Originally posted by lasersailor184
I don't have a TV, is it really that bad Saur?
Yes. I have a variety of problems:
1.) The NHL is now street hockey on ice. With the removal of the red line for 2 line passes, there are no breakouts, no strategy and no setups. The game can be summed up as "Ok... everyone go this way... ok now everyone go that way, repeat."
2.) The tolerance for penalties is insane. Its WAY too low. Stuff was getting called that I just couldnt believe. Half of what made hockey appealing was that it USED TO BE the only sport where the rules were "suggestions" and you got away with everything you could.
3.) The defenseman cannot TOUCH a forward infront of the goalie until HE touches the puck. This means the netminder is screened almost the entire game and all that the D can do is watch and then knock the guy after he re-directs a puck into the net.
4.) The ref's having mics. WTF is this? It may sound like a small complaint... but this isnt football. Half of the rite of passage for being a hockey fan is figuring out what the hell all the hand signals mean.
5.) The Power Plays are so numerous now that 5 on 5 hockey rare, at best. The Flyers had an ENTIRE PERIOD of powerplay time during the game... and TWO 5 on 3's! You dont get two 5 on 3's in a SEASON!
6.) The excitement of goals is gone. There was something to be said for working your bellybutton off for 60 minutes, having two goals to show for it and ending the game one goal ahead. Now the mentality is basically "Ok... theyre in the zone... who is going to score." Its like lax in that aspect. The goals dont mean anything because the other team can come back and score 5 of them in a matter of minutes.
Im very, VERY disapointed. The NHL ruined hockey in an effort to get people with short attention spans who wont watch anyway to pay attention.
Meanwhile, they alienated the core fan base.
Did the clutching and grabbing need to go? Yes. The Trap? Yes. But for Christs sake... let them hurt eachother. The old player roles are just gone and now the game is one dimentional: can you get close enough to the goalie before the other guy to get a shot.