TFG's Hockey Musings

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Well, I've done this on other sites as well, with moderate to great interest, so figured why not here.

 

Basically, it is a thread where various thoughts that occur to me hockey related are put to paper....errr, monitor.

No specific topics, teams, etc.

 

Just things that sometimes make me go "Hmm.." or things that make me want to rant on about, or simply comment on.

Things that don't fall into any particular category and that really don't warrant an entire thread.

 

Many of my postings here may be done with some twisted and/or sarcastic humor. Anyone who knows me in person understands I can be that way at times, so I will try and convey a bit of that here.

Hey, if nothing else, if it makes any readers of this site smile a bit, then its all good.

 

Take stuff I post here either with a grain of salt, quite seriously, tongue in cheek, or just as something to read....doesn't matter....all in the spirit of entertainment, and a way for me to let loose some hockey thoughts that may be funny, dumb, strange, factual, fantastic, or anything in between.

 

Anyone is, of course, free to comment, add on, and generally help keep the thread going with their OWN hockey related thoughts that suddenly come to mind and with their own twists...I would enjoy reading some of HF's posters sudden thoughts as much as I hope many of you enjoy reading mine.

 

Well, let's see how this goes, shall we? 

[Irishjim]

Many of my postings here may be done with some twisted and/or sarcastic humor. Anyone who knows me in person understands I can be that way at times, so I will try and convey a bit of that here.

this crowd doesn't understand sarcasm 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

The Media.

 

Ahh, good ol post game press conferences.

What fans look forward to. Where the viewer hopes to learn the inside track on what players, coaches, and maybe even officials think of events that just happened.

How?

Well, through the insightful and sometimes hard hitting questions of the media....right?

 

Ummm....well, methinks the media isn't all it's cracked up to be.

 

There have been many decent post game press conferences, interviews etc...however, is it just me, or do many of these de-evolve into asinine "How did it feel?" , "How big was that win?", or " Was that loss hard to take?" type questioning of player personnel and coaching staffs?

 

Seriously? Members of the media go to how many years of schooling to be great journalists and "How do you feel?" is the best they can come up with?

Perhaps if media members provided players and coaches with soft couches, smooth lighting, and a bowl of fruit on the center table, perhaps, then they would be willing to open their "feelings" to them, eh?

 

Team loses a close game...possibly with playoff implications, and "How big was that loss?" comes up.

Gee, Mr. Reporter, what are you expecting?

"..Oh well, it wasn't a big loss at all. We have plenty of other games, and if we don't make the playoffs, we have next season to make a run."

 

Just LOL....

Nice going media.

 

Hey, John Tortrorella has been known to be very impatient with the media...and in many cases, the guy DOES need to take a valium or something, but with some of these questions coming from people with Ipads and microphones, I can see why Torts thinks they are all A-holes... 

 

When I was in school, I took a minor in journalism.  The being a mommy route took me away, at least for now, from all that, but sometimes I feel I COULD step in and conduct better interviews with players and coaches.

 

Really. The media disappoints me more often than not.

I used to look forward to post game shows...now it's like, "Ok, the game is over, let me see what else is on...oh, look, Friends re-runs...let's watch that."

Pretty sad.

 

Anyways, all this nonsense with post game shows really make me appreciate whenever I DO see or hear a good one.

They are fewer and farther between these days, but hey, when they show up, me likes!

 

We need a few media revolutionaries to change the status quo.....and once we get them, we should ask THEM how they feel being revolutionaries, no? 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Well, @Irishjim , one can only try. 

[yave1964]

  why is the diagnosis of every injury treated like a state secret? ok I get it, you don't want a player to have an injury exploited/attacked by future opponents when you come back but this whole LBI/UBI thing is out of hand.

 

  I could see Kronwall slipping on the ice having his head cut off by someones skate and it being reported that he is out with an undisclosed UBI.

 

Sorry TFG liked the premise of random musings so there is one of mine.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

NHL Markets.

 

You know, with the NHL so desperately trying to compete with the NFL, MLB, and the NBA in North America for the spectator dollar and attention, it simply amazes me how some people, many even within the NHL, alienate non traditional markets.

 

I mean, hey, I get it. Hockey is a traditionally northern sport and that will probably always be where it gets the strongest support.

