NHL Playoffs - Page 12

miguex · 06-07-2007, 10:35 PM

Quote:

The reason people can sit through baseball and soccer is that they are slow sports. You dont have to watch the entire game or know all the rules/penalties to know whats going on to enjoy it.

actually, I would say the reason hockey isnt as popular as most sports is because people have no idea how hard it is to play, as opposed to having a good grasp of how to shoot a basket, or swing a ball at a bat, or kick a ball. they might not be good at it but they can understand it. until you actually play hockey, its almost impossible to understand how difficult it is.
shooting a one timer off a 50mph pass, while on skates, top right corner >>> any other sports skill

oh ya and himeo, im from the town just north of anaheim. just so you get it, people in calgary arent french canadian kthx

Himeo · 06-08-2007, 12:51 AM

Right. But, hell, what do I know? I'm from the South.

Blumpster · 06-08-2007, 01:12 AM

I love watching baseball. Yea, it's kind of slow, but the anticipation of every pitch, or weither the runner is going to try and steal, IS IT GOING TO GO ALL THE WAY!?!? Sometimes it's too much.

Soccer is just fucking boring.

Schar · 06-09-2007, 06:02 PM

Holy shit this thread turned into an abortion, good work Himeo.

The better team won by far. I was totally wrong about Ottawa.

It really, really hurt watching Pronger lift the cup. Fuck Pronger.

EmpireF4i · 06-10-2007, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Schar

Holy shit this thread turned into an abortion, good work Himeo.

The better team won by far. I was totally wrong about Ottawa.

It really, really hurt watching Pronger lift the cup. Fuck Pronger.

I really dont understand all the hate for Pronger. Its probably just the fact that hes one of the best players in the NHL and hes not playing for you team or for canada anymore.

Eomer · 06-10-2007, 11:26 AM

It's partially because he's so damn good, partially that he's a complete asshole outside of the game, and partially cause he's a complete asshole on the ice and has a history of dirty plays intended to hurt other players.

EmpireF4i · 06-10-2007, 10:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eomer

It's partially because he's so damn good, partially that he's a complete asshole outside of the game, and partially cause he's a complete asshole on the ice and has a history of dirty plays intended to hurt other players.

But all that was ok when he was playing for Edmonton right? I guess alot of things changed when he went to Anaheim. And you were the one asking me to turn down my "allegiance."

Eomer · 06-11-2007, 07:30 AM

I was certainly never a fan of Pronger as a person when he was in Edmonton. But there's much to be said for having one of the best d-men in the league on your team. But that's how it is with any sport, the fans of the team are quick to defend a player when he's on their side, see any number of shit, dirty players that have been on the Leafs over the years and are evangelized as "great sportsmen" if only because the majority of the hockey media is all too eager to felate the team. I'm talking of Domi, of course. The guy's a fucking dirtbag in every way, and yet he gets jobs doing commentary and opinion on sports shows. It's fucking embarassing.

Moontayle · 06-11-2007, 04:53 PM

Anyhoo, article on Yahoo like two days after the win talking about how people two blocks from the fucking arena didn't even know the Stanley Cup was being played for. And now the NHL is talking about expanding into the hockey hotbeds of Las Vegas and Kansas City.

They need to fire the fucking commissioner, work out a real TV deal (the Preakness game is the new Heidi Bowl), then work to bring legitimacy to the sport. The further south you get from Canada, the less people actually pay attention to the fucking sport because no one understands the rules. If they started working the markets they're in, using youth leagues sponsored by the teams and their million dollar stars to bring in young people, then I guarantee within 5 years they'd almost double their income and the southern teams would actually start to see some huge crowds at their games. Doing this would also breed long term fans.

Love of sports begins when you're young. Participation is key to breeding this.

Eomer · 06-11-2007, 05:03 PM

I agree with you, and I think that's the very crux of the reason why the NHL will NEVER, no matter how hard they try and how good the plan is, become a "major" league in most of the US, nor will hockey become a major sport. If youths aren't playing it, it won't get mindshare. And I'll explain why it won't ever get many youths playing it in the US.

Hockey equipment alone is expensive as all hell compared to basketball, baseball and soccer. Football equipment is most likely cheaper as well. Were I to go outfit myself with all new equipment and be reasonable at it, it would run be 2-3 grand. Kids stuff is cheaper, but imagine having to basically replace 1/3 to 1/2 of that equipment every 2-3 years for a kid's life. That's why even in Canada, the supposed hockey hotbed, more kids play soccer.

