Idiotic Pierre Rant

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

Impressive, I guess bkb isn't a ***** sport. Once I hurt my foot when I stepped in some jacks. It's not a ***** sport either I guess.

Nobody is forcing you to like the sport. You don't have to like it. Certainly doesn't bother me.

Dismissing the sport though or thinking that it is less of a sport because it might be a little less physical than hockey is pretty ridiculous though, something you seem to either continually be missing here or just purposefully avoiding.

It requires practice and dedicates and talent as well to be very good at, just like playing hockey at a competitive level does.

[Ms_Hockey 0]

Honestly, nobody cares what's a "*****" sport and what's not. They're all sports. People love watching each and every one of them. Labeling them as "***** sports" is just idiotic. It's for entertainment. It's for enjoyment. Who really cares?

[Guest micah]

Nobody is forcing you to like the sport. You don't have to like it. Certainly doesn't bother me.

Dismissing the sport though or thinking that it is less of a sport because it might be a little less physical than hockey is pretty ridiculous though, something you seem to either continually be missing here or just purposefully avoiding.

It requires practice and dedicates and talent as well to be very good at, just like playing hockey at a competitive level does.

It isn't about liking a sport or not liking a sport, it's (to me, at least) about weather bravery is required or not.

"*****" to me doesn't have much to do wuith a lack of toughness, but a lack of bravery. Nobody has ever decided against playing basketball or chess or tennis because they were afraid. Fear has kept people from playing hockey, from racing fast things, from jumping off high things. some sports are open to *******, others are not. why do you object to differentiating between the two?

[up2here 41]

I'm failing to understand the logic here. Fighting is a part of hockey and it has been since way back in the day. Taking it out of the game simply because people who don't watch hockey don't understand it doesn't make sense. If they don't understand the reason for the fighting - chances are they don't understand all that much about hockey. I don't, for the life of me, understand basketball. Doesn't mean they should start removing aspects of the game just to get me interested.

If those people you're referring to want to watch a hockey game, that's up to them. If they watch it enough, they'll understand it more. Anybody who follows hockey knows it's an emotional sport. If a young child asks why the men are fighting, the parent can tell them that's their job on the team or whatever else they'd like to say. However, hockey is hockey. You may pull in some more viewers by eliminating the fighting, but you'll lose a bunch of others entirely for changing the sport itself.

EDIT: And just on a side note (I could be entirely wrong), comparing southern states to northern states - there's really not a whole lot who HAVE hockey teams in the NHL. Texas does, but Texas is dominated by their football team so it's natural that the football team would get more publicity. Florida does, but they aren't exactly anything to tune in to watch. Some other southern states do, but there's not a whole lot you could add to that list.

Dont get me wrong I like a good scrap as much as anybody but you cant compare the NBA,MLB or the NFL to the NHL. All of those leagues already have major TV deals and are already established throughout the entire United States market. They dont need to take anything out of their sports in hopes of attracting more viewers. I hope I'm wrong and the NHL can survive without one but I have my doubts.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

It isn't about liking a sport or not liking a sport, it's (to me, at least) about weather bravery is required or not.

"*****" to me doesn't have much to do wuith a lack of toughness, but a lack of bravery. Nobody has ever decided against playing basketball or chess or tennis because they were afraid. Fear has kept people from playing hockey, from racing fast things, from jumping off high things. some sports are open to *******, others are not. why do you object to differentiating between the two?

Because it is a degrading word that can be perceived as a pretty strong put-down and can make people sound pretty ridiculous at times, like in this case.

I'm not calling guys like Pete Sampras or Karl Malone or Michael Jordan or Isiah Thomas or Jim Abbott a bunch of p***ies just because they play a less physical sport than hockey, because they were damned good at the sport the played. And I highly doubt they are p***ies in real life either.

[Ms_Hockey 0]

Dont get me wrong I like a good scrap as much as anybody but you cant compare the NBA,MLB or the NFL to the NHL. All of those leagues already have major TV deals and are already established throughout the entire United States market. They dont need to take anything out of their sports in hopes of attracting more viewers. I hope I'm wrong and the NHL can survive without one but I have my doubts.