But when I hear fans or members of the media or officials within the NHL just dismiss certain markets as "weak" or talk about certain markets as if they weren't really important in the first place, or worse yet, when someone, ANYONE, says that "Hockey doesn't belong in ____ ", I just think its the stupidest thing ever to pop across anyone's pea brained mind.

 

Really, it is.

Why?

Well, if you are competing for entertainment dollars and you have leagues such as the NFL, MLB, and NBA raking in mega dollars and doing everything they can to grow THEIR sport anywhere and everywhere, THEN you have hockey people say "hockey doesn't belong" somewhere, it just seems they are limiting themselves and their sport's appeal, then bitching and moaning when people in certain areas "don't give a damn about hockey".

 

Oh sure, there are legitimate reasons why certain markets probably wouldn't be good ideas at any given point in time, but the fact is, the NHL expanded to certain markets for a reason.

Not all ventures will be successful, but still, I feel that the NHL and it's fanbase, doesn't always do all it can to INCLUDE non traditional markets and potential fans there, that they can.

Instead they scoff, mock, or are simply indifferent to those markets and potential fans, which, IMO, in turn leads to those ppl thinking "oh, this is hockey? I don't see the appeal...we don't want it".

 

And that takes the form of verbal negativity towards the NHL or they speak via their wallets by not going to games or purchasing merchandise.

 

Incredible how dense some NHL fans and officials can be.

SELL the NHL people!

To ANYONE, ANYWHERE, at ANYTIME!!

 

Hell, sell it to African citizens coming into the US or Canada for crying out loud!

Not saying everyone will buy, but put the damned effort into it!!

 

Things can work if one isn't so damned elitist about it!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

  why is the diagnosis of every injury treated like a state secret? ok I get it, you don't want a player to have an injury exploited/attacked by future opponents when you come back but this whole

 

Ahh, you mean the nebulous "upper body" or "lower body" injury...

 

Well, you are onto something with not wanting opponents to exploit certain things, but yea, that does seem kinda odd.

Then you get injuries where they will flat out say "Foot injury", "Concussion" etc..

 

Hmm....well, @yave1964 , maybe the upper and lower body injury designation is because the people diagnosing DON'T REALLY KNOW THEMSELVES! 

 

Team Doctor: "Ok, well, what he have here is...no wait...wrist, or hand? Hang on....fingers?  Whole shoulder?  Screw it, just put down upper body injury while we figure it out"

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

You know, yave, on a related note, I wonder if EVERY place treated injuries and events like hockey did...what would we have.

 

Presidential assassinations treated as "upper body" injuries? Can't have terrorists knowing we are without a Commander in Chief in the US, now can we?

 

Car wrecks, lower body injuries...errr, upper body injuries...no wait, they may need a new designation...Entire Body Injuries. Does that work?

 

Atheletes caught having relations with ppl they shouldn't have....definitely lower body injuries.

Members of  corporations can't make it into work....upper body, lower body injuries...can't have competitors knowing their top suit has the sniffles, right?

 

I dunno...could work....

Oh wait, excuse me...my son just fell face first while horseplaying with his brother....need to determine upper or lower body injury before hubby gets home from work......

[yave1964]

@TropicalFruitGirl26

 

My wife just stated that she got a staple cut on her finger today which would now be considered a SRI (Staple related injury).....

 

  They just get so dang carried away with it. 

 

  On a entirely different issue, completely different subject, my wife and I LOVED the fact that the Leafs played in blue and the Wings played in white. It looked so cool the blue and white out there. Why does one team always have to wear white? I could understand it if it is two teams with similar colors, IE two teams with red home jerseys would be difficult for fans and players but lets say the Lightning were playing the Sharks. Why do they have to have a club in white? Just another.....Random thought, this one by my wife Julie who reads about everything on here but is not brave enough to get set up with a membership for herself and thinks you are brave to be in here with all of the testosterone flying.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

On the uni's, yave...I dunno. I think EVERYONE should wear white unis...i think they are cool. I almost always prefer a team's road jersey to the home one due to white.

Would be confusing as heck on the ice, but everyone would look cool wearing white...against white ice....in an open out door game with white snow falling....

 

As for your wife, tell her to just dive in...most sharks can be dealt with, with a sharp hit to the snout...she'll be fine... ^_^

As for the testosterone, well, I was raised around boys. Three brothers, my dad, various uncles, always seemed to have lots of guy friends...heck, I even resembled one a bit growing up, seeing as how I always wanted to dress and do the things THEY did....including sports and martial arts!

