Paradox of progress: The evolution of NHL hockey towards boredom

[Bear of Bad News]

Thanks, guys!

God, I hated Mike Keenan. Put more goalies in the nut house than just about any single person I can think of.

 

[Canadiens1958]

Keenan

Thanks, guys!

God, I hated Mike Keenan. Put more goalies in the nut house than just about any single person I can think of.

Keenan's Goalie Nuthouse Metric coming up.

 

[Lacaar]

It's amazing to watch old games from the 80s/early 90s when you see players controlling and handling the puck much more, and much better, than they do today.

Surely, today's players can't simply be less skilled?

Maybe the game is simply too fast to allow for precision and creativity anymore.

NHL hockey kind of died for me when it became no longer possible for great players to fly down the wing and score on slapshots/wrist-shots. Can't be done anymore.

I think this has to do with the average speed of the players and the cause to go to the new stick types.

shot speed is more valuable than puck control because everyone is on you so fast and turn overs are so predatory that the game evolved into throw the puck at the net and hope for the best.

it forced goalies to turn into blockers.. who can react to insane speeds at which the puck is traveling on a quick release.

blocking goaltending is just not exciting.

I think what really sucks about todays game isn't the lack of goals.
It's the accompanied lack of exciting saves.

You can watch a goalie pitch a shutout and be hard pressed to put an exciting high lite real of the game of the goalie.

 

[Killion]

God, I hated Mike Keenan. Put more goalies in the nut house than just about any single person I can think of.

So did I... based on preconceived notions... then I met him in a bar one night... aha... Jerk with your silly little mustache and ill fitting suit, now your really in for it... we were both loaded of course... and me an old Goalie..... not a bad guy actually Doc... got together with him on several occasions thereafter including having him up to the cottage a couple of times... it was all a front... the guys solid.... nut job in terms of motivational techniques but he knows his stuff. No dummy. Knows exactly what he's doing... loves to push buttons. Very much Old School in that regard.

 

[habsrule4eva3089]

Time to bring this thread back. Right now these are the two fastest teams in the nhl. The intelligent posters of this side of the board must agree how boring the Hockey is. This is the Stanley Cup final and it's pure boredom.

After the magical World Championships we just witnessed and how Hockey is suppose to be played we get back to this.

It's june, sun is shining, thoughts of winter long forgotten, they're still playing this quality of nhl Hockey.

IT WON'T HAPPEN but how do you think think the quality would improve if there was only perhaps 60 games and if this league had about 24 teams?

Wouldn't that just be unbelievable to watch!

And I don't know if it's just me..but with the ticket prices the way it is, do you get the feeling there is no atmosphere in most American venues? You can hear a pin drop in most of them from what I hear.

How would the league change if there is no more salary cap once more. .. so we can actually have decent teams that are deserving of winning instead of this put together projects. Look at Football, the magic of watching Barcelona, the nhl will never have anything like that again.

 

[The Panther]

Basically, I think the guys (and it's always 'guys') in charge of the NHL are generally idiots. The NHL is always the slowest major League to 'figure it out'. With the change to Bettman and cronies in the mid-90s, the NHL's investors and owners got richer but the new administration were no faster at 'figuring it out' than John Ziegler was. For example, MLB figured out in the 90s that fans actually liked 'old-skool' ball-parks that have individual character and respect the past and traditions of the game. Massive positive response to that from fans and players, to the point of cities tearing down bland corporate-ballparks to build slightly smaller, more intimate ones with some character and real grass. The NHL? Since the 90s, it's full-speed-ahead to make every rink as bland and identical as possible, to the point where I can no longer tell the difference between any two teams' building (or their playing style).

I agree with Lacaar, above, who says that the game now is just about reacting. Nobody has time to actually make a proper shot anymore. Did you guys see the goal the other night where the player went down the right-wing and blasted it top corner? Everybody in the building seemed shocked that it went in. There used to be a couple of goals a night like that; now there's maybe one a month in the whole NHL. A slightly bigger rink and all-wooden sticks would be a good start that'll never happen. Thanks Gary.

 

[habsrule4eva3089]

Why can't nhl Hockey be like this?

Look at the chances, look at the speed, the atmosphere, this is TEAM FRANCE. They all play in the French league in France for the most part and they are more entertaining then any series thus far in the nhl playoffs.

To be frank, nhl Hockey is the worst of what Hockey can be. The worst promotion for the game, and I for one hope the bubble bursts when people stop paying ridiculous prices to watch such a horrible product.

 

[Doctor No]

You explained it perfectly well - the French team is not comprised of "good" hockey players, relative to the NHL.

Worse hockey players make more mistakes.

Mistakes make for more exciting hockey.

 

[Frank the Tank]

Why can't nhl Hockey be like this?

