kwailman 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2007 http://dynamic.si.cnn.com/si_online/covers.../1994/0620.html I just saw this cover in passing. Those were some good times, back when the NHL was respected. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kylee 727 Report post Posted February 20, 2007 hopefully that will be the same cover story for the NHL & NBA in the near future! I dunno it doesn't matter to me with the ratings and stuff, I usually watch all the hockey night in canada games and the prie time games on NBC just because I love to watch hockey. I'd like to see the NHL do better though, for the more casual fans. I just don't know what they would have to do, when the NHL came back they brought in the shootout, and that for anyone watching should be real exciting. even the NHL at its worst, i think its more exciting to watch rather than football, or basketball. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingsdiehard13 33 Report post Posted February 20, 2007 Ha those were the days... But What goes around comes back around Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CloudConnected 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2007 That was after one of the best Cup finals series in years. After that came the neutral zone trap, and then more expansion. The game slowed down, then the talent got more watered down. Hopefully we are starting to rebound in the next few years. I say we bring the rough stuff back and we'll get more of those fringe fans back with it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haroldsnepsts 4,826 Report post Posted February 20, 2007 That was after one of the best Cup finals series in years. After that came the neutral zone trap, and then more expansion. The game slowed down, then the talent got more watered down. Hopefully we are starting to rebound in the next few years. I say we bring the rough stuff back and we'll get more of those fringe fans back with it. It was also right before the new commissioner Gary Bettman started really implementing his ideas... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theman19 47 Report post Posted February 20, 2007 It was also right before the new commissioner Gary Bettman started really implementing his ideas... check, it was also when NJ introduced the trap and we expanded (and continued) we really havn't learned our lesson Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StaticWithABeat 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2007 Too bad the '95 lockout killed all the momentum that success brought. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C-TownWing 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2007 Maybe I'm in the minority, but I don't need something to be popular to justify my opinion of it. As long as the league is financially viable, I know where to find it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CloudConnected 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2007 Maybe I'm in the minority, but I don't need something to be popular to justify my opinion of it. As long as the league is financially viable, I know where to find it. I'm with you, man. I tend to drift towards things that aren't as popular. Hockey, Metal music...as long as it's good with me I don't really care. But I would rather see a little popularity with hockey so the league stays in good shape and they get a little more coverage on Sportscenter for once. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yzerman&thewings=CUP 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2007 (edited) Maybe I'm in the minority, but I don't need something to be popular to justify my opinion of it. As long as the league is financially viable, I know where to find it. point well made. People on radio AM 1270 always seem to think that TV ratings is an indicator of a league's viability. The NHL is doing fine city to city, but they focus on the most meaningless things with our league. We dont take in the tv revenue like the NFL, its a local sport unlike the NFL, to compare the two is crazy. Sometimes I want to strangle Mike Valenti when he opens his mouth, that "my opinion is superior to you" mentality annoys the hell out of me. Edited February 20, 2007 by yzerman&thewings=CUP Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Hiei 192 Report post Posted February 20, 2007 (edited) That's ok, you haven't had to live in Chicago with Jay "The only good team had Michael Jordan, and I have a mancrush on him" Mariotti Edited February 20, 2007 by Hiei Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zetter is Better 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2007 It seems just as hockey was picking up popularity, the lockout shut it down (in `95). Then right as hockey gets back up, it falls down again due to another lockout. Its kind of sad and pathetic when you think about it Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MoscowDynamo 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2007 It seems to me that if the NHL was allowed to grow at the pace it was back then and Bettman never got his grubby NBA paws all over the sport, that the league would be in a much better spot than it is now. Plain and simple: Gary Bettman has reduced NHL hockey to what it is today. If you don't view that as an unspeakable crime against a once great "cult" sport, then you either got into hockey in the last 10 years or you don't appreciate "good" hockey. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RyanBarnes! 293 Report post Posted February 20, 2007 Maybe I'm in the minority, but I don't need something to be popular to justify my opinion of it. As long as the league is financially viable, I know where to find it. Yeah, the main concern is not the league overall popularity, it's the popularity among the dedicated fans. The problem is, the dedicated fan seem less interested now due to all the changes and screw ups. If only Bettman and company could get over their dream of competing with the other pro leagues and get some hockey basics back, the game would be much better off. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest LivingtheDream Report post Posted February 20, 2007 Last year in the playoffs my non-hockey neighbors were over and I had on a Canes-Sabres game. They were blown away by the speed, intensity, hitting and skill. It was some great hockey and both husband AND WIFE wanted to keep watching it. Later they commented how hockey used to be "slow and boring" - that was assuredly their perspective on clutching/grabbing and trapping. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
theman19 47 Report post Posted February 20, 2007 yeah, as i said the trap made the sport extremely boring. It may have brought jersey a few cups but it made for some less than inspiring hockey Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haroldsnepsts 4,826 Report post Posted February 20, 2007 The only real reason I care about overall popularity is because it would be nice to occassionally see some highlights on t.v. and not have to subscribe to directv or get a relatively obscure channel like OLN (sorry, versus) to watch the games. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Seraph 240 Report post Posted February 20, 2007 Quick question. Why does everyone place all the blame of the lock-out on Bettman? Wasn't it kind of stupid for Goodenow not to accept his final offer before canceling the season? It was the players that got screwed in the end because of him. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zetter is Better 0 Report post Posted February 20, 2007 Quick question. Why does everyone place all the blame of the lock-out on Bettman? Wasn't it kind of stupid for Goodenow not to accept his final offer before canceling the season? It was the players that got screwed in the end because of him. Who blamed Bettman? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
haroldsnepsts 4,826 Report post Posted February 20, 2007 Quick question. Why does everyone place all the blame of the lock-out on Bettman? Wasn't it kind of stupid for Goodenow not to accept his final offer before canceling the season? It was the players that got screwed in the end because of him. ultimately the fans are the ones who got screwed. At the time, the players were taking most of the blame, surprisingly. I think however that it should be shared between Bettman and Goodenow. Unfortunately one of them still has a job with the NHL, and likely will for a long time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheLegend19 1 Report post Posted February 21, 2007 Ha those were the days... But What goes around comes back around During or after our lifetimes? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
evilmrt 636 Report post Posted February 21, 2007 During or after our lifetimes? HA! Easy one... After Bettman's! Hes got the job for life, I guess. Kind of like Supreme Court Justices... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheUltimateWingsFan 1 Report post Posted February 21, 2007 Ah, those were the glory days of NHL popularity... LA made the finals the year before on a classic run by Gretzky, then New York won it that year. The playoffs featured game 7's (including two in OT), Messier guarantees, Bure's explosiveness, penalty shots, and the mystique of the 54 year curse. There was no stopping the NHL.......until the lockout the next year. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. Then we entered the era of neutral zone traps, outstanding goaltending (some with the help of questionable equipment..Snow's pads), and hooking and holding. It's never been the same since. And with the NHL on Versus, the future doesn't look very bright.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kp-Wings 3 Report post Posted February 21, 2007 I feel that someday the NHL will return to being more popular again. Case and Point: The NBA right now. Everything has a way of evening out. If anything does even out though, it will be when Bettman is gone. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
m2_wilson 0 Report post Posted February 21, 2007 Since Bettman took over in 93': Fighting went down, scoring went down, clutching and grabbing took over, the trap, the point system revamped, overtime revamped, shootouts, the toe in the crease rule, instigating. . goalies started to get bigger (pads), then smaller pads, the goalie can only play the puck in certain areas. . and the next thing we will see is bigger nets. . this guy is the problem with hockey and why it has no identity. I f---in hate him.. and they wonder what happened to all the real fans? Well what happened to our real game? RIP: Norris Adams Patrick Smythe And don't forget all the teams that moved into terrible hockey markets with expansion and existing teams moving. . Oh, and remember when Tampa Bay was in our division? Bettman sucks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
