bostondevil11 Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 I didn't see this until i got home from work. This article really kind of ticks me off. Has this guy watched any of the playoffs this year? Ratings won't get better if everyone just talks about how bad the game is without watching it. http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/ar...ened_to_hockey/ Whatever happened to hockey? By Alex Beam, Globe Columnist | June 5, 2006 There used to be a very exciting professional sport in America. It was as physically demanding as basketball or soccer, played at the speed of lightning, and combined ballet-like grace and brutish physical violence. It was called hockey. I am telling you this because tonight, unbeknownst to many of you, marks the beginning of the Stanley Cup, a sports event that used to be on a par with baseball's World Series. A team from one of the Carolinas is playing a team from the capital of Alberta, Canada. That city's come-hither slogan: ``It's Cooler in Edmonton." Good luck finding the game. It is being broadcast by the Outdoor Life Network, best known for 24/7 bass-a-paloozas and the little-watched Tour de France. Today on OLN: ``Bob Izumi's Real Fishing Show" and ``On the Water With Hank Parker ": ``Today Hank is accompanied by his son Bill and old friend Frank Oelerich of Mann's Bait Company." And the Stanley Cup. I remember when hockey was a major sport. (``It is a major sport," insists a National Hockey League spokeswoman, not very convincingly.) I spent my 17th birthday at the Boston Garden, in an era when visits by New York Rangers defenseman Brad Park always elicited colorful reactions. As a summer camper in Canada, I ate Rice Chex with a picture of Montreal goalie Gump Worsley on the box. I asked the three 13-year-old boys in my carpool if they could name one active player on the Boston Bruins. Only one could, and he named two. Needless to say, he could name the entire Boston Red Sox infield and was hyper-aware that Alex Cora had subbed for Mark Loretta at second base earlier in the week. What happened? There are all the usual excuses. The game doesn't televise well. It's too violent for the suburban soccer moms; it's not violent enough for the core fan base. More to the point, hockey has been out-hustled and out-marketed by more aggressive competitors such as NASCAR and youth-oriented ``extreme" sports. Say what you will about the oily National Basketball Association commissioner David Stern and his unholy alliance with Nike; he's kept his sport in the game. Hockey is the sick man of US sports; it gets operated on every few years, and each time the patient dies a little more. Ten years ago, Fox introduced what is now called ``the ill-fated glowing puck," a hockey puck with an embedded battery and infrared transmitter that showed up as a luminous blue dot on the TV screen. When the puck flew toward the net faster than 70 miles an hour, it turned red and grew a comet's tail. Fox eventually dumped hockey for games that people actually watch. Just this year the NHL introduced new rules to cut down on rough play and open up the game. If you don't know the difference between the blue lines and the red line -- and I forgive you -- these ``dramatic" changes are completely meaningless. An excuse worth taking seriously is last season's labor stoppage. Because of a dispute over salary caps, the NHL missed the entire 2004-05 season. Last year I was thinking of writing a column on the theme: ``Hockey's gone; has anyone noticed?" NHL spokeswoman Bernadette Mansur says the league has come back stronger than ever after the hiatus, with attendance up 4 percent. But the TV ratings, which establish the sport's national profile, have been risible. Earlier this year, Newsday reported that on hockey-mad Long Island, home to an important NHL franchise, an Ivy League women's college basketball game got triple the TV ratings of either the Islanders or the New Jersey Devils. Memo to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman: You have a problem. I read the paper , I listen to the talk shows. I know the Bruins still sell out when a puck-worthy opponent like the Rangers or Canadiens comes to town. I know that the Bruins chintzy owner says he is finally -- belatedly? -- going to get his act together, assigning new responsibilities to his more mediagenic son, and hiring a highly touted new general manager who played for the World's Greatest University. Who doesn't applaud that? Anything and everything that helps bring back the greatest show on ice is more than welcome and long overdue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundstrom Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 over $2B in revenues...definately not a major sport...ass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek21 Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 I'm fvcking sick of these articles. You don't like the sport. Just piss off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bostondevil11 Posted June 6, 2006 Author Share Posted June 6, 2006 I'm fvcking sick of these articles. You don't like the sport. Just piss off! I can't take all the negitivity from the Boston media. After game 7 last week I was watching the local news for some reason and sports came on. They show highlights from tennis where there was a little pushing and shoving and then go "Wow there is more physical play in tennis than in hockey." Then go on to show 2 seconds of highlights from the hockey game and made some other stupid comments. So much for Boston being a hockey town most fans just liked seeing fights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