And that doesn't even get into arenas and ice time. They aren't cheap to build or maintain, and the hotter the climate the more expensive they get. Even in Edmonton there's little appetite amongst politicians to build new or renovate existing arenas, and most are 40-50 year old shit holes. In a city of a million plus people, there has been maybe half a dozen new sheets of ice built in the past decade, and most of those at private or semi-private places like a casino on an Indian reserve. The last public rinks were built nearly 20 years ago.

Compare that with a patch of grass outside, and it's easy to see why hockey is and always will be an expensive sport to play. And there's just no culture of going to the local outdoor rink and playing a game of shinny in most of the US, with the exception of the NE and mid-west, because that's simply not possible in most of the US.

EmpireF4i · 06-13-2007, 08:18 AM

So trophies are handed out tomorrow. I hope Neidermeyer gets the Norris and Pahlsson gets the Selke. Not only because they're both Ducks, but they are a huge part of why the Ducks won the cup this year.

Ishad · 06-13-2007, 08:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moontayle

The further south you get from Canada, the less people actually pay attention to the fucking sport because no one understands the rules. If they started working the markets they're in, using youth leagues sponsored by the teams and their million dollar stars to bring in young people, then I guarantee within 5 years they'd almost double their income and the southern teams would actually start to see some huge crowds at their games. Doing this would also breed long term fans.

Love of sports begins when you're young. Participation is key to breeding this.

Good article on tsn basically echoing your statement.

TSN : TSN¿TALENT - Canada's Sports Leader

Other than that I'm against expanding the league at this point period. If they want to move the Preds to Hamilton or something like that fine, but watering down the talent pool sucks.

Cascow · 06-13-2007, 11:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Himeo

Right. But, hell, what do I know? I'm from the South.

Well you're certainly inbred enough to fit the cliche....

As to the popularity of hockey in the "non-traditional" markets, Eomer hit it right on the head. The cost is prohibative, and honestly alot of parents aren't interested in footing the bill. I grew up in Canada, I live in Calgary, I played hockey as a kid, and my parents hated it. I never really understood then why my folks wouldn't want me playing as much as possible, now as a parent I do.

Last winter I went out and bought my daughter some hockey stuff (hell she wanted to play)...it was like $500 for basic gear. Fantastic, $100 worth of gear for every year she's been alive. I bought her a new soccer ball last week...$20.

About the only way to gain any sort of in-road into the southern markets (hey Himeo...err jackass, I'm from Canada fucking Montana is southern to me) is to get community leagues going.

On the CBC here they had a short interview with Snoop Dog at one of the games. He was commenting on his football league and how he would consider starting up the same type of thing for hockey. That is exactly the type of thing the league needs, but the league office was no where even close to being on the ball. Did anyone outside of Canada even see the "in the stands" interview? I'd bet no. Shame.

As to Las Vegas and Kansas City expansion. Good. Pull the fucking teams out of Phoenix and Miami and send them to those cities. Las Vegas could support just about any pro sports team that decided to take the risk and move. Kansas City just flat out wants ANYONE to pay the lease on the building that they built

And for good measure, give Winnepeg a team back. Fuck Quebec, they should consider themsevles lucky that we allow them to keep the Canadiens. Fucking frenchies.

Eomer · 06-13-2007, 01:03 PM

The one thing that's not often mentioned is the Canadian dollar: it's risen by like 50% in the past few years. That's HUGE for Canadian teams, and the viability of franchises in Winnipeg and/or Hamilton and Quebec City. Salaries are USD, income is CDN. Canadian franchises have had their costs drop by a pretty huge margin because of the rise of the dollar.

Of course, if it drops back to 60 cents, that would really hurt them.

EmpireF4i · 06-13-2007, 06:51 PM

From game 5.

06-11-2007, 04:53 PM	#174 (permalink)
Moontayle Romo is a manwhore Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 2,910	Anyhoo, article on Yahoo like two days after the win talking about how people two blocks from the fucking arena didn't even know the Stanley Cup was being played for. And now the NHL is talking about expanding into the hockey hotbeds of Las Vegas and Kansas City. They need to fire the fucking commissioner, work out a real TV deal (the Preakness game is the new Heidi Bowl), then work to bring legitimacy to the sport. The further south you get from Canada, the less people actually pay attention to the fucking sport because no one understands the rules. If they started working the markets they're in, using youth leagues sponsored by the teams and their million dollar stars to bring in young people, then I guarantee within 5 years they'd almost double their income and the southern teams would actually start to see some huge crowds at their games. Doing this would also breed long term fans. Love of sports begins when you're young. Participation is key to breeding this. __________________

