NHL = No Hockey League

[darthfoley]

How anyone (anyone!) can watch a football game (the #1 sport in the States now) and then say hockey is a boring sport is completely beyond me. Yet that seems to be the overriding mentality...

I haven\'t been supporting my local team as much this year as I should, so maybe I\'ll get to a few more games before the season ends. Too bad we don\'t still have our old team name...

 

[slannpriest]

Thats easy. Hockey scores are in the 0-1 range. As a non avid watcher all I see is the puck slide back and forth from corner to corner where theres a cluster of guys pushing each other.

Football has action. You get incredible plays. Have you ever watched a highlight real...even from just ONE game. The players are flipping/flying over each other trying to get to the end zone.

There are very defined and very enforced rules governing the game. And the entire thing keeps moving forward.

But really scoring is key. If only 1 or 2 touchdowns were scored in one game it would be a little less exciting. But generally its at least double that. 0-1 is boring as hell. 2 vs 4 touchdowns is worth watching as the game develops.

 

[supervike]

Originally posted by darthfoley
How anyone (anyone!) can watch a football game (the #1 sport in the States now) and then say hockey is a boring sport is completely beyond me. Yet that seems to be the overriding mentality...

I am a big football fan, and I think the main reason football is #1 is that it adapts perfectly well for Television. Actually, to enjoy a game, see the action, etc. TV is preferable for NFL.

Not so with Hockey. Hockey is a fine sport and is not boring at all, but it does not translate to TV as well as football does. I\'ve been to many amateur hockey games that were incredible only because of the atmosphere and the action on the ice. TV cannot seem to capture that.

I\'ve also been to plenty of NFL games, and although the experience is great, the game is almost secondary. You are so far removed from the field and the action, it is hard to see what is happening all the time.

 

[Braveheart712]

My whole intent in writing was not to bash hockey. I admit I am an avid football fan, but in the off season hockey was exciting and definitely watchable. My complaints with hockey have nothing to do with a hockey vs. football arguement. Hockey\'s problems are due to the selective enforcement of the rules that allow some players to hinder the skill players and slow play down to a crawl. Hockey used to be fast paced and exciting to watch but it has evolved into a slower paced sport where the skill players are constantly \"mugged\" when trying to go to the goal. The net result is slow, low scoring games which translate to no TV time. Again television is where pro sports derive their money and without this source of revenue the game will not be able to support the large salaries being demanded.
If you want to put this arguement in football terms, the way I feel hockey is played now would amount to allowing holding on every offensive player in football and only a penalty or two handed out to the most flagrant fouls so that \"the players cound play and decide the outcome of the game\". Image just how exciting a football game would be if maybe a touchdown and a field goal were the only points scored in an entire game. If this were the case, I am sure the NFL would be in the same bind that the NHL has found themselves in. Believe me, I would like nothing better than to see hockey work themselves out of this current situation, but in my opinion the state of the game is what has brought about the current economic situation. Back in the 80s to 90s when hockey was at its peak. players like Gretzky, Lemieux, and Hull lit up the scoreboard and fans loved it. Times now have changed. If you give the fans an exciting and fast paced game to watch, they will be back. If you keep giving them the same old bump and grind, hockey will fade into the history books as a fringe sport that never really caught on. Just my opinion...

 

[Equus]

Gotta agree with supervike. One of my co-workers at my last job was a huge hockey fan...we used to make fun of the Boston Bruins emblem in his cube...but he also was of the opnion that hockey just does not translate very well to television.

Kind of on topic, but does anyone remember when some television station in the US (I can\'t remember which one) was trying to highlight the puck using graphics to \"make it easier to follow\"? I thought I was watching Tron or something.

 

[darthfoley]

Originally posted by slannpriest
Thats easy. Hockey scores are in the 0-1 range. As a non avid watcher all I see is the puck slide back and forth from corner to corner where theres a cluster of guys pushing each other.

Cluster of guys pushing each other...wow, that sounds familiar...like every play in every football game, ever.

Originally posted by slannpriest
Football has action. You get incredible plays. Have you ever watched a highlight real...even from just ONE game. The players are flipping/flying over each other trying to get to the end zone.

Football has action? When? 15 seconds of a \'cluster of guys pushing each other\', then 5 or 6 minutes of nothing, as far as I can tell.

As for incredible plays...give me a big check, unbelievable glove save, or wicked wrister over a TD run any day.

Originally posted by slannpriest
There are very defined and very enforced rules governing the game. And the entire thing keeps moving forward.

We must not watch the same football games. You want constant movement, you can\'t find it any more prominent than in hockey.

Originally posted by slannpriest
But really scoring is key. If only 1 or 2 touchdowns were scored in one game it would be a little less exciting. But generally its at least double that. 0-1 is boring as hell. 2 vs 4 touchdowns is worth watching as the game develops.

1-0 games are the utmost in excitement for me. But then, I\'ve always been a defense oriented sports fan. I much prefer that to the old 80\'s style of hockey where games were often 6-5 or 8-7. *shrug* I can sit and watch a hockey game develop, watching plays open up, seeing a defenseman break free for a big shot from the point or a forward getting that extra step behind the the defense for a breakaway...football all I see are a bunch of guys lining up a foot from each other and then slamming their heads against one another while the really high paid guys try to avoid getting hit and dance around like idjits in the end zone (and yes, hockey players dance around like idjits sometimes too). Oh, and after that little bit of movement...5 or 6 minutes of nothing.