 

Maybe that's why it doesn't bug me being around a bunch of sports lugs like you guys...hehe.

 

And I bet the media (yea, those fine folk who always ask how people "feel") probably hate the upper/lower body injury thing most.

I mean, without specifics, how can they sensationalize anything and sell papers, blogs, and columns!??

 

Then again, they could just draw their OWN conclusions with vague stuff like upper/lower...

 

Columnist: "Hmm....Claude Giroux is out with a lower body injury...I wonder what would make people read my blog more? I know! He had his testicles low-sticked and is seeing a sphere specialist to see how long he will need to rehab...."

 

Good GAWD, I hope there isn't a dime store quality level sports columnist reading this thread...he/she will start to get some real hair brained ideas....

[jammer2]

@TropicalFruitGirl26  Some of the post game questions are mind bogglingly stupid and shallow. You would think some of these guys and gals can come up with a few pertinent questions after watching the entire game. Some of the most lame, mundane questions come post game....journalists are really missing an opportunity to get exclusive insight into certain plays, strategy or even thoughts on opposition players. I know you don't want to be giving other teams billboard opps, but if you ask the right question to the right player, you'd be surprised by the answer in a lot of cases.

[yave1964]

This is Mrs Yave (He and his friends pronounce it Yah-vae BTW) jumping in for a quick minute. I have one really stupid question, why are there no women on ice or even off ice officials? You cannot tell me that women cannot skate as well as some of the mules on skates that are referees or that women do not have good enough eyes to sit in the war room in Toronto and make goal or no goal decisions. Why not give Amanda Kessel or one of the other women Olympians a shot at officiating. Based off the horrific year that the referee's are having it certainly could not be any worse. I am no feminist believe me but I think women are being left out of jobs in pro sports simply because they are women.

  There I just got my two cents in on a random subject. It is not really something that would keep me from enjoying the game. My husband says he would have no problem with women refereeing but he has to live with me. What do you men say?

Julie York

[nossagog]

This is Mrs Yave (He and his friends pronounce it Yah-vae BTW) jumping in for a quick minute. I have one really stupid question, why are there no women on ice or even off ice officials? You cannot tell me that women cannot skate as well as some of the mules on skates that are referees or that women do not have good enough eyes to sit in the war room in Toronto and make goal or no goal decisions. Why not give Amanda Kessel or one of the other women Olympians a shot at officiating. Based off the horrific year that the referee's are having it certainly could not be any worse. I am no feminist believe me but I think women are being left out of jobs in pro sports simply because they are women.

  There I just got my two cents in on a random subject. It is not really something that would keep me from enjoying the game. My husband says he would have no problem with women refereeing but he has to live with me. What do you men say?

Julie York

 

As one of the Pens fans on the board, I'll step in before anyone else has a chance and say that the league DOES have Cindy Crosby playing, does that count?

 

Directly to your question, I'm not sure if I'd like to see a female ref step in between two heavyweights on the ice fighting.  Other than that, I'd have no issue with female refs(my wife is sitting right next to me,  oh damn, did I type that out loud . . . OUCH)

[jammer2]

@yave1964  Welcome, tell the hubby to let you post more often!  I've often wondered the same thing, women should be involved...I do wonder if the breaking up of a fight would be to physically challenging for women, hope that does not sound sexist, but I view it as a real issue. Those are some big boys they would be forced to break up.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

This is Mrs Yave (He and his friends pronounce it Yah-vae BTW) jumping in for a quick minute. I have one really stupid question, why are there no women on ice or even off ice officials? You cannot tell me that women cannot skate as well as some of the mules on skates that are referees or that women do not have good enough eyes to sit in the war room in Toronto and make goal or no goal decisions. Why not give Amanda Kessel or one of the other women Olympians a shot at officiating. Based off the horrific year that the referee's are having it certainly could not be any worse. I am no feminist believe me but I think women are being left out of jobs in pro sports simply because they are women.

  There I just got my two cents in on a random subject. It is not really something that would keep me from enjoying the game. My husband says he would have no problem with women refereeing but he has to live with me. What do you men say?

