the money like they do today.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Should of watched the LA Anaheim game last night then OP

 

[PatriceBergeronFan]

The quality of the NHL has deteriorated.

The players are emotionless robots.

Too little physicality. League rule changes, challenges, etc. The NHL isn't heading in a good direction.

 

[LeafGrief]

I watch hockey for speed and skill. It's a physical game and body contact is great, but when I want to watch the fights, I watch UFC. I get that guys punching each other in the face is fun to watch, but it has nothing to do with hockey.

 

[cgf]

Nah; but it's still way too defensive & the focus on safe decisions instead of on creativity doesn't help bring the best out of the sport. The lack of emotion doesn't help either as the only thing the hockey world hates more than creativity is personality.

(mod)

 

[Jyrki Lumme]

No, it's better than when goons like Colton Orr were occupying spots in lineups. I'd be perfectly happy if everyone in the league was 5'7" and soft as butter. It would be a much more enjoyable game.

 

[lebdafor norris]

The last heated rivalry I can remember is Montreal vs Boston about 7 years ago, that was probably the last time I actually felt like I hated a particular player, now its hard not to feel indifferent about the players of the opposing rival teams, I still don't like the team but I couldn't care less about the players.

 

[djpatm]

Best way I can sum this up, I prefer watching Gaudreau this year than Iginla at his peak.

Iggy seems to be OP's type of player, nothing wrong with that but the skill and crazy IQ is what entertains me. Watching someone finesse their way to scoring chances vs. just going through defenders.

I don't really miss the staged fights and I definitely don't miss head shots, goons and clutching and grabbing. Seeing Umberger laying dazed on the ice that one playoff series in the 00's was enough for me to never want to see dirty hits again.

Spirited fights that happen in the moment are awesome though. I hate when they get broken up. We got robbed of an Iginla vs. Giordano fight last season FFS!

 

[PsYcNeT]

Anyone can larp as anything they want on the internet, it's irrlevant. The curious thing is you sided with the sentiment of the soy boys.

Soy doesn't work that way, but I can understand how Paul Joseph Watson may have mislead you.

 

[Morgs]

The league is better when guys like Colton Orr, and Fraser McLaren are not playing.

I'm excited for the time there finally isn't a goon in the NHL.

 

[SotasicA]

Both of the top two options, really. It's already not as exciting, but I might even stop actively watching games if it gets much worse. If hockey becomes just soccer/basketball on ice, why not just watch soccer/basketball instead? I feel the intensity and the physical aspect of the game was what separated hockey from the pack. Also, the speed and finesse. It really is the combination of those things that make hockey better than any other sport.

 

[GodPucker]

Really wish they took the instigator away. Then guys like Matthew Tkachuk, etc would change their games entirely. No more rats.

 

[wintersej]

Fights and hits and physicality are all different.

Fights, I could care less.

Hits are cool.

Guys who won't play physically and battle and muscle for pucks are gross.

 

[biturbo19]

I don't really care much about the fighting. As long as the "real fights" are still there when called for, i'm cool with that. I don't miss the prevalence of the "Staged Fight" and the wasted roster spot on the "Boxer on Skates". That was never the sort of "physicality" i found entertaining in the game. Nor was all the chippy hack and whack stickplay nonsense that i'm extremely happy to see cracked down on finally.

It's the crackdown and overreaction to hard hits and the attitude disseminating around the league that you can flash your numbers for a free pass to do whatever you want and all that sort of softening of the game that i find really disappointing. Feels like it's moving toward a very much more "European style" game that i'm just not as fond of.

 

[SotasicA]

Hockey rivalries almost don't exist anymore. Now it's just two teams playing each other, and one team wins. And that's all there is to it.

There used to be genuine dislike of the other team, and you were able to show that by punching their players in the face (as long as that dislike was mutual and both parties agreed to drop the gloves). Now everyone just kind of shrugs it off.

The worst is when you see the other team take liberties on your star players, and do nothing. Team mates just watch. Then maybe ask the ref to call a roughing minor. What good is a powerplay goal in a 4-0 game in November? You'd hurt them more by actually literally hurting them. And be a hero.

 

[PhilJets]

Speed and Skills. That 's ice hockey

I can watch Football anytime, but a few hits here and there is not too bad.

 

[sparxx87]

Yes, it’s soft af and I don’t like it. Skill level is at its best due to natural evolution, but the league and a lot of its players are too soft.

 

[Howie Hodge]

I'd like to see good clean hits not result in someone feeling they had to go after the hitter immediately. Whatever happened to take his number and pay him in kind later? Keep your damn heads up.

Toronto's Bobby Baun gave Gordie Howe a shot by the boards in the early sixties. It took Gordie a couple years; Baun was actually playing for The Oakland Seals at the time, when Gordie lowered the boom on the unsuspecting Baun - laying him out but good. As Baun recounted, he was dazed, and Gordie just growled at him; "finally got you back you Bastard...."

And quite honestly most of today's fight's suck anyhow. Guys holding on not to lose rather than being aggressive. If this is what fighting has become, it won't really be missed; even by a supporter of fighting like myself.

This is what a real fight looks like gentlemen:

 

[ijuka]

Always speed and skill. I wouldn't even mind if hitting was completely forbidden. More highlight plays would be made and less players would get injured.

If I want to watch fighting I watch MMA or something. Fighting on skates is a joke anyway and is just very childish as a whole .

 

[tony d]

I went with Option 3.

 

[Devil Dancer]

Voted no, but my real opinion is that cutting back on the violence is necessary but I'll miss it.

 

[vandymeer13]

A lot of physicality? Lol.

The game was perfect post lockout till about 2012. That was good hockey with a mix of everything. Nowadays no one throws big hits, rarely see fights and real emotion.

If they outlaw fighting and/or hitting I will definitely not watch this little kids game. The biggest hits you see now are someone barely touching the other player, or a forearm push that knocks an off balanced player down.

this describes me perfectly. The game is awful now