Here\'s the other thing in football that always drives me nuts...basketball too...when your team is way down at the end of the game, why do you insist on calling your timeouts?

 

[Braveheart712]

Originally posted by Equus
Kind of on topic, but does anyone remember when some television station in the US (I can\'t remember which one) was trying to highlight the puck using graphics to \"make it easier to follow\"? I thought I was watching Tron or something.

That my friend was FOX-TV. I remember that glowing animation they applied to the puck. It also was supposed to change color depending on the speed that the puck was shot at. It was supposed to help viewer see the puck more clearly, but it was just annoying. FOX also had an animated character called Peter Puck who was supposed to explain the rules between periods too. I guess it was a nice attempt but overall was annoying too.

 

[Braveheart712]

Originally posted by darthfoley
1-0 games are the utmost in excitement for me. But then, I\'ve always been a defense oriented sports fan.

Sounds like a soccer fan to me!!! Before you go off on me I think soccer is a great game to play, but low scoring has prevented it from catch on in the US. When was the last time you saw a televised soccer game here in the states or a professional soccer player who actually made money? (Mia Hamm doesn\'t count and she is retired now too)

 

[darthfoley]

Nope, not a soccer fan. Never understood it, even when I tried. I\'m just a guy who prefers to see a closely contested defense oriented game. You know, defense winning championships and all that sort of thing.

 

[Astonia]

Real football (\"soccer\") when played well is pure beauty, although it requires understanding of the game and an attention span of more than a few seconds... Plus, players run (well, most of them) for 45 minutes straight! After a 15 minutes break: another 45 minutes!



And it\'s not ruled by commercial breakes either.

PS I like hockey too...and blood bowl

And the tifo....

 

[EricJ]

I\'m a big soccer fan, I played for many years and catch as many San Jose Earthquake games live as I can. And I think the best live sport game I saw was UC vs. Costa Rica in a World cup qualifier 2 cups back in Portland, where they clinched their spot...never mind they finished dead last that year in the actual WC.

 

[Equus]

Ah...soccer...or football...or...ah! I\'m confused!

...anyway, it\'s one of the few sports that I can watch on the television without any idea who the team is. Probably because I played for years as a kid and understand the game and can appreciate what they\'re doing down there.

But yeah, it is one of those games that you have to either watch the highlights or have at least some patience and understanding of the game. My poor friend was bored to tears when I sat at the bar and watched some football.

 

[Itchy]

Darthfoley: Couldn\'t agree more. football\'s slower then hell, hockey\'s a fast pace game. They need to stop the clock whenever they\'re hit... we get up from the ice 4+ times PER SHIFT. Plus the only time outs longer then 8 seconds are the 1 minute 30 second tv time outs and the intermissions:O

slannpriest: Actually... i\'d have to say 85% of games end some where around a 3-2 score, not 1-0.

Supervike: Eh, i\'ve gotta say i like hockey live vs on tv. They never get the important part of the play on the screen, just the 3 guys around the puck (which isn\'t where i\'m looking while i watch OR play hockey). But you guys saying hockey\'s not on tv baffles me. Last year i watched EVERY SINGLE LA Kings game on tv (as long as i wasn\'t watching it live that is) on either Fox Sports West, or the Fox Sports Net. EVERY game was covered... maybe i\'m just lucky?

Equus: Oh yeah... the highlighed puck. What was that? The early 90s? i HATED that... i was like hair metal and leg warmers put together.:|~

Oh, and hockey\'s a sport of conditioning. You go out and get the holy hell bashed out of you by some goons for a 3 minute shift of sprinting on skates and having to pick yourself off the ice every 35 seconds, then have a recovery time (heart beat down and normal breathing) of 34 seconds for another offensive shift. Not easy.

 

[Primeval]

from my favorite comic, for glyn and the other hockey fans:

http://www.comics.com/comics/getfuzzy/archive/getfuzzy-20050219.html

 

[supervike]

sounds like theres a deal!

You hockey fans may get an abbreviated season after all. Looks like they struck a deal, and are now debating a 28 game season....I think I\'ll stick with mini painting...

 

[Itchy]

Does that mean i can take an abreviated painting schedule and just charge extra for them?lol

Just kidding... i don\'t have the heart to sell my art.

 

[donga666]

I went to watch a fight but a Hockey match broke out lol

The strike means there are NHL players playing in the British League (VERY small) for snacks & beer. Still dont get off my arse and watch it. FA cup & Six Nations is on which is FAR more interesting... (one for the Brits & Europe).

 

[darthfoley]

Originally posted by supervike
You hockey fans may get an abbreviated season after all. Looks like they struck a deal, and are now debating a 28 game season....I think I\'ll stick with mini painting...

Where you seeing that? According to the NHL website, 6 1/2 hours of talks today yielded nothing.

 

[supervike]

ESPN...

Originally posted by darthfoley

Originally posted by supervike
You hockey fans may get an abbreviated season after all. Looks like they struck a deal, and are now debating a 28 game season....I think I\'ll stick with mini painting...

Where you seeing that? According to the NHL website, 6 1/2 hours of talks today yielded nothing.

Well, when I was painting this afternoon, I had the TV turned over to the sportschannel, they had some expert guy on and they acted like it was \'breaking news\'. I just checked out ESPN.com and they are saying what you read....I\'m not sure what is up with that...Sorry If I got your hopes up...

 

[darthfoley]

Not a problem...I was wondering if there was some late breaking news that the NHL hadn\'t updated yet was all....