Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - The 2009-2010 NHL Season: General News & Discussion Thread

Wes Mantooth · 03-15-2010, 11:05 PM

Jay-

I think, in all honesty the NHL is just lost right now. They are sinking as a league here in the states and (I could be wrong about this) but I thought I read somewhere that viewership was down in Canada too. It almost seems that, from Bettman on down the league is just grasping at any thing to get ratings and keep interest up. Ovie factors into this, sitting him more then 2 games means he misses the upcoming Washington/Pittsburgh game. Without Crosby/Ovechkin the interest isn't as high, hence the weak suspension for a reckless, repeat offender. In other words players health and the integrity of the league simply don't matter, Ovechkin is a HUGE star and they need that star power.

Any other major sports league and Ovie, Lapierre, Richards, Cooke and others would have received quick, harsh, consistent suspensions or fines, the only real difference would be more games or money for repeat offenders. Nor would any other sports league continue to have such vague rules concerning dangerous hits...honestly this stuff should have been sorted out YEARS ago.

I don't know if you follow the NFL or not but you might remember spygate with the New England Patriots? At the time they were perhaps one of the most watched team in the league, Tom Brady was one of the biggest stars in the game and they were becoming a HUGE source of revenue for the NFL. The team is caught taping signals from the sideline...oops...and what did the NFL do? They came down hard on the whole franchise. Coach Bellicheck is fined something like 500,000 dollars and the team docked (I think) 2 draft picks. It destroyed the teams reputation and put a huge black mark on the upcoming (nearly) undefeated season that year, something I'm sure the NFL would love to have marketed with a team not labeled cheaters. Why am I writing about this you may ask? Because the NFL wasn't afraid to punish a team that broke the rules, popularity and revenue be damned, they broke the rules and had to pay the penalty.

Until the NHL learns to take that approach to handing out punishment they will continue to be the joke of the sports world, which is a crying shame because hockey is such a great sport.

03-15-2010, 11:05 PM	#139 (permalink)
Wes Mantooth Junkie Location: Tennessee	Jay- I think, in all honesty the NHL is just lost right now. They are sinking as a league here in the states and (I could be wrong about this) but I thought I read somewhere that viewership was down in Canada too. It almost seems that, from Bettman on down the league is just grasping at any thing to get ratings and keep interest up. Ovie factors into this, sitting him more then 2 games means he misses the upcoming Washington/Pittsburgh game. Without Crosby/Ovechkin the interest isn't as high, hence the weak suspension for a reckless, repeat offender. In other words players health and the integrity of the league simply don't matter, Ovechkin is a HUGE star and they need that star power. Any other major sports league and Ovie, Lapierre, Richards, Cooke and others would have received quick, harsh, consistent suspensions or fines, the only real difference would be more games or money for repeat offenders. Nor would any other sports league continue to have such vague rules concerning dangerous