NHL Lockout Thread

chirp chirp chirp...

 

A sport like hockey and a league like the NHL needs to extra careful, because many sports fans haven't missed it at all. I know there are some who hate having the game down, but hockey needs to expand its base, not lose the casual fan.

I've only ever seen one NHL team play a LONG time ago. The St. Louis Blues came to Des Moines in late 1979 or early 1980 to play an exhibition game with the "Miracle on Ice" Olympic team (as it became knoe AFTER the Olympics, before the Olympics.. boys did they stink! LOL) St. Louis 12 -USA 0.

 

Don't forget my beloved sport of tennis Dr. Bob.

 

Sports like golf and tennis though, are driven by fans paying the WINNERS making money. You want more money, win more tourneys.

 

Hockey is my favorite sport and I am rather irritated that neither the NHLPA or the NHL seems to realize that there is a lockout. They're just carrying out regular business, they never meet, and they don't seem to be very concerned about solving this problem. I've been behind Gary Bettman for a long time but it's time he starts doing something. The same can be said for Bob Goodenow, but I've never liked him anyway.

BTW, The Hockey News has a poll and the majority of people polled don't even know there IS a lockout. That tells you something about hockey in the U.S. Also, the vast majority of people aren't missing the NHL at all, and only a very VERY small number of people miss it a lot. I'm one of them.

 

Evidently, many of the players aren't missing it either; so far, 295 of them have signed on to play in foreign countries.

 

If you might recall, before the lockout came around, everyone was talking about how to make the game better. Many people suggested the European style of play, which is faster and smoother. What I'm hoping is that all the NHLers that are in Europe now will catch the European bug and bring European hockey to the NHL without needing any rule changes. The kind of obstruction prevalent today in the NHL would never be tolerated in Europe so hopefully all this European play will cure the NHLers of a very bad habit. Who knows? The lockout might be a good thing for the NHL!

 

As a big hockey fan I am disappointed with the lockout. It is greed on the part of both the owners and the players. There are plenty of palyers in the minors who would love to play NHL for less money. The players and the owners have been blessed extremely by GOD they need to move past this and play the game. GO PREDATORS!!!!

 

Surprised the WWE hasn't switched their wrestling matches to the NHL ice rinks!

 

Thank God I just heard someone else say this...GO PREDATORS! We were going to be ready for you this time, Detroit

 

Ha ha, TomVols. My big team is the Penguins but I was pretty disappointed when the Preds lost out to the Dead Wings.

WallyGator, I think you've got that one wrong. The WWE needs to consider starting a football league.

 

Go Wings!

Jealousy is a painful thing to see, especially among christians.

I am one of the ones who is in pain about the lockout. I love Hockey, and will watch just about any game that has either Detroit or one of the original six in in. Fox Sports Net Detroit shows just about every game from either the wings, or Toronto, and of course, living across the river from Ontario, I get CBC on channel 9 too, so I get to see Hockey Night in Canada

I am bored with the NFL already, it really has become a big show, with no substance, every team is the same. No surprises. Baseball is over, I really dislike the NBA, Curling isn't a sport, I'll play golf, but can't make myself watch it.

Good thing I don't have time to watch TV anyway

 

NASCAR takes up so much of my spare time - that I don't miss hockey - watching it or reading about it!

 

superdave,

I'll take hockey over any sport any day, but football does have one things hockey doesn't have and needs to have. Football has surprise teams every year, and they don't have teams that are consistently on top of the pack. In hockey, you always know the Devils, Avalanche, and Red Wings will do well. Now I admit football is a little extreme. There should be some dynasties, but hockey could use a little more variation.

 

Regardless of the numbers, the fact that the NHL teams are losing money is undeniable and the players cannot continue to receive salaries at the current percentage of revenues that they are accustomed to.

 

Exactly, KenH. Now go and try to tell that to Bill Guerin and Trevor Linden.

 

Are hocey teams not playing?

They are getting about the same amoount of space in the newspaper and sports talk show as usual (none). Of course after watching the Cowboys get drilled last night (the game had all the excitment of a preseason game) I may actually start to miss hockey. My biggest problem with the sport is that it is so expensive to go to a game. The action is great, the players are more accessible than those of other sports, but the average fan is priced out of the game. Hopefully the owners can fix the problem, but they are facing the problem of What if you cancel a season and NNE cares (except a few people in Canada, a country that has taxed most of THEIR teams out their own country.)