Olympic hockey is intense, entertaining and seizes the public imagination every four years. Part of that is due to national loyalties. Another reason is the sheer quality of the game itself. Hockey is appreciated when people can see games. But without big national TV contracts, viewer ship is limited.
There’s a bigger picture. The quality of the NHL product, since expansion, has never been the same. NHL play is sometimes lackluster. The grind for points seems interminable. There are players with limited skills playing in the most elite league on earth. That is a big part of the difference from, and the magic of, Olympic competition.
In the Olympics, only the very best make it out onto the ice. Whether professional or amateur, a winnowing process gets the cream of the crop to play. Journeymen and role players stay home. The improvement in quality and speed is direct.
The NHL is hardly unique. Expansion is a part of all modern professional sports. Competition has been watered down in pursuit of the big buck. Quantity, not quality, is now what matters most. In hockey, we have 88-game seasons that end with foggy Stanley Cup finals held on 90°F June days. Something is wrong with this picture.
I also have a thing about fighting and what really constitutes "Old Tyme Hockey".
THE THING ABOUT FIGHTING
Fighting is now ingrained in the sport. It wasn’t always so. Not a game goes by today without at least one round in the ring. Enforcers protect the skilled players. A fight can energize a lethargic team. But often, the bouts look half-hearted or even pre-meditated.
One thing is certain. When a fight breaks out, the hockey game stops until the fight ends and penalties are meted out. From free-flowing play to no-going interruption, that’s what a fight does. The hockey stops. The game is off. Fans wait. Players rest. Refs judge and confer. Penalties are served and the game resumes, maybe the same, maybe not.
I have always preferred the finesse and speed of the old Montreal Canadiens, and the passing/strategic games of the European players, many of whom grew up playing soccer. But as players have increased in size and speed, the potential for obstruction (bumping, grinding, hitting) is naturally higher. That leads to acceptance of increasing violence, and not just as part of the game. Violence becomes an outlet. Winning a fight may mean more than scoring a goal.
Thankfully, the Olympics ban fighting, and that is a welcome relief. But there is another hangover from the obstructive, bump and grind NHL style game. Olympic hockey used to be wide-open freestyle, due to the larger rink size. Not anymore. Vancouver’s venues changed that.
In 2010, NHL rink size was adopted for the sake of the buck. Olympic money was saved by not having to reduce seating at General Motors Place (re-named Canada Hockey Place during the games), or UBC Thunderbird Arena. This time around, North American style hockey prevailed with an all North American final. Should this come as a surprise?
In the past six Olympics, European teams medaled fourteen times. Teams from the west side of the Atlantic earned four medals. In 2010, the table turned…two medals for North American and one for the Europeans.
There is a difference in play on a smaller rink - or when teams go at each other 4-on-4 on the NHL rink. It is more offensive, more entertaining, and with higher scores. That's what John Q. Public really wants. Just like in baseball, where home runs provide instant gratification. No hitters are beautiful too, but people want the action.
Don't get me wrong. I love a great check. Smashing into the boards to take away the puck is part of the game. Hard physical play is part of the natural flow. And I enjoyed doing it too. You put on your game face, the adrenaline kicks in and you get down to business. It’s part of the package.
Fighting is different. NHL accepts fisticuffs. Boxing is expected. The league justifies it by saying that stickwork would get worse, resulting in real injuries. Shades of the Slap Shot Johnstown Chiefs. Is the NHL at the same level, just putting entertainment on ice?
Just imagine if fighting was a routine occurrence on the soccer field. It would not be the same game. It is bad enough that soccer fans kill each other, but at least the sport is pretty clean (well, OK that head butt in the last Olympics was a bush league move and the French paid the price). Hockey should set a price too.
Fighting ought to be banned. You fight, you get suspended for a game. You fight twice, it’s out for two weeks. You fight 3x, you earn a season misconduct (and forfeit some salary; let the teams gain some financial benefit).
The NHL can end fighting. All it takes is a commitment. The NHL ought to be a role model for all the peewees and squirts out there. Learn to love the game, learn to skate, play hard, but be fair. Get even by scoring, not punching.
Did anyone miss fighting in the Olympics? Were the games more violent? Was there more nasty stick work? Did the viewing audience complain about no fights? No, the play was spectacular and free flowing, just as it is supposed to be. That is real “Old Tyme” Hockey.
Hockey can be “purified” by removing the thorn of fighting which sticks in its side. Perhaps in four more years, when the games get to Sochi and Krasnaya Polyana in the Russian Caucasus, hockey will be even more popular than it is today. It deserves the recognition.
Gary Bettman, if you're out there and listening, now hear this. Get rid of fighting and go back to “Old Tyme” Hockey Rules. It will do the sport good, enhance popularity and pave the way for the next explosion in hockey's participation.
Leave the fighting to the WWF. They're better at it anyway.
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