WordsOfWisdom Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 No, it is just a one line attempt to be funny but in questionable taste. It really isn't meant to be offensive (but some may justifiably view it that way) just an indelicate attempt at humor. LOL. I read it finally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanaticV3.0 Posted June 12, 2015 Share Posted June 12, 2015 I know this idea will get **** canned immediately, but should the NHL take steps to slow the game down? Hear me out. The pace of the game today is such that every shift is played at 100%. It's like a race car at full throttle for the entire race, or a jet with afterburners full on for an entire mission. I actually miss the "conservation of energy" and the longer shifts that players used to take. I enjoy watching the game when players develop plays and work their way up the ice rather than flying around at max speed, approaching the line, and then dumping the puck in to go on a line change. I don't see much offensive zone pressure anymore (other than on power plays) because the players aren't usually on the ice long enough to make anything happen. They zoom in, fire off a shot, and then it's a mad skate back to the bench. I wonder if fans today could appreciate a game where players didn't always go 100%. A game where a typical shift might mean skating at 50-60% and then ramping it up to 100% when an opportunity presented itself, rather than moving around quickly without a purpose, just to be moving around quickly. A radical solution might be to get rid of line changes on-the-fly, thereby forcing teams to change lines during a play stoppage. That means longer and more meaningful line match-ups. That means sustained offence. That means careful use of energy to avoid getting fatigued. ie: Pick your spots wisely, don't go 100% all the time because the shift might be 30 seconds or it might be 3 minutes. What do you think? I don't have a problem with the speed of today's game, but I do have a problem that it comes at the expense of other things. There is this belief that small = fast and fast = the only way to play the game. Both are wrong. I miss big players and noes that could play too. There's no variety in today's product. It's all go, go, go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
92WickedHockey Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 I think the game is faster today compared to the past simply because the players are faster and in better shape than they've ever been. Hockey players in the 70's and 80's for example never put as much emphasis on working out, drinking protein shakes and eating like health gurus like they do today. Today players workout and prepare for the start of the next season as soon as the season is over, back in the day they just acted like regular average guys drinking beer and lounging around, Phil Esposito and the boys went into camp with beer bellies prior to the 72 Summit Series for example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blocker Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 I have long held that Basketball would be way more interesting if the defense had lead pipes. Well, they do. But, they seldom use them on the court. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBLightning1993 Posted June 24, 2015 Share Posted June 24, 2015 I think the short shifts and maximum effort are what make hockey so much fun to watch and the leading cause of heart palpitations amongst the hockey fan community nowadays. I wouldn't have it any other way and I don't think the players mind much either. Having a ramped up pace makes defense have to be attentive, outstanding and use their heads to see plays unfolding on the fly. It's a true test for them and if they fail, they get smashed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WordsOfWisdom Posted June 25, 2015 Author Share Posted June 25, 2015 I think the game is faster today compared to the past simply because the players are faster and in better shape than they've ever been. Hockey players in the 70's and 80's for example never put as much emphasis on working out, drinking protein shakes and eating like health gurus like they do today. Today players workout and prepare for the start of the next season as soon as the season is over, back in the day they just acted like regular average guys drinking beer and lounging around, Phil Esposito and the boys went into camp with beer bellies prior to the 72 Summit Series for example. I agree. That contributes to the problem. Rule changes haven't helped either. Every rule change that has been made has worked to speed up the pace of the game even more, not that any help was needed given the improved conditioning of the players. I'm just trying to think of creative ways to slow players down a bit. The alternative is a game where strategy no longer exists, only reflexes. A game where the action moves too fast for spectators (and cameras) to follow, and a game where some player collisions result in death. Games simply need to evolve to keep with the times. Having larger and larger ice surfaces doesn't change the fact that you have players skating around at lethal speeds. It just encourages even more speed. In baseball there is fast becoming a problem where pitchers are at risk of death from a baseball hit back at their head. The game has sort of outgrown its dimensions, and being on the pitcher's mound isn't safe anymore. In baseball it's a real problem because moving the pitcher mound farther back gives hitters even more time to see the pitch coming. Instead, they are going to have to start deadening the baseballs like they do in Colorado for the Rockies in order to compensate for players today that are 2-3x stronger than players from the 1950s. I think the NHL needs to do something similar with skates. ie: Design a skate that makes it more difficult to glide freely. Something. Anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JagerMeister Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 If the pace of the game was too fast why is a 43 year old Jagr still capable of playing right now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hf101 Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 If the pace of the game was too fast why is a 43 year old Jagr still capable of playing right now? see post #78 by @92WickedHockey Jagr is a well oiled machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JagerMeister Posted July 31, 2015 Share Posted July 31, 2015 see post #78 by @92WickedHockey Jagr is a well oiled machine. I just used Jagr as an example, but there are many players that don't rely on their speed or skating ability yet do just fine or even excel at an NHL level. The sedins and Joe Thornton are another prime example. Skating is an overrated aspect of a players game.... but when you are an extraordinary skater, it works wonders for you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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