06-11-2007, 05:03 PM	#175 (permalink)
Eomer You mean I can change this? Neat! Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 10,147 +37 Internets	I agree with you, and I think that's the very crux of the reason why the NHL will NEVER, no matter how hard they try and how good the plan is, become a "major" league in most of the US, nor will hockey become a major sport. If youths aren't playing it, it won't get mindshare. And I'll explain why it won't ever get many youths playing it in the US. Hockey equipment alone is expensive as all hell compared to basketball, baseball and soccer. Football equipment is most likely cheaper as well. Were I to go outfit myself with all new equipment and be reasonable at it, it would run be 2-3 grand. Kids stuff is cheaper, but imagine having to basically replace 1/3 to 1/2 of that equipment every 2-3 years for a kid's life. That's why even in Canada, the supposed hockey hotbed, more kids play soccer. And that doesn't even get into arenas and ice time. They aren't cheap to build or maintain, and the hotter the climate the more expensive they get. Even in Edmonton there's little appetite amongst politicians to build new or renovate existing arenas, and most are 40-50 year old shit holes. In a city of a million plus people, there has been maybe half a dozen new sheets of ice built in the past decade, and most of those at private or semi-private places like a casino on an Indian reserve. The last public rinks were built nearly 20 years ago. Compare that with a patch of grass outside, and it's easy to see why hockey is and always will be an expensive sport to play. And there's just no culture of going to the local outdoor rink and playing a game of shinny in most of the US, with the exception of the NE and mid-west, because that's simply not possible in most of the US. Last edited by Eomer : 06-11-2007 at 05:05 PM.

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06-08-2007, 12:51 AM	#167 (permalink)
Himeo Memento mori. Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Riverside, Ca Posts: 910 -1 Internets	Right. But, hell, what do I know? I'm from the South.

06-08-2007, 01:12 AM	#168 (permalink)
Blumpster . Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Washington Posts: 1,596 -2 Internets	I love watching baseball. Yea, it's kind of slow, but the anticipation of every pitch, or weither the runner is going to try and steal, IS IT GOING TO GO ALL THE WAY!?!? Sometimes it's too much. Soccer is just fucking boring.

06-09-2007, 06:02 PM	#169 (permalink)
Schar Playing UT2k4 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Alberta, Canada Posts: 776 +0 Internets	Holy shit this thread turned into an abortion, good work Himeo. The better team won by far. I was totally wrong about Ottawa. It really, really hurt watching Pronger lift the cup. Fuck Pronger.

06-10-2007, 11:26 AM	#171 (permalink)
Eomer You mean I can change this? Neat! Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 10,147 +37 Internets	It's partially because he's so damn good, partially that he's a complete asshole outside of the game, and partially cause he's a complete asshole on the ice and has a history of dirty plays intended to hurt other players.

06-11-2007, 07:30 AM	#173 (permalink)
Eomer You mean I can change this? Neat! Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 10,147 +37 Internets	I was certainly never a fan of Pronger as a person when he was in Edmonton. But there's much to be said for having one of the best d-men in the league on your team. But that's how it is with any sport, the fans of the team are quick to defend a player when he's on their side, see any number of shit, dirty players that have been on the Leafs over the years and are evangelized as "great sportsmen" if only because the majority of the hockey media is all too eager to felate the team. I'm talking of Domi, of course. The guy's a fucking dirtbag in every way, and yet he gets jobs doing commentary and opinion on sports shows. It's fucking embarassing.

06-13-2007, 08:18 AM	#176 (permalink)
EmpireF4i Right as the mail Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: So Cal Posts: 1,635 -23 Internets	So trophies are handed out tomorrow. I hope Neidermeyer gets the Norris and Pahlsson gets the Selke. Not only because they're both Ducks, but they are a huge part of why the Ducks won the cup this year.

06-13-2007, 01:03 PM	#179 (permalink)
Eomer You mean I can change this? Neat! Join Date: Feb 2002 Posts: 10,147 +37 Internets	The one thing that's not often mentioned is the Canadian dollar: it's risen by like 50% in the past few years. That's HUGE for Canadian teams, and the viability of franchises in Winnipeg and/or Hamilton and Quebec City. Salaries are USD, income is CDN. Canadian franchises have had their costs drop by a pretty huge margin because of the rise of the dollar. Of course, if it drops back to 60 cents, that would really hurt them.

06-13-2007, 06:51 PM	#180 (permalink)
EmpireF4i Right as the mail Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: So Cal Posts: 1,635 -23 Internets	From game 5.