The elephant in the room...

[bustaheims]

I'm having troubles separating real effects of what is happening in the NHL and, you know, growing older. I've assumed it's just my lack of general interest from growing older and less passionate, but maybe it's actually because it sucks? and also because the Leafs have sucked.

I think changing tastes is a big part of it, as is the increase in quality entertainment options over the past few years. I don't think the quality of the games has really decreased in any significant fashion. I just think we've seen an increase in the quality of the comparable options.

 

[Kin]

Replacing Bettman absolutely could make a difference -- so long as the new guy championed the POV that more games (regular season and playoffs) doesn't necessarily equate to more owner revenue.  Putting a better product out there fewer times a year, but filling the stands more often (plus selling more merch as a result) will ultimately make more money for the Eugene Melnyks of the world than a half-empty CTC for tonight's game will ...

You want to talk about matters of opinion, this is one. The idea that Merch sales will outweigh a drop in broadcast fees is, to put it charitably, probably a hard sell.

which problem I lay at the feet of Bettman and his outdated "expand the schedule/league at any cost" philosophy.

Which likewise is something I would very much dispute. I mean, aside from the fact that the schedule hasn't expanded at all under Bettman, and in fact he was commissioner during the NHL's only reduction in the scedule, the idea that these things are coming from him and not ownership doesn't strike me as particularly convincing. Owners want to cash those expansion fee checks as revenue they don't have to share. That's not coming from Bettman.

 

[cabber24]

I am enjoying the playoffs and think the hockey's been great. The game is light years ahead of what was back in the day. The Rocket used to brag about doing a 100 push ups and 100 sit ups. The guys today are superior athletes. Bigger, stronger and faster. The pool of talent is also enormous now with other countries outside of Canada growing their hockey programs.

3 of 4 teams left are fantastic with maybe OTT being the "parity team". ANA and PIT have super stars that have been there before and NSH has the best D in the game. I don't believe parity is what has happened in this playoffs. Regular season stats can be thrown out the window, ask WSH. You haven't arrived until you show up in the playoffs.

As for a battle of attrition... that's what makes hockey and the Stanley Cup great. It's so hard damn to win. What these players go through is incredible and is amazing to watch.

What else do want you Kesler/Getzlaf/Perry VS NSH top 4 on D or Malkin/Crosby VS Karlsson? It's compelling, high caliber hockey.

 

[Kin]

Through your eyes, how has the product on the ice changed for the worse?  The actual speed and quality of play?

The game has less severe physical contact today, but I'm pretty sure you're not referring to that.

I think the speed and size of basically every player in the league has taken away most of the room skilled players once had. I also think more structured defensive play has created systems that require high levels of offensive talent to generate consistent offensive chances against them and most teams only have that on one line(the best teams in the league maybe have 2). Likewise I think that the general improvement in goaltending/lack of space to shoot at has led teams to care more about protecting leads than growing them.

I also think that the increase of size and speed and the better medical attention players receive leads to a situation where players are getting hit harder and staying out with injury longer.

 

[Kin]

What else do want Kesler/Getzlaf/Perry VS NSH top 4 on D or Malkin/Crosby VS Karlsson?

I want teams where what's compelling about them extends beyond a couple of players, some of which didn't crack 20 goals this year.

 

[cabber24]

What else do want Kesler/Getzlaf/Perry VS NSH top 4 on D or Malkin/Crosby VS Karlsson?

I want teams where what's compelling about them extends beyond a couple of players, some of which didn't crack 20 goals this year.

I guess you think Getzlaf been a chump in the playoffs because he didn't score 20 goals during the regular season? Who cares, watch the playoffs its been great. He's showed up when it counts the most the guy is a beast maybe the most entertaining player of the playoffs.

 

[disco]

Definitely, the parity has brought the bottom up and the top down no doubt. Rich teams used to be able to stockpile, stockpile, stockpile if their owner was a spender. First round is always the best. We're seeing the later rounds wear on teams like never before.

 

[AvroArrow]

For me, step one is to change the playoff format.  Just seed by conference: #1 E vs #8 E, etc.  Then re-seed the next round similarly (highest pts vs lowest pts).

After that, I just need the Leafs to be competitive to be interested.

 

[cabber24]

Definitely, the parity has brought the bottom up and the top down no doubt. Rich teams used to be able to stockpile, stockpile, stockpile if their owner was a spender. First round is always the best. We're seeing the later rounds wear on teams like never before.

Leafs spent and got no where... I feel like we're talking in circles right now.

 

[princedpw]

I'm having troubles separating real effects of what is happening in the NHL and, you know, growing older. I've assumed it's just my lack of general interest from growing older and less passionate, but maybe it's actually because it sucks? and also because the Leafs have sucked.

I've always been only mildly interested when the Leafs were gone, but I'd still watch a couple of playoff games each week. This year, other than a couple of Was/Pitt games, I haven't even bothered to check who's playing.

This is me too.  I've never been very involved, except with the leafs.  I try to like other teams (especially because I have lived in the US for 20 years now) but I just can't manage it.  Part of this is because the leafs are so bad.  Any other team I try to enjoy, I wind up being jealous of.

For me, one thing I would like to change about the current NHL is the rate at which trades occur.  These days there are so many fewer trades than in the past due to the cap constraints.  Trades create interest because they change the composition of teams and there is something to talk about and forecast.  In addition, if there are more trades, a team's path to success can potentially be quicker.  This gives a team's fans more hope, even if the current team is bad.  These days, the only path to success is to tank, be bad for several years, wait until you get lucky in the lottery several times, and wait until those players develop.  This means the *average* time for a turn-around has got to be 6-8 years even though teams and fans might hope for quicker turn-arounds.

So what I'd hope for from the NHL is more mechanisms to enable trades.  There are probably a variety of ways to do it, ranging from a softer cap to a tax to means for trading salary at the deadline.  I have no idea which way would be best but I'd like to see something happen.