[simple simon]

not sure if this was discussed before, but here we go

i think hockey would get much more popular if the nets were bigger

dont get me wrong, i played it for almost 20 years and i love the sport, but even i cant watch it on TV

i think people would love it if the average game score was something like 10 goals scored by each team

if each team had a player that scored 100 goals a season

i just think the sport qould grow much much more

there's my 2 cents

[blueandwhite]

I don't get that. A game doesn't improve just because lots of points are tallied.
maybe I'm the crazy one, but a tight 1-0 or 2-1 game is something amazing. the goalie is on top of the shots, he's in his element, your defence is working, it's a sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat thing because every time they skate up to the net, you wonder, is he going to score or is he going to make a great save? Make the net bigger, get ten goals a game and it's like,Yawn, oh hey they scored again, where are the chips?
It's as much about stopping the goals as it is about getting the goals. Why bother having goalies at all?, I'd think after a while. Just put a big fake cardboard man there instead.
Soccer is an internationally loved sport and fans seem okay with the fact that sometimes, a game ends 0-0. If you like a pile of points, I'd think you could watch the jukebox atmosphere of basketball, or the mow-them-down-and-get-3 or 7 or 11-points play of football. But don't change the way another sport works.
It's perfect the way it is.

[simple simon]

Originally Posted by blueandwhite

I don't get that. A game doesn't improve just because lots of points are tallied.

well, i hate to disagree with you, but my idea seems to be proven to have worked in other sports

in baseball it all seems to be centered around the home run, remember how well the sport did during the hr race to beat 61

then in football they seem to constantly change the rules to provide more offense. they protect the QBs more and more and they free up the recievers

Soccer is an internationally loved sport and fans seem okay with the fact that sometimes, a game ends 0-0.

soccer may indeed be loved in other countries, but i challenge you that it hasnt really truly caught on here in America

[Lefty Noob]

Well, I'm afraid that - even though I'm a proud American - we're not the sole measure of whether or not a sport can be called a success or not. And while I'm not personally a big soccer fan, I'd much rather watch a pitcher's duel in baseball than a game with a home run every inning.

Now, to get back on topic. It's my opinion that hockey does not need more scoring to be more exciting. It needs plenty of scoring opportunities to be sure, but if a good goalie can keep knocking those shots away, making athletic stop after athletic stop? That's good television right there!

[blueandwhite]

I love the mention, Simon, that the home run run was so popular, it brought people back to the sport -so what did the steroid usage do for the sport, which seemed to be spurred by the need to hit bigger, better and farther?

Lefty, that's the best way of putting it: providing more scoring opportunities is what it is all about. And thank you, for saying that north Americans are not the sole measure of a successful sport. We are but a mere dot on the planet.
It is reported that "cumulative viewing figures for the month-long tournament (are) expected to exceed 30 billion or five times the total world population".
Top that.

[ThePundit]

Part of the great thing about hockey is the build-up to each score. There's nothing like a team dying to need a goal and keep trying, and trying, and then they get it. The emotional explosion can be unreal. So I think the nets should stay the same.

[simple simon]

ok, how about this

remove the off-sides and icing calls

that would greatly speed up the game

[Lefty Noob]

I would LOVE that, simon. I've always thought it'd be nice to see fast-break hockey; the on-ice equivalent of the Showtime Lakers. Long home-run passes and more one-on-one or two-on-one scoring ops sure would be exciting!

[blueandwhite]

guess I'm a stickler for tradition. I like the changes made to the ice last year, goalies pads smaller, two line pass erased, etc. that sped it up well and good for me. the off side thing - that's the hockey skill - keeping your eyes out for your players and getting into their end - it's the skilled player that makes that play well. I'd miss it. I'd hate to take that away.

[simple simon]

and icing ?

you cant deny TV ratings are in the tank

and i dont see how they can grow the sport to any great length the wayy it is

tradition is all well and good, but sooner or later the trditionalists are all gone and you have to excite a new generation about the sport

[Lefty Noob]

American ratings stink. How are they in Canada, blueandwhite?

[ThePundit]

If they want the TV ratings to go up, first thing they should do is outlaw the mandatory helmet rule. Part of the popularity of sports is being able to see the stars and make some connection. That's really hard to do when everyone is wearing a helmet. Thing of the past. NHL was able to sell guys like Craig McTavish, Bobby Nystrom, etc.....I would anybody here know Sydney Crosby if they fell over him?

[Peterborough]

Helmets don't seem to hurt the NFL. Or Nascar.

[blueandwhite]

TV ratings are just fine in Canada ie great. See, i think it's a pretty touchy subject. Sure, maybe the majority of Americans don't get hockey and so ratings in the states do suck, but changing the sport because of that is not right. This is our sport up here - we are very proud and very protective of hockey. If I told you, baseball sucks and you need to do this to get me and my fellow Canadians watching more, would you just say, Okay?
nope. But that doesn't happen. Canadians accept and watch baseball, though not as hugely as we do hockey.
Watch where you step. This is an international sport, not one owned by the US.
As for the helmet thing, I don't want to put heads at risk just because i want to get a better look at Teemu.

[Lefty Noob]

That's kind of what I expected, b&w. That's why I asked. Really, the TV ratings down here are the NHL's fault; they were fine on ESPN, but the league wouldn't cut the price following the lockout, so now they're stuck on the abyss that is OLN. Doesn't mean there's anything particulary wrong with the game. The only problem is how its presented to/marketed to us here in the states. That, not the rules of the game, is what needs to change.