Julie York

 

heyyyy, Mrs Yave....welcome, welcome, welcome! Wow...first post, and already a Division Moderator...how about that! 

 

And no, not a stupid question at all...can be a topic for discussion, and don't look now, but it is!

 

Women on the ice? Sure why not.

As for why there aren't any right now, tough to tell. I am sure over time we will see that.

I think it all starts with more awareness of women's hockey overall.  As the female players become more recognizable, they will be used in more places within the sport. Officiating in a men's league would be the ultimate coup, but that will take time.

 

Wasn't too long ago that female sports reporters were unheard of, but women have made great strides in those areas.

As a female, I'd certainly like to see more myself in the areas of sports reporting, broadcasting, and yes, officiating.

I think women could do just as good a job on the ice as an official as any male.  Even the whole "breaking up" of fights thing shouldn't be a detriment. Chances are, if there is a female on ice official, she would be working alongside male colleagues and common sense would say you get the biggest official on the ice to step on between two pugilists.

 

Then again, the authority of an on-ice official should be MUCH stronger than any muscles or size any male could have. If an official, male or female, tells players to knock something off, they need to stop...plain n simple. 

Do things get nuts out there? Absolutely. But the combination of authority, voice, and assistance from male colleagues should be enough for any competent female to be able to officiate a men's game.

 

Competency. THAT is the key. Even though I would love to see more women involved in more aspects of ice hockey, they HAVE to be competent! I would NOT want a woman doing that just for the sake of having a women do it. 

I would personally find that insulting and patronizing.

If there are no qualified females to do that job, then there shouldn't be any. Simple as that.

 

Just like broadcasters, side line reporters, or sports show anchors and commentators, if a female is good enough to do the job, they should have it...if not, their gender should NOT give them special privileges.

 

May be a while before we actually see the female on-ice official, but it may get there someday.

The NHL itself has had its struggles with overall acceptance with the buying public at times, so I would imagine women's hockey (currently strongest in the college ranks) would face an even harder time finding acceptance and household presence. But when that happens, their athletes could be much more easily transferred to other areas of hockey, including the officiating side of it.

 

Women, as you know, Mrs. Yave, will ALWAYS face uphill battles in any area where males are the predominant occupants of a given profession...but it doesn't mean it is impossible. With many walls, new ideas, and openness happening all the time, I am certain the day will come when female officials will be as normal as male ones.

Baby steps though. I'd like it to be done the right way and have them there based SOLELY on their abilities...and it may take a brave soul to take those first steps in trying to break into that realm of hockey where women don't have a presence yet.

[jammer2]

@TropicalFruitGirl26  "

Then again, the authority of an on-ice official should be MUCH stronger than any muscles or size any male could have. If an official, male or female, tells players to knock something off, they need to stop...plain n simple. 

Do things get nuts out there? Absolutely. But the combination of authority, voice, and assistance from male colleagues should be enough for any competent female to be able to officiate a men's game."

 

 Nice in theory, but not very practical in application. What about a line brawl situation, where every official is on an island by themselves, trying to keep more mayhem from breaking out?...even worse, a pure out and out bench clearing brawl, does not happen often these days, but I'd bet my bottom buck we have not seen the absolute last one of these joyous events.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Olympic Snubs and "Motivation".

 

I've heard some posters on this site talk about certain players possibly using olympic snubs as motivation to doing much better in their regular season games.

Heck, even tv anlaysts are saying the same thing.

 

My thinking is, "Why??"

 

As a couple posters on HF have already stated, isn't a large contract, playing in the top league in the world, and shooting for a Stanley Cup motivation enough??

Does ANY player really  need to be kept off an Olympic squad in order to fire them up?

I would think guys who have made it to the NHL level have had enough of a work ethic to go along with self motivation that they don't need any other major push in order to get themselves to have career years and put up the kinds of numbers that would make anyone say, "hey, I want THAT guy playing for me!"

 

I get it. Guys are very disappointed in not making Team Canada, Team USA, or any other squad.

Some are very deep....look no further than Canada for that...and thus, guys being left off IS GOING TO HAPPEN!

 

Are there some that are probably less deserving playing for Olympic teams at the expense of others who are MORE deserving? Perhaps.

And players should be a bit upset about not making the team if they really felt they had more than a legitimate shot to do so.

