I agree. This is one of the biggest problems I have with the Bettman-lead NHL today. It is all about marketing, highlight videos, hype and media being used as mouthpieces to promote the current game at all costs. I have seen announcers who I have respected over the years (like Bill Clement) do a 180 on his views of the game.
Now, I could see the NHL marketing the players today. The great speed. Crosby. Ovechkin. The Pens vs. Caps rivalry. That is their job as a professional sports league and enterprise.
But a large percentage of the media who covers hockey in North America have become one-trick ponies. They are like wind-up dolls where you pull the string and they all repeat the same things:
"Sidney Crosby is showing why he could be considered on the level of Wayne Gretzky."
"Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin have one of the most heated rivalries in hockey history."
"The league needs to do something about hits to the head."
"It was a clean check, why did his teammates have to fight to defend him."
"The NHL has never been better."
I mean, do any of these "credible" media types actually believe most of the junk they are recycling? I think they are all worried about their jobs and do what they think their networks and the NHL want them to do. Not to go all conspiracy here, but right now the NHL reminds me of the United States government - with the way they control the media to push their agenda.
Someone in this thread said it best - the NHL has so many great stories to tell, but instead of embracing their history and unique nostalgia, they run from it, almost as if they are a wanted man on the run who has changed his appearance and moved across the globe to start a new life somewhere unnoticed.
So what if the game was slower in the 70s. So what if hockey sticks used to be flat, chunky pieces of lumber. So what if sellout crowds used to cheer on bench-clearing brawls while smoking cigars. So what if players used to be built like average Joes and held second jobs in the summer to make ends meet. These things are what made hockey great. The NHL (and moreso the media) should not be ashamed of these things.
A large portion of fans today have been brainwashed by the NHL and the media. They would have no idea what to do with themselves if they went back in a Delorean to witness the all-time greats. Richard, Howe, Beliveau, Lafleur, Hull, Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux. Today it seems like these guys are bible folklore; heroes of ancient writings that are being passed off as exaggerated babble.
Shame on the NHL. Shame on the media who are supposed to study the game and present an unbiased view. And shame on the fans who are too lazy to discover the roots of their favorite sport and appreciate the past game and its players for their greatness.