Quote:
Originally Posted by bluef0x
Because nothing was better than watching players get mauled down without a penalty. I loved watching the sport where only one player would have his stick within 3 feet of ice level.
New NHL > Old NHL
....surely you can't seriously mean this?
As a FORMER Bruin's season ticket holder when the Big, Bad Bruins truly were the BIG, BAD BRUINS (Orr, Esposito, Bucyk, etc.) I seriously disagree with you.
The game has gone to hell in a hand-basket.
It all started when the 'powers to be' of the NHL attempted to 'legitimize' the game by taking the fighting out of it. The thought was advanced (and subscribed to by many) that the on-ice fighting was the major obstacle to popularizing the game, which would allow the NHL to get a national TV contract and the league to expand......everyone makes more $$$, right?
IMO, once the 3rd man in penalty was put into effect, players/teams no longer were able to "police" what was considered truly 'dirty' play: spearing, butt-ending, two-handed slashing, elbowing & hight-sticking above the shoulders, etc.
Players coming into the league back then learned pretty quickly that if they engaged in that behavior, that they would (quite literally) get the bejeezez kicked out of them until they changed their errant ways.
Policing bad behavior now became the province of the referee's, and it simply didn't work.
Couple that with an overly aggressive expansion policy, fed by more and more college hockey players (who were well-schooled as to how to get away with some of the not-so-sportsmanlike behavior seen at every college hockey rink these days).
Let's also not forget that the new generation of players were, bigger, stronger faster and were encased in equipment best described as bullet-proof armor.....throw in some of the new coaching strategies that have been put into effect (neutral-zone trap, etc.) and you end up with 'today's game', which is both dirty and boring as hell, even though the players are more athletic and more skilled than most of their counterparts of 30-40 years ago.
So, you can put me down as one of those whining "the-old-game-ain't-what-it-used-to-be" fans, but that's the way I see it.