 

But to say "that will now motivate them to play out of their minds during regular season games BECAUSE they've been snubbed, well, that's just iffy for me.

 

Honestly, if players are all of a sudden going to get motivated by not being named to an Olympic squad, or nominated for an award of some sort, then, if I am an owner or GM, and I have some underperforming player, then I am PURPOSELY gonna make sure that guy NEVER gets named to anything, doesn't win anything to get him mad enough to play his arse off for his regular season team, and hopefullly win himself AND his team a flippin Stanley Cup!

 

Not even kidding!

Claude Giroux? As an example, if he is one of those players that does that, and Philly has needed him on edge all along and all it took was an Olympic snub to "get him going", then if I am the Flyers GM, I am leaking stuff out that Giroux should be on the next few Olympic squads, then come up with some way to keep him OFF...hell, he could bring Philly about 3 Stanley Cups that way! 

 

Cmon players..you guys are pro athletes, playing the best team sport in the world, at the highest level, in the richest league, chasing one of the most coveted trophies/championships in sports....THAT should be your motivation from DAY 1 !!

 

Now pardon me, ppl....I heard Mrs. Roachspray from down the street just won Mom of the Week...now I am SUPER MOTIVATED to be the best mom I CAN be, thus I will start feeding my children regularly, keep a clean home, spend time with my children, and make sure mommy knows they love them....that award is MINE next week.... 

 

Get the point, NHL players? Good.

Now go out there and play your tails off for your team, your fans, yourselves, and that Cup...all the motivation you need, boys!!

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

@TropicalFruitGirl26  "

Then again, the authority of an on-ice official should be MUCH stronger than any muscles or size any male could have. If an official, male or female, tells players to knock something off, they need to stop...plain n simple. 

Do things get nuts out there? Absolutely. But the combination of authority, voice, and assistance from male colleagues should be enough for any competent female to be able to officiate a men's game."

 

 Nice in theory, but not very practical in application. What about a line brawl situation, where every official is on an island by themselves, trying to keep more mayhem from breaking out?...even worse, a pure out and out bench clearing brawl, does not happen often these days, but I'd bet my bottom buck we have not seen the absolute last one of these joyous events.

 

Hey, agreed. 

Women who would venture to take an on-ice officiating job should very well expect things to get  messy and they may need realize they could very well get slapped upside the head in trying to break up brawls of any sort.

Then again, even fully physically capable MALE officials can be in just as much danger in an extreme situation, which, like you said, possible, but thankfully, doesn't happen very often.

 

Male officials may be males, but that's where the similarity ends between them and active, in-their-prime, hockey players. And if we are talking bench clearing brawls with about 40 fully geared angry hockey players, I highly doubt even the toughest officials would be able to do a whole lot without using authority as opposed to pure muscle as their main tool for maintaining order....given the officials would be outnumbered about 40 to 4 in a case like that.

 

I will admit, since I have never laced up a pair of skates and actually played hockey, perhaps I do not realize just how dangerous those situations on-ice can really be. I can take a good guess, but nothing beats actually being on the ice.

Still though, women who were former hockey players understand the dynamics of being on the ice, and that they'd be dealing with much more physical athletes officiating a male game than they would a female game, but for those that, again, are competent, they take the good with the bad, and try to be as smart as possible in dealing with any situations that may arise on the ice.

[jammer2]

Olympic Snubs and "Motivation".

 

I've heard some posters on this site talk about certain players possibly using olympic snubs as motivation to doing much better in their regular season games.

Heck, even tv anlaysts are saying the same thing.

 

My thinking is, "Why??"

 

As a couple posters on HF have already stated, isn't a large contract, playing in the top league in the world, and shooting for a Stanley Cup motivation enough??

Does ANY player really  need to be kept off an Olympic squad in order to fire them up?

I would think guys who have made it to the NHL level have had enough of a work ethic to go along with self motivation that they don't need any other major push in order to get themselves to have career years and put up the kinds of numbers that would make anyone say, "hey, I want THAT guy playing for me!"

 

I get it. Guys are very disappointed in not making Team Canada, Team USA, or any other squad.

Some are very deep....look no further than Canada for that...and thus, guys being left off IS GOING TO HAPPEN!

 

Are there some that are probably less deserving playing for Olympic teams at the expense of others who are MORE deserving? Perhaps.

And players should be a bit upset about not making the team if they really felt they had more than a legitimate shot to do so.

