again i just think they're different sports. baseball is not as physically taxing and you can remove players from the game. football has ties. basketball has way more frequent scoring and so it's rare for games to remain tied after the first OT.
- DoubleDown

I think the more time you give NHL teams to play, the more they think about scoring to end the game, especially on home ice with last change. By giving teams 5 minute OT, you're essentially telling them to just hold on for 5 minutes. Force them to play up to 20 minutes however and it's a lot harder to just hang on.

And football, despite having ties, still forces teams to play a full extra quarter before they do it and it's more or less as physical as hockey.

So is LeBron James going to be Raptor?

Injuries.
- Atomic Wedgie

No injuries in other sports?

i don't like that. a tie should be worth more than a loss.
- DoubleDown

People watch hockey for wins.

The goal is to win.

(frank) you if you don't win.

thing is, in soccer, you're guaranteed a few days between matches in league play, sometimes a week. in hockey, if you're not playing the next night, you're playing in 48 hours. and given the amount of games going to OT, plus the tight travel... it's asking for trouble. personally i never had an issue with ties. 65 minutes of hockey can't separate you guys? you both deserve a point.
- DoubleDown

Ties > shoot outs and awarding loser points.


Ties were fine before. No need to take them out in the first place

No injuries in other sports?
- burn

Well, I did hear about a baseball player who broke his purse in extra innings last week...

And an actor.

He was in Youngblood.
- Atomic Wedgie

Zezel, Stevie Thomas and a bunch of Malboro's were skaters. They filmed at Ted Reeves Arena. Bi sat in stands one afternoon and watched. They spent lots of time standing around.

Well, I did hear about a baseball player who broke his purse in extra innings last week...
- Atomic Wedgie

Blister and hangnails keep baseball players out of the lineup.... Hockey players have heart attacks and get upset at being taken out of the gAme.... Break their leg and finish their shift.

You seem to be missing the following points:

a) casual fans like the shootout; and

b) owners love the loser point, because it keeps teams in the playoff hunt later.

$ trumps your angry rants. Everytime.
- Atomic Wedgie

How much money is the casual fan really bringing in to the NHL? Shouldn't the goal be to continue providing the loyal fans with a better product?

I can see some owners wanting to stay in the fabricated playoff hunt longer but if we're going to create a fabricated playoff hunt, you might as well award all the non-playoff teams with a free 20 bonus points after the trade deadline to stay in the race.

I think fans in general want to see the best teams be the best teams. Let the growing talent pool and the salary cap take care of parity.

Ties > shoot outs and awarding loser points.


Ties were fine before. No need to take them out in the first place
- burn

I liked the old system.

You liked the old system.

But the casual fans in California and Texas and Ohio didn't.

And sadly the NHL wants to cater to them, because the truth of the matter is you can continue to throw crap at us like trapazoidal areas and shoot-outs and glowing pucks, and we will always be glued to our TV sets.

To grow the game (and TV viewership), they need to appeal to the casual fan and to the guy who doesn't currently watch hockey.

Yeah, I'm not happy about it either.

Zezel, Stevie Thomas and a bunch of Malboro's were skaters. They filmed at Ted Reeves Arena. Bi sat in stands one afternoon and watched. They spent lots of time standing around.
- Canada Cup

I used to live right down the street from Ted Reeves. My dad taught me to skate there.

I am a terrible skater though..

I used to live right down the street from Ted Reeves. My dad taught me to skate there.

I am a terrible skater though..
- BetterCallSaul

Darn Dad.

So is LeBron James going to be Raptor?
- zazzle

Heat or Cavs. That's it.

How much money is the casual fan really bringing in to the NHL? Shouldn't the goal be to continue providing the loyal fans with a better product?

I can see some owners wanting to stay in the fabricated playoff hunt longer but if we're going to create a fabricated playoff hunt, you might as well award all the losing teams with a free 20 bonus points to stay in the race.

I think fans in general want to see the best teams be the best teams. Let the growing talent pool and the salary cap take care of parity.
- JohnFergusonJr

I know you fellas like to piss and moan about Bettman, but he's actually grown the game tremendously. The NHL finally has a proper TV contract in the US, after years of being a complete effing embarrassment. California has become a hockey hotbed. Sure, the league still has fires to put out, but there's a stability that wasn't there 20 or even 10 years ago.

Look at how the salary cap has continued to skyrocket. That's the casual fan bringing money to the NHL.