'7' Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 I'm fvcking sick of these articles. You don't like the sport. Just piss off! the problem with the NHL is that it doesn't do that, instead it tries to be all things to all people. the die hards of the NHL are more in tune than die hards of any other sport, the NHL doesn't need to be marketed to us at all, and the league can trust us to birth and raise more die hard fans. The core will always be there UNLESS the NHL overreaches and starts chipping away at the foundation of the sport through its various gimmicks, you might draw a handful of casual fans temporarily and lose die hard fans permanently. Running off your die hard fanbase is hard to do, but its exactly what the league has been doing the past 12 years. This year has been better on the ice and that's the only thing that matters, naturally the league is exagerrating its success as it always does, except when it's time for a new CBA all of a sudden everybody goes broke. does a die hard fan care if nobody is watching the finals? Hockey should be happy to be what it is, every so often they'll get a 1994 or Bertuzzi incident (any publicity is good publicity) or 1980. But for the most part, let the sport thrive underground. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 He is from Boston, nuff said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek21 Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 I can't take all the negitivity from the Boston media. After game 7 last week I was watching the local news for some reason and sports came on. They show highlights from tennis where there was a little pushing and shoving and then go "Wow there is more physical play in tennis than in hockey." Then go on to show 2 seconds of highlights from the hockey game and made some other stupid comments. So much for Boston being a hockey town most fans just liked seeing fights. Do you think there would be these type of writeups if the fvcking Bruins were competent enough to compete for a Cup? the problem with the NHL is that it doesn't do that, instead it tries to be all things to all people.the die hards of the NHL are more in tune than die hards of any other sport, the NHL doesn't need to be marketed to us at all, and the league can trust us to birth and raise more die hard fans. The core will always be there UNLESS the NHL overreaches and starts chipping away at the foundation of the sport through its various gimmicks, you might draw a handful of casual fans temporarily and lose die hard fans permanently. Running off your die hard fanbase is hard to do, but its exactly what the league has been doing the past 12 years. This year has been better on the ice and that's the only thing that matters, naturally the league is exagerrating its success as it always does, except when it's time for a new CBA all of a sudden everybody goes broke. does a die hard fan care if nobody is watching the finals? Hockey should be happy to be what it is, every so often they'll get a 1994 or Bertuzzi incident (any publicity is good publicity) or 1980. But for the most part, let the sport thrive underground. Good post. They wanted more entertaining games. They delivered. You're right that they do bend over backwards to make things work. But it's hard to fault. I think what people have to remember is that this was the first year back after losing an entire season. It hurt big time. It's going to take time. The game is better today than yesterday. It will continue to improve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hattrick Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 (edited) To those who don't care about hockey because your team is not in the finals or a big market team is not in the finals: GO SCREW YOURSELVES!!! You missed a great hockey game.... an 8th seed taking a 3-0 lead with their 2nd goal being a penalty shot goal and the great come back victory by the #2 seeded favorite Canes with one of their goals being a SHG. That was just 2 of the highlights from Game 1. Oh, and how about Cam Ward's great net minding. He made "stand on your head" saves. Edited June 7, 2006 by hattrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteyvegas Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 It would probably be the same way in NY if the Yankees became a second tier team also. Remember, this guy lives in a town that once was owned by the Bruins. How much can a writer take? Plus, once you get older the "glory" of certain sports lose their shine. He doesn't get to feel the excitement that is felt by teams going into the finals, therefore, he assumes that every town feels the same way. PS--OLN is kind of an insult. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eldon Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 I wonder if this idiot watched last night's game if he would've wrote something else today. Pitiful. Just more writers trying to be "funny" trashing hockey. If last night didn't get you excited about a sporting event, then go back & watch a baseball or basketball game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordienumber9 Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 I wrote him a letter. I couln't help myself. I'm so sick of these fair weather fans. If you guys want I'll post what I wrote to him here and I'll deffiently be posting his responce (if I get one) and don't worry, my friend spell checked it for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Satans Hockey Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Post it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordienumber9 Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 ok but i'm not the best writer, i just wanted him to know there are people out there who love this sport unconditionally and think he should shut the F**K UP!!! Mr. Beam, I've read you article, "Whatever happened to hockey?" and quite frankly I think you're an ass. First of all, "tonight, unbeknownst to many of you, marks the beginning of the Stanley Cup." It's the Stanly Cup FINIALS. The Stanley Cup is North America's oldest trophy, dating back to 1893. Have you even been to a game this season? Even the New Jersey Devils had a sell outs and I'm not one to mock game attendance, the number of fans isn't important. As for your stabs at hockey's marketing, are you blind? There has been a hockey reference in about 1 out of every 3 commercials on T.V. currently and if you haven't seen the NHL's newest golden boy Sidney Crosby's face just about EVERYWHERE well then you must be blind. As for asking 13 year old boys, so what! They're obviously baseball fans. Not everyone follows every sport. I can rattle off almost any stat in the NHL, past and present and some prospects but I know jack about baseball and I bet that would enrage some die hard Yankee fans. And as for Gary Bettmen? He's an ass too. We're not watching hockey for him or his "new rules designed to bring up the entertainment value." Hockey is ten times the sport basketball or soccer is or will ever be. Real hockey fans know more about their sport their any other sports fans in the world. We don't care about how much hitting goes on, how many goals are scored or who made the big plays, but you know what? We know it all anyway. We know every new rule, and every change on the ice. And as for your "completely meaningless" changes, I guess the shoot out still wasn't "dramatic" enough for you eh? And most fans are annoyed by the fact that a sport that is so dependant on good team work can now be won by an individual's effort. We watch hockey for the plays and the passes, the shear art of the sport. Real fans know where to find the games, no matter what channel or where they're played. Real fans sat through the lockout, fingers crossed and miserable sitting at AHL games. We don't need it to be sold or marketed to us. We've loved it forever and we'll love it forever. We don't care about fans who watch it for the violence because they're not real fans or the people that don't watch it for the violence. No matter what happens on the ice, there's better sportsmanship in hockey then any other sport. Hockey is here, anyone that is too blind to see or appreciate that is missing out...and that's their problem. Why don't you leave hockey to the people who love it and live it? May I suggest an article entitled, "Why do journalists write about things they don't understand?" Hockey doesn't need fans like you. Die Hard Hockey and New York Rangers Fan, Joy Love Edwards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordienumber9 Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 He wrote back to me... "thanks for reading! was this in the Globe or somewhere else? great e-dress, btw." ...ok see normally when someone is nice, i feel bad for critiscizeing them...but now i really do think he's an ass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRASHER Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 write him back and tell him you paid fair value for his column, which is of course free and if you really feeling like being an ass ask for a refund Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devilsdude530 Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Crasher you a$$hole lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruins4777 Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 (edited) its one dumb bruins fan, if he's even a hockey fan blame jeremy jacobs, its much easier. Edited June 6, 2006 by bruins4777 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRASHER Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 Crasher you a$$hole lol. thank you Kinder words have never been spoken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devilsdude530 Posted June 6, 2006 Share Posted June 6, 2006 A rare sentimental moment for NJDevs.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.