 

But to say "that will now motivate them to play out of their minds during regular season games BECAUSE they've been snubbed, well, that's just iffy for me.

 

Honestly, if players are all of a sudden going to get motivated by not being named to an Olympic squad, or nominated for an award of some sort, then, if I am an owner or GM, and I have some underperforming player, then I am PURPOSELY gonna make sure that guy NEVER gets named to anything, doesn't win anything to get him mad enough to play his arse off for his regular season team, and hopefullly win himself AND his team a flippin Stanley Cup!

 

Not even kidding!

Claude Giroux? As an example, if he is one of those players that does that, and Philly has needed him on edge all along and all it took was an Olympic snub to "get him going", then if I am the Flyers GM, I am leaking stuff out that Giroux should be on the next few Olympic squads, then come up with some way to keep him OFF...hell, he could bring Philly about 3 Stanley Cups that way! 

 

Cmon players..you guys are pro athletes, playing the best team sport in the world, at the highest level, in the richest league, chasing one of the most coveted trophies/championships in sports....THAT should be your motivation from DAY 1 !!

 

Now pardon me, ppl....I heard Mrs. Roachspray from down the street just won Mom of the Week...now I am SUPER MOTIVATED to be the best mom I CAN be, thus I will start feeding my children regularly, keep a clean home, spend time with my children, and make sure mommy knows they love them....that award is MINE next week.... 

 

Get the point, NHL players? Good.

Now go out there and play your tails off for your team, your fans, yourselves, and that Cup...all the motivation you need, boys!!

 

 

 Your post makes sense, but is missing one key factor. We have to remember that these are proud pro athletes. Getting named to this team is one of the most prestigious things that can happen to a hockey career. It allows a valid cross comparison of how you personally stack up against the best of the best. For guys that thrive on being the best, it's a absolute crushing blow to be left off. That is not even counting how kids grow up dreaming of Stanley Cups and yes....Olympic Gold Medals. Some players are out of this world patriotic to Canada, they would do almost anything to wear that white and red jersey.

[radoran]

I can't agree more on the whole "how motivated" a "snub" would make a player.

 

The whole concept is absurd. If you've got a $50M contract and are wearing the C for one of the storied franchises in the sport, you're going to "play harder" or "be more inspired" by being left off the Olympic team?

 

To me, it's often the fans who are looking for "silver linings" in situations like this.

 

if the player comes out and says "I played harder because I didn't get the nod for the Olympics" - what the heck are they paying him for in the first place?

[mojo1917]

I can't agree more on the whole "how motivated" a "snub" would make a player.

 

The whole concept is absurd. If you've got a $50M contract and are wearing the C for one of the storied franchises in the sport, you're going to "play harder" or "be more inspired" by being left off the Olympic team?

 

To me, it's often the fans who are looking for "silver linings" in situations like this.

 

if the player comes out and says "I played harder because I didn't get the nod for the Olympics" - what the heck are they paying him for in the first place?

I think it can motivate a player to this extent.  "wow i didn't make the Olympic team, what can i do to make myself better so the next time i will ?" It may (may) cause a player to look harder at their game and find areas to improve beyond what they have been doing successfully to this point.   

 

but that's the only way i can see being cut from an olympic team as an extra motivating factor.

[radoran]

I think it can motivate a player to this extent.  "wow i didn't make the Olympic team, what can i do to make myself better so the next time i will ?" It may (may) cause a player to look harder at their game and find areas to improve beyond what they have been doing successfully to this point.   

 

but that's the only way i can see being cut from an olympic team as an extra motivating factor.

 

I can see that, and hope he does that. I also hope he doesn't try to do "too much" in that situation.

 

I hope Giroux sees this as the numbers game it was and not as a personal slight to him.

 

If the NHL remains in the Olympics, he should still have ample opportunity to make teams in the future.

 

That said, the goal for a captain of an NHL franchise is the Stanley Cup.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

NHL PARITY

 

Love it, love it, LOVE IT!

Hey, did you know I LOVE NHL parity? You did? Wow...how did you know!??

 

Looking at recent games, where else can arguably the worst team in hockey right now, the Sabres, give up goals to teams that don't normally score a ton (Winnipeg, Minnesota, Florida), then turn around and take care of a high powered offense like Washington (twice), then totally out-grit and beat teams like New Jersey and Phoenix at their own low-scoring type games?