I know you fellas like to piss and moan about Bettman, but he's actually grown the game tremendously. The NHL finally has a proper TV contract in the US, after years of being a complete effing embarrassment. California has become a hockey hotbed. Sure, the league still has fires to put out, but there's a stability that wasn't there 20 or even 10 years ago.

Look at how the salary cap has continued to skyrocket. That's the casual fan bringing money to the NHL.
- Atomic Wedgie

very fair and accurate assessment

Heat or Cavs. That's it.
- markmark

me thinks it's the heat. so he'll get what 25MM a year to play.

Zezel, Stevie Thomas and a bunch of Malboro's were skaters. They filmed at Ted Reeves Arena. Bi sat in stands one afternoon and watched. They spent lots of time standing around.
- Canada Cup

I've mentioned this before, my Junior coach was in Slap Shot. John Gofton, parts of the movie were inspired from his time in the minors. He was the guy telling Newman "I'm going to piss myself if I get hit again."
It was pretty cool for us kids - he was a pretty good hockey player as well.

I know you fellas like to piss and moan about Bettman, but he's actually grown the game tremendously. The NHL finally has a proper TV contract in the US, after years of being a complete effing embarrassment. California has become a hockey hotbed. Sure, the league still has fires to put out, but there's a stability that wasn't there 20 or even 10 years ago.

Look at how the salary cap has continued to skyrocket. That's the casual fan bringing money to the NHL.
- Atomic Wedgie

I think California fans has benefited more from three Stanley Cup wins than they have from the shootout.

I just don't see a casual fan tuning in to watch a shootout and then becoming hooked to hockey because watching a hockey game and watching a shootout are two very different things. It's like the NFL trying to hook casual fans by having passing drills, the MLB with a home run contest or the NBA with a slam dunk contest as a game decider.

I think the shootout served it's purpose by bringing people in after the 2005 lockout. Beyond that, it's hanging around without really pleasing or making money for anybody.

How much money is the casual fan really bringing in to the NHL? Shouldn't the goal be to continue providing the loyal fans with a better product?

I can see some owners wanting to stay in the fabricated playoff hunt longer but if we're going to create a fabricated playoff hunt, you might as well award all the non-playoff teams with a free 20 bonus points after the trade deadline to stay in the race.

I think fans in general want to see the best teams be the best teams. Let the growing talent pool and the salary cap take care of parity.
- JohnFergusonJr

being a casual fan is the first step to being a hardcore fan.

Nobody just jumps in all the way.

I know you fellas like to piss and moan about Bettman, but he's actually grown the game tremendously. The NHL finally has a proper TV contract in the US, after years of being a complete effing embarrassment. California has become a hockey hotbed. Sure, the league still has fires to put out, but there's a stability that wasn't there 20 or even 10 years ago.

Look at how the salary cap has continued to skyrocket. That's the casual fan bringing money to the NHL.
- Atomic Wedgie

I had a feeling Bettman was on these boards!

Darn Dad.
- Woderwick

I think it was a tact of self preservation. He is a good hockey player, but he didn't want his kids to surpass his talent. So he taught us all, just poorly.

I'm kind of having a revelation about this now.. Conversations will be had with the man.

I think it was a tact of self preservation. He is a good hockey player, but he didn't want his kids to surpass his talent. So he taught us all, just poorly.

I'm kind of having a revelation about this now.. Conversations will be had with the man.
- BetterCallSaul

I think California fans has benefited more from three Stanley Cup wins than they have from the shootout.

I just don't see a casual fan tuning in to watch a shootout and then becoming hooked to hockey because watching a hockey game and watching a shootout are two very different things. It's like the NFL trying to hook casual fans by having passing drills as a game decider.

I think the shootout served it's purpose by bringing people in after the 2005 lockout. Beyond that, it's hanging around without really pleasing or making money for anybody.
- JohnFergusonJr

without the shootout points, LA might not have even qualified for the playoffs in their first cup run

I've mentioned this before, my Junior coach was in Slap Shot. John Gofton, parts of the movie were inspired from his time in the minors. He was the guy telling Newman "I'm going to piss myself if I get hit again."
It was pretty cool for us kids - he was a pretty good hockey player as well.
- Woderwick

That's supposed to be John Brophy.

If you ever want to pee your pants laughing (like Brophy is doing in that scene), grab yourself the book The Best Game You Can Name by Dave Bidini. One of the funniest books I've ever read. He tells a few John Brophy stories, but there's one involving a fan in a wheelchair that had me laughing so hard I had to put down the book and leave the room.

also basketball averages almost 200 points per 48 minutes. hockey? not so much.
- DoubleDown

fixed for accuracy