It's safe to say that hockey is one of the most underrated sports in the states (second only to soccer), but I have a feeling that if the NHL decided to do that to allow for newcoming fans.. diehard hockey fans would not appreciate it. As I said, they may gain some viewers.. but I'd be willing to bed they'd lose a lot more. Fans are already on the edge of their seats over all of the changes being made to the NHL over the years. I don't think they'd take it lightly.

Also, I'm not entirely positive the players would take it lightly either. They've been playing this way for years. Some of the players are signed specifically because of their gritty fighting ability. Taking out fighting would mess with a lot more aspects of the game than I think you or I realize at face value.

If it saves the NHL, then I'm enough of a fan to say "okay, do it". But I'd be worried about losing my existing fans and possibly some players without having to throw large sums of money in their face.

[up2here 41]

It's safe to say that hockey is one of the most underrated sports in the states (second only to soccer), but I have a feeling that if the NHL decided to do that to allow for newcoming fans.. diehard hockey fans would not appreciate it. As I said, they may gain some viewers.. but I'd be willing to bed they'd lose a lot more. Fans are already on the edge of their seats over all of the changes being made to the NHL over the years. I don't think they'd take it lightly.

Also, I'm not entirely positive the players would take it lightly either. They've been playing this way for years. Some of the players are signed specifically because of their gritty fighting ability. Taking out fighting would mess with a lot more aspects of the game than I think you or I realize at face value.

If it saves the NHL, then I'm enough of a fan to say "okay, do it". But I'd be worried about losing my existing fans and possibly some players without having to throw large sums of money in their face.

I feel the same,if thats what it takes for the league to survive then so be it, lets just hope myself and a lot of people are wrong. My wife likes to remind me that I'm wrong a lot so theres a good chance.

[Ms_Hockey 0]

I feel the same,if thats what it takes for the league to survive then so be it, lets just hope myself and a lot of people are wrong. My wife likes to remind me that I'm wrong a lot so theres a good chance.

Hahaha. Well, she IS female. We are the superior gender.

[55fan 5,133]

After pondering this, I have come to several conclusions.

1) Pierre is a bigger fruitcake than I thought.

2) The reason that hockey is not understood in much of the south is because it is not properly explained. In particular, fighting needs to be explained. I'm a redneck by heritage. We understand things like standing up for your friends. If there's a fight, have the announcer tell why it is happening. Not just alluding to a past event, but really telling what is up. "Well, Pierre, what's happening here is that last year the guy in the white shirt laid out a dirty hit on a friend of the guy in the dark shirt. So the guy in the dark shirt told the guy in the white shirt that he was gonna get it, and the guy in the white shirt said something nasty about the guy in the dark shirt's mama."

I promise you every redneck on the planet will get that and be rooting for the guy in the dark shirt. Stand up for your friends and your mama. That's the redneck way.

3) Fighting is a part of hockey. Scoring and winning are more important, but you need to stand up and be accountable for your actions, and you need to protect your mates.

4) I got a paper cut from playing Candy Land once. Not a game for pansies like Pierre.

[Never_Retire_Steve 35]

Whenever Pierre makes a point, I will always take the opposite stance

[ShanahanMan 473]

Edited January 20, 2009 by ShanahanMan

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

4) I got a paper cut from playing Candy Land once. Not a game for pansies like Pierre.

You think that's bad, I burned some arm hair recently trying to light a candle in my house!

[Guest Shoreline]

I like some of the things he says, but damn is he ever a nutcase if he wants to take fighting out of a sport that's bread-and-butter includes fighting.

[Barrie 900]

All I have to say is, NHL games are better to watch when Pierre isn't doing them.

[FirstSamuel1745 0]

To steal a concept from economics - why can't we allow the marketplace to dictate fighting? Look at the teams that have been really successful in recent years, including the Wings. Fighting simply isn't a part of their game; ergo, fighting simply isn't a part of a winning hockey team. Nobody can goon their way to the Cup - the 70's Flyers were an aberration, not the rule. When teams finally figure that out, fighting will go down.

[steveyzerman 0]

Go ahead & take fighting out. See how long it takes before players start using their stick for dirty work.

[Spinner 6]

Go ahead & take fighting out. See how long it takes before players start using their stick for dirty work.

Exactly!!!

[dat's sick 1,002]

Go ahead & take fighting out. See how long it takes before players start using their stick for dirty work.

I personally think that most "disagreements" between players could just be taken care of by laying a big hit on someone instead of starting a fight, and that's what I think would happen if fights were banned.

But as I said earlier, I don't really want fights to be banned.

I think it's lame when players fight for no reason other than being guys who are supposed to fight, but at the same time, if they want to go for it- let them.

In the Swedish Elite League we don't allow fights and although I wouldn't say that's one of the top 5 reasons I don't watch many games in that league, it is a part of it.

[thedatsyukian 7]

The ****** canoe strikes back.

[Louisville 112]

The background music was epic.

Pierre's interruptions durring Mike's point was further proof that he is a huge ****** bag.

Edited January 20, 2009 by Louisville

[Barrie 900]

I've never been a fan of guys like Kocur or Probert, who fight just for the sake of fighting. I'm more fans of guys like McCarty and Lapointe who fight when they half to.

I think there is room in the game for fighting when it's sticking up for your teammates, i.e. McCarty getting revenge on Lemieux. It keeps guys accountable. Plus the League doesn't know how to hand out a decent size suspension for idiotic behaviour, and they allow guys like Pronger to be repeat offenders. The players HAVE to police themselves with a scrap every now and then.

[Drake_Marcus 890]

UP2HERE lives only 4 hours away from me- he knows that Hockey isn't on the verge of disappearing. Hockey is a religion in Canada. Hockey is most certainly strong in many northern states (Michigan certainly doesn't struggle to maintain healthy hockey leagues at every age and level of competition).

Does Hockey have to compete with football in the South? No. It never had to and it never will. The NHL has been profitible for many, many, many years. The Superbowl is an infant compared to grampy Stanley Cup Finals.

Canadians gladly pour cash into the NHL with abandon and so do many, many Americans.

Do I wish hockey would have a resurgence like it did in the States when NY won the cup in the nineties? Yeah, sure. But anyone that thinks the NHL will fold unless it does is crazy. Contraction will only remove teams from unprofitable areas. Revenue sharing makes the situation seem more dire than it really is.

Any I really, really don't think the average Southern sports fan would blanch at a hockey fight. MMA doesn't struggle to get viewership from Southern US markets.

[cnot19 191]

To steal a concept from economics - why can't we allow the marketplace to dictate fighting? Look at the teams that have been really successful in recent years, including the Wings. Fighting simply isn't a part of their game; ergo, fighting simply isn't a part of a winning hockey team. Nobody can goon their way to the Cup - the 70's Flyers were an aberration, not the rule. When teams finally figure that out, fighting will go down.

What about the 2007 ducks which led to an increase of fighting? Or what about the many early exits the wings suffered with their weak teams? Or the great wings teams of the 90's that carried Probert and Kocur?

Edited January 20, 2009 by cnot19

[henrik40 76]

Talk to any sports fan that was turned off by the lockout and doesn't watch much hockey anymore. They absolutely love fights, or at least the several people I've talked about hockey with do. Taking fighting out of hockey is dumb, and will result in a net loss of viewers, not an increase.

[Guest Shoreline]

The worst part is the league is going to actually discuss the issue.

By this I hope they mean discuss some ways of coming down hard on players who want to fight with a visor on. How dumb does it look for players to be punching helmets and visors, or even worse, a player with a visor on punching at someone without one? This really should be the only related discussion, as any serious discussion of actually banning fighting in hockey should be inherently ignored.

Edited January 21, 2009 by Shoreline