 

Also, you have a very good team like the Pens grab wins against teams like the Rangers and Canucks, then drop games to Edmonton and have a team like Calgary give them all they could handle...even though the Pens did win that game 2-1?

 

THEN you have the ultimate jekyl n hyde team, the Florida Panthers, who are just as likely to put together a contender effort as they are to play like the team that reminds you why they are still so far away from even sniffing a playoff spot.

 

This is just great, great stuff!

Too bad this kind of parity doesn't rub off on other leagues (cough...cough...NBA...cough...) and to an extent the NFL.

 

A great reason why I love hockey so much...because it is a unique sport where a team can truly WILL their way to a win, even though the stat sheet says they probably have no business winning a given game.

I love it when I can be part of a spectator sport where stat geeks can't come in with their calculators, formulas, protractors, periodic table of the elements, and bunsen burners and tell everyone else how games are going to go!

 

Uh uh...not hockey...unless someone comes up with a formula for measuring heart, soul, grit and determination, stat dorks can take their algebra and STICK IT!

 

Not surprisingly, NHL playoffs compared to other North American pro team sports are some of the most exciting!

You see dead baseball playoffs on occasion, even dead World Series, you see ho-hum NFL playoffs many times, even BORING Super Bowls, but it is truly rare to say that a given NHL playoff season was underwhelming, or that any Stanley Cup Finals in recent memory was 'dead'.

 

Long live NHL parity! ^_^

[yave1964]

@TropicalFruitGirl26

 

I gotta say that parity is a bit of an illusion.

 

  The final four in the playoffs last season were Boston, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Los Angeles.

 

  They were the last four cup winners. The fact that the last four cup winners were the final four last season shows that yes, there is a certain amount of fluidity in the lower tier teams but cream rises and stays there for quite some time.

  As much as I hate and abhor the third point for losing in overtime it does help keep more teams in the hunt. As a for instance my Wings have a wretched 10 OT losses and those ten points which IMHO they did not deserve have them tied for 5th place in the east. Just saying that I get your whole parity thing, Bettman does too which is why the travesty of the third point continues.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Nah, @yave1964 , I think the parity is alive n well!

 

Parity DOESN'T mean that every team will be hoisting the Cup in different years.

You are 1000% correct, the cream DOES rise to the top...hockey is no different there.

 

The fact that the last 4 Cup winners were the final four last year is simply a credit to how really, really good those four teams were and continue to be!

 

But the parity says, at least during the regular season, that even the also rans have a reasonable shot to win any given game...and really, as fans, that is all we can really ask.

The Pens SHOULD beat the Flames......the Bruins SHOULD beat the Panthers.....the Kings, Ducks, or Blues should do the same to teams like Buffalo, Nashville, and the Islanders.

But the fact that those teams you'd expect to lose still have a shot to win a game is a very exciting thing that really, I stand by, that no other pro team sport here can match.

 

Get into playoffs, and again, the higher seeded teams should be the winners, and often times, they are....last season being a picture perfect example.

But still, there are goosebumps in knowing that a team, say, like the Minnesota Wild last season, who were hopelessly outgunned, outmanned, and plain ol out ranked against the Chicago Blackhawks, STILL had spells during their series where it looked like they could possibly pull off the impossible.

That's seed 8 vs seed 1.

Hawks took it in grand fashion as they should have, but the Wild, at times, put doubt in the minds of many fans.

 

Same holds true with other teams facing a heavily favored opponent in a given playoff scenario.

Point is, the POSSIBILITY is there and quite real...unlike, say the 8th seeded sub .500 team in the NBA facing the league's number one seeded team who probably only lost like 11 or 12 games all year.

 

As for the loser point, I absolutely ABHOR it!

I hate rewarding losing with points.

And yea, it does keep things closer in the standings than it probably should, but still, loser point or no, for me, it doesn't take away from the fact that the Buffalo Sabres could still win, and win handily on any given night, against the Boston Bruins.....or that the Calgary Flames can take it to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Won't happen very often, but happens enough to make it worth watching.

 

And a red hot Islander team sneaking into the post season to give a number one seeded Pens team fits in the first round of a playoff series is also a very real possibility...even though the Pens should walk away with the 4 needed wins.