Is the NHL still a dying league. Has the new system of calling everything taken the fun out of the game?

Question

I still enjoy watching NHL games but it seems to me that the game has been watered down. You know I am a huge Red Wings fan and I reall started watching b ack in the heyday of the Colorado/Detroit rivalry. The passion and all out support of ones teamates seems to be a thing of the past. I will not lie I miss fighting. All season long I have not seen more than two fights. Dammit it is part of the game. If the fans enjoy it and the players still have the willingness and the ability to do it then why does it seem like the NHL leadership has completely tried to eradicate it?

Answer 1

The NHL is thriving and has never been better! Attendance is up! TV ratings are up! Everything is up!



You sound like a dinosaur fan lamenting the "glory days" when no-talent thugs ruled the game and bench-clearing brawls were a nightly occurrence. I found that to be abject and embarrassing! All it did was made the NHL look like some bush league where professional wrestling fans and other such losers could go to swill bear, scream obscenities and pick fights in the stands. No thanks!



*Update: I'm glad we had our little offsite IM exchange, bugman, as I think we understand each other better now. We might not be on the same page, but we both love the game. And I promise you it is only going to get better! Go Sabres!

Answer 2

Many of the posters have got it right. The crackdown on obstructions and holding has made the great players in the game shine again. There was absolutely nothing worse than watching an inferior team hang close in a 1-1 game because they would slow play to a crawl by putting a stick in some ones mid-section and "water-skiing" (hooking) all the way through the neutral zone to slow down the more talented and skilled team.



I also love the idea of more divisional games so I can watch my beloved Rangers play the hated Devils, Flyers and Islanders many more times each year. I do miss seeing more games with the other Origianl 6 teams though.



The one thing I do not like to see is good hard clean hitting being legistated out of the game. I believe it is the combo of skill speed and toughness that make the gsame great. What I have seen this season is too many players receiving penalties for what I perceive to be clean hard checks. I hope they can find a way to bring more hitting back into the game without sacrificing the open ice the new rules have brought.



Glad to see others love hockey as much as I do.

Answer 3

I dig the new game... less trapping slow style games. I think we will have a few 60+ goal scorers... and the playoffs will be intense.



As a Kings fan, I like the fact that we play the Ducks eight times now. I think it was only 4 before this season.



I don't like the fact that western confrence teams only play a few teams from the east. I use to like going to the Kings Rangers games because there are a lot of ex-New Yorkers here.



All and all the game is still fading out... Not many new fans!



The NHL must do a better job marketing the league...



PS the wings SUCK!!!!

Answer 4

I have been watching and playing hockey for nearly 50 years. The NHL finally got something right. The game is faster now that the hooking and holding is out of it. And, the number of retaliations is way down, which means the fights are down.



Real finess players now dominate and the flat footed are on their way out.



Way to go NHL. You finally got it right.