The old school in me does not like the NHL today. | TenpinTony's Blog

I have some issues with the National Hockey League and those that run it.I grew up during the Original Six era,the quality of the game was something to behold back then.With expansion,the level of play has changed somewhat,but it was still a good brand of hockey.From the start of expansion in 1967,throughout the 70's and 80's,the quality remained good.The level of play started to go downhill somewhat during the 90's.Today,we have 30 franchises and a watered-down version of the game.The purist in me feels we have too many teams and we have them in certain markets/regions where the fan base is not all that rock-solid.Take Nashville for example,last season the club won over 50 games and finished with something like 110 points.They play in a beautiful facility that seats 17,000-plus.Problem here is that their average attendance is over 14,000 per game.What I find disturbing is that you have some 3,000 empty seats per game with a club that is near the top of the standings.What is more perplexing is that the powers-to-be is hinting at further expansion down the road.There are five or six clubs right now that I feel are "on the bubble"...realistically,the possibilty of contraction and/or re-location of teams is there.If moving clubs are an option,they should go to cities where the fan support is steady and sure,not marginal.The talk is that places like Las Vegas,Kansas City,Hartford and Cleveland want franchises...personally speaking,I don't think these cities can really cut it.Cities that truly deserve a team include Houston,Seattle and Winnipeg(here,the NHL should never have left there in the first place).The lack of a bonafide U.S. television contract for the NHL has not helped either.I have issues with regards to the makeup of the schedule as well as the length of the playoff format.The one that really burns me up is the shootout...what a cheesy way to decide the outcome of a hockey game! Honestly,what the heck is wrong with just playing five minutes of overtime and if nothing is resolved,ending in a tie? Don't look at this as a rant,but more like my purist/old school thought and lamenting a game that has changed for the worse over time.Gary Bettman needs to wake up and smell the coffee.

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October 12, 2007 01:58 PM ET

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I hate the shootout! Nothing wrong with a tie. If they have the shootout they should just get rid of the 1 pt for an OT loss. It is a loss - NO POINTS.
The NHL needs to either remove some teams from markets or at least relocate them to an area that will support a team. I do think that KC and Cleveland could field a team. Forget Houston, Las Vegas and Hartford(Didn't work before). Winnipeg should get a team, how about the Phoenix team? Well forget that one, LOL
And could we please go back to using the proper names of the conferences and divisions. Are people really that stupid that they couldn't handle learning them?
Predators moving to KC would be better than them going to Hamilton.

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October 12, 2007 04:41 PM ET

Back in the mid-70's,the NHL did have teams in Cleveland and Kansas City,unfortunately both of them did not fare too well.I'm not sure they would do any better today.Even though Hamilton has a facility and a fan base,you will not see a team there because Toronto and Buffalo will not allow it...they don't want to see their fan bases and revenue chopped.

TenpinTony

Windsor, ON

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December 10, 2007 08:21 PM ET

Well said, Tony! I especially agree with your bashing of the shoot-out, which is wrong in so many ways -- I mean, last time I checked, hockey was a team sport, not a sharp-shooter-versus-a-goalie-sport... I think the primary impetus behind the shoot-out is to prevent televised games from exceeding advertisement-funded air-time -- in other words, Bettman doesn't want to foot the bill for overtime anymore.... like (almost) everything else in the "New NHL", economics is what it's all about, not good hockey -- and don't get me started on the price of tickets!.... And finally, I think you should also add Halifax to your list of potential NHL cities... after all, Sidney Crosby is more or less a Halifax boy, the desire for a big-time pro team is definitely here, and we've got the population base of the entire Maritimes to draw support from... what we might not have right now is an arena large enough to house NHL games, but that can be easily rectified -- as the old saying goes: Build it, and they'll come!

The Bike Lady

Halifax, NS

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December 16, 2007 10:22 AM ET

I think an NHL franchise in Halifax would be great,however...as long as Bettman calls the shots,it won't happen.He would rather put a team in the U.S. first than come back north...and that's a damn shame.He has no sense of hockey values,tradition...just thinking with his wallet.