Hockey for the 21st Century

These guys need to go away

 

 

The National Hockey League just finished its season and that’s a problem. It’s July and you may have noticed that not even Moose Jaw has any ice on the ponds. Training camps open in less than 10 weeks.

The NHL also lacks a major TV contract in the United States, which is a shame because it’s the most-exciting of the four “majors.” That’s also a problem, as these days few sports franchises can survive on ticket sales alone.

Those who aren’t hockey fans often complain that they have trouble following the game. They should, of course, learn how to watch it, but the NHL is also in need of changes that make it friendlier for TV, computers, and tablets. There are several changes the NHL desperately needs, none of which requires that all hockey players wear mullets:

 

 ·     -- Shorten the season by playing more games per week and by pulling NHL players out of Olympic competitions. They are professionals for heaven’s sake; leave the Olympics for amateurs. The season should open on November 1 and the Stanley Cup should be raised in mid-April.

·      --Do, however, widen rinks to the Olympic standard of 200 feet. This encourages more magnificent skating, leads to more odd-man rushes, and creates greater scoring opportunities.

·      --More importantly, a wider rink discourages boring clutch-and-grab hockey. On a wider sheet, good skaters zoom around the goons.

·      --Speaking of goons, hockey is a skill sport, not UFC on skates. Rodney Dangerfield once joked, “I went to fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out.” Good line, but in the age of much bigger players and revelations about CTE, the goons need to be retired. Some fans drool over bone-crunching checks and toe-to-toe scraps, but top players can skate up to 30 mph. Imagine what would happen if you aimed your car at a pole at 30 mph. Besides, would you rather see Connor McDavid on skates or a stretcher? 

     ---Either widen the nets or shrink goalie equipment once again.

·      --Promote the talent! If the lords of the boards and TV moguls are struggling with that concept, spend more time in Canada to see how it’s done.

_--- Have a trade deadline that makes sense. How about no trades after January 31? It's ridiculous when the teams that go to the playoffs scarcely resemble the ones that got there in the first place. Plus, late trade deadlines pretty much mean that the fans of mediocre teams are robbed of seeing anyone on the ice worth seeing.

---- No more expansion! Prune the dead wood. Five teams generate more than 25% of the league’s revenue and that must change. For the record, two of them play in Canada (Toronto and Montreal). And if anyone can explain to me why Phoenix, Miami, Raleigh, or Columbus still has a team, I’m listening. Winnipeg needs a new rink or wave goodbye. Ottawa could use one that’s actually in Ottawa and the less said about the Islanders’ two rinks, the better.

 

Rob Weir