Hockey Time
Here in the Northeast we have a lot of people who really enjoy the sport of hockey.
Especially during playoff times.
Of course the Sabres were edged out of a playoff spot, just missing, by 41 points. It's gonna' be a long time until they see a playoff game down at the arena.
But that hasn't stopped people from Buffalo from watching. There are ex-Sabres scattered all over the league so there's some rooting for them to do well.
But not me.
I won't see even a second of the NHL playoffs which stretch out over the next few months.
And at the risk of pissing off Gag and Jeffy...here's why.
1). Hockey used to be a great sport of true artistry. Back in the late 80's and early 90's Gretzky and Lemieux were allowed to skate and create. The guy who led the league in scoring this year had 108 points. Gretzky had 92 goals one year and 219 points back then! The game was fluid and exciting. Now it is slow and prodding.
2). Why is it so slow now? Big pads on the goalies, huge pads on all other players too. Now when there's an offensive threat everyone gets in a circle down low in front of the goalies. No one is afraid to block shots because they're all padded up. You can't even score on a shot from the wing or the face off circle. Now it's like pinball. Shoot it off the back of someone's ass and hope it goes in. There are a few creative players left - Crosby, Datsuyk, Ovechkin - the best of whom scored 51 goals this past year. One guy scored more than 50! Mogilny scored 76 here in sad old Buffalo back twenty years ago...and I'm not sure he led the league that year!
3). At least the playoffs don't live with the ridiculous overtime rules of the regular season. Two points for a win. 1 point for losing in overtime or...don't get me started...the shoot-out.
First off, no one tries at all in the last ten minutes of a tie game. They both want their point. So they skate in circles, get it and go to OT where they suddenly change the rules of the game and try to decide it in a 4 on 4.
Brutal.
Yet if the tie still isn't broken they start the skills competition. That's like ending a football game tied and deciding it by throwing balls through a tire from ten yards out.
Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
4). And I still defer to the players. NHL players are the nicest guys of the bunch. I've met a lot of professional athletes through the years and the only good guys were hockey players. And they're tough as hell. A guy last year played a period and an overtime with a punctured lung. He scored the winning goal and nearly coded in the ambulance after the game. I enjoy the hitting, but...
5). The fighting is ridiculous. Every year someone assaults another guy with deadly force. How is that just played off as part of the game? I can think of a few instances where a guy smashed another guy over the head with his stick. If he did that on the street he'd be looking at 7 to 10.
So there you have it.
Enjoy the playoffs.
The other night I was being sent text messages about a 3-3 game that was heading into overtime.
I'd already witnessed two home runs, two triples, a bang-bang play at the plate and a triple play.
The baseball game started at 7:10 and ended at 9:50.
The hockey game started at 7:30 and ended at 12:36.
The winning goal went in off someone's ass.
Especially during playoff times.
Of course the Sabres were edged out of a playoff spot, just missing, by 41 points. It's gonna' be a long time until they see a playoff game down at the arena.
But that hasn't stopped people from Buffalo from watching. There are ex-Sabres scattered all over the league so there's some rooting for them to do well.
But not me.
I won't see even a second of the NHL playoffs which stretch out over the next few months.
And at the risk of pissing off Gag and Jeffy...here's why.
1). Hockey used to be a great sport of true artistry. Back in the late 80's and early 90's Gretzky and Lemieux were allowed to skate and create. The guy who led the league in scoring this year had 108 points. Gretzky had 92 goals one year and 219 points back then! The game was fluid and exciting. Now it is slow and prodding.
2). Why is it so slow now? Big pads on the goalies, huge pads on all other players too. Now when there's an offensive threat everyone gets in a circle down low in front of the goalies. No one is afraid to block shots because they're all padded up. You can't even score on a shot from the wing or the face off circle. Now it's like pinball. Shoot it off the back of someone's ass and hope it goes in. There are a few creative players left - Crosby, Datsuyk, Ovechkin - the best of whom scored 51 goals this past year. One guy scored more than 50! Mogilny scored 76 here in sad old Buffalo back twenty years ago...and I'm not sure he led the league that year!
3). At least the playoffs don't live with the ridiculous overtime rules of the regular season. Two points for a win. 1 point for losing in overtime or...don't get me started...the shoot-out.
First off, no one tries at all in the last ten minutes of a tie game. They both want their point. So they skate in circles, get it and go to OT where they suddenly change the rules of the game and try to decide it in a 4 on 4.
Brutal.
Yet if the tie still isn't broken they start the skills competition. That's like ending a football game tied and deciding it by throwing balls through a tire from ten yards out.
Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
4). And I still defer to the players. NHL players are the nicest guys of the bunch. I've met a lot of professional athletes through the years and the only good guys were hockey players. And they're tough as hell. A guy last year played a period and an overtime with a punctured lung. He scored the winning goal and nearly coded in the ambulance after the game. I enjoy the hitting, but...
5). The fighting is ridiculous. Every year someone assaults another guy with deadly force. How is that just played off as part of the game? I can think of a few instances where a guy smashed another guy over the head with his stick. If he did that on the street he'd be looking at 7 to 10.
So there you have it.
Enjoy the playoffs.
The other night I was being sent text messages about a 3-3 game that was heading into overtime.
I'd already witnessed two home runs, two triples, a bang-bang play at the plate and a triple play.
The baseball game started at 7:10 and ended at 9:50.
The hockey game started at 7:30 and ended at 12:36.
The winning goal went in off someone's ass.
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