Look at the chances, look at the speed, the atmosphere, this is TEAM FRANCE. They all play in the French league in France for the most part and they are more entertaining then any series thus far in the nhl playoffs.

To be frank, nhl Hockey is the worst of what Hockey can be. The worst promotion for the game, and I for one hope the bubble bursts when people stop paying ridiculous prices to watch such a horrible product.

Why pick the outlier game to demonstrate your point? Canada steamrolled everyone at the WHC and the French team happened to have one luck and a hot goalie keep it close. The rest of the games were pretty one-sided and boring.

 

[habsrule4eva3089]

You explained it perfectly well - the French team is not comprised of "good" hockey players, relative to the NHL.

Worse hockey players make more mistakes.

Mistakes make for more exciting hockey.

Not only that but look at the anticipation when the players whether on France or Canada take the puck through the neutral zone with speed, you can sense the aura of excitement building in the crowd, players not afraid to try their luck going end to end, blind passes, through the legs attempts, no fear.

Play
Play
Play

This is just a game at the end of the day and we only see the purity of it in International play whether World Juniors or Worlds or Olympics.

And that's a bloody shame.

 

[Sadekuuro]

This is the Stanley Cup final and it's pure boredom.

While I tend to agree with the overall point, this is also an outlier; today's game was probably the worst SCF game I've ever seen. Certainly the worst in 12 years. I rather enjoyed the previous couple games though.

 

[habsrule4eva3089]

Why pick the outlier game to demonstrate your point? Canada steamrolled everyone at the WHC and the French team happened to have one luck and a hot goalie keep it close. The rest of the games were pretty one-sided and boring.

Outlier did you not see snippets of,

Sweden Czech Republic
Switzerland Austria
Switzerland France
Canada Czech Republic
Sweden Germany
Sweden Switzerland

You can go on and on there was other games with and without Canada just as or if not more exciting.

Way more entertaining then small ice nhl Hockey.

 

[Frank the Tank]

Outlier did you not see snippets of,

Sweden Czech Republic
Switzerland Austria
Switzerland France
Canada Czech Republic
Sweden Germany
Sweden Switzerland

You can go on and on there was other games with and without Canada just as or if not more exciting.

Way more entertaining then small ice nhl Hockey.

I watched the Sochi Olympics and when the best players were on the European ice there was a lot of perimeter play. At the WHC the players from lower tier nations make more frequent mistakes, which creates more chances. Just like watching the WJHC.

 

[ThorntonFightClub*]

The biggest factor in all of this is overall skill level.

The gap between a 3rd liner and a 1st liner has shrunken considerably. It used to be the bottom 6 guys were not very good which led to top guys racking up the stats.

Add to this the emergence of playing match ups. So not only do the top players not get to beat up on low skill guys, they also are facing lines designed to shut them down.

That plus the fact there are too many teams. You don't get a real concentration of top talent anymore. Especially now with the salary cap

 

[Michael Farkas]

I have been very entertained by this Final. Tampa going all globetrotters on Chicago has been fun to watch. Chicago then slices back with speedy counterattacks...not sure what you want...

 

[Ogopogo*]

I have been very entertained by this Final. Tampa going all globetrotters on Chicago has been fun to watch. Chicago then slices back with speedy counterattacks...not sure what you want...

A few goals.

2-1 is complete garbage; 18 goals total in 4 games of the finals - 4.5 goals per game combined.

The problem is, people think that there are actually scoring chances taking place when there are not. With huge goalie equipment, shot-blocking and defensive coaching, what people call scoring chances have no real chance of going in. When the game appears exciting but there is no real chance to score, that isn't good enough.

I have watched one period of one game during this year's playoffs. Unless my team - the Oilers - are playing, the NHL game is simply not compelling enough to watch anymore. I used to watch any game featuring any teams at any time. Not anymore. There are a lot of other things going on that capture my interest over the NHL - basketball playoffs included.

The game of hockey used to be exciting, today it is bland. if most people like the product they are seeing, that is fine. I don't and I am choosing to spend my limited time doing other things. Hockey was once the greatest sport in the world, over the past 20 years, it has slipped to #4 on my radar. Sad but true.

 

[Ogopogo*]

Time to bring this thread back. Right now these are the two fastest teams in the nhl. The intelligent posters of this side of the board must agree how boring the Hockey is. This is the Stanley Cup final and it's pure boredom.

After the magical World Championships we just witnessed and how Hockey is suppose to be played we get back to this.

It's june, sun is shining, thoughts of winter long forgotten, they're still playing this quality of nhl Hockey.

IT WON'T HAPPEN but how do you think think the quality would improve if there was only perhaps 60 games and if this league had about 24 teams?

Wouldn't that just be unbelievable to watch!

And I don't know if it's just me..but with the ticket prices the way it is, do you get the feeling there is no atmosphere in most American venues? You can hear a pin drop in most of them from what I hear.

How would the league change if there is no more salary cap once more. .. so we can actually have decent teams that are deserving of winning instead of this put together projects. Look at Football, the magic of watching Barcelona, the nhl will never have anything like that again.

I think the answer might be to play 4 on 4 permanently. The reason they do it in OT is that they know it helps to create offense. The game is broken, there is no offense anymore. Get the extra players off the ice that are choking the entertainment value out of the game - and shrink the damn goalie equipment.

The playoffs are too damn long as well - the Stanley Cup will be handed out just about when my son's baseball season is ENDING. Who the hell wants to watch hockey in June - especially the crap we get served as hockey in 2015?

 

[Michael Farkas]

Ah I see, I don't judge things by total goals. The puck going in the net is not the exciting part necessarily. Obviously because there are few of them, it makes them rarer and then potentially more exciting. But just because pucks aren't going into the net doesn't mean the play is unexciting for me. At all. In fact, many high scoring are sloppy or poorly played...or have too many power play goals, which are also not that interesting...

 

[ThorntonFightClub*]

A few goals.

2-1 is complete garbage; 18 goals total in 4 games of the finals - 4.5 goals per game combined.

The problem is, people think that there are actually scoring chances taking place when there are not. With huge goalie equipment, shot-blocking and defensive coaching, what people call scoring chances have no real chance of going in. When the game appears exciting but there is no real chance to score, that isn't good enough.

I have watched one period of one game during this year's playoffs. Unless my team - the Oilers - are playing, the NHL game is simply not compelling enough to watch anymore. I used to watch any game featuring any teams at any time. Not anymore. There are a lot of other things going on that capture my interest over the NHL - basketball playoffs included.

The game of hockey used to be exciting, today it is bland. if most people like the product they are seeing, that is fine. I don't and I am choosing to spend my limited time doing other things. Hockey was once the greatest sport in the world, over the past 20 years, it has slipped to #4 on my radar. Sad but true.

You just said you haven't watched the playoffs, your opinion is not valid.

Quit boxscore watching and watch the actual game.

 

[Ogopogo*]

Ah I see, I don't judge things by total goals. The puck going in the net is not the exciting part necessarily. Obviously because there are few of them, it makes them rarer and then potentially more exciting. But just because pucks aren't going into the net doesn't mean the play is unexciting for me. At all. In fact, many high scoring are sloppy or poorly played...or have too many power play goals, which are also not that interesting...

Most nights, the play is so bland, with robots defending each goal, the 1-0 score is just a natural extension of the uninteresting game. The way hockey is played most nights in 2015 is unwatchable.

 

[Ogopogo*]

You just said you haven't watched the playoffs, your opinion is not valid.

Quit boxscore watching and watch the actual game.

The game isn't entertaining enough - in its current form - to justify a three-hour investment.

 

[Doctor No]

Three hours? Intermission is snack time, m'man. Turn off Jeremy Roenick, and turn on that microwave.

 

[The Panther]

Who the hell wants to watch hockey in June

Yep. It's absurd.

 

[Canadiens1958]

True

Ah I see, I don't judge things by total goals. The puck going in the net is not the exciting part necessarily. Obviously because there are few of them, it makes them rarer and then potentially more exciting. But just because pucks aren't going into the net doesn't mean the play is unexciting for me. At all. In fact, many high scoring are sloppy or poorly played...or have too many power play goals, which are also not that interesting...

Mike the excitement comes from the quality of the intellectual and physical chess game played between the two teams or throughout the league.

Pucks going into the net, common in Junior C or intro quality games.

 

[Michael Farkas]

Ah I see, I don't judge things by total goals. The puck going in the net is not the exciting part necessarily. Obviously because there are few of them, it makes them rarer and then potentially more exciting. But just because pucks aren't going into the net doesn't mean the play is unexciting for me. At all. In fact, many high scoring are sloppy or poorly played...or have too many power play goals, which are also not that interesting...

Mike the excitement comes from the quality of the intellectual and physical chess game played between the two teams or throughout the league.

Pucks going into the net, common in Junior C or intro quality games.

Preaching to the choir, C1958. I've coached college and pro roller hockey too in addition to ice, and I'll tell ya...you might see a bunch of 7-6 games, but they aren't good...they aren't exciting...

Personally, I find well-played defensive games interesting...and I respect that that is the minority...but on the flip side, I also get that it's a coach's game now, not a player's game and that can be frustrating...and with that said, maybe if Norm Ullman actually watched this Tampa Bay team for instance, he would not have made that post...a team that plays like Tampa hasn't come around in some time...

They take some sparsely used angles and geometry add a little chemistry and a dollop of skill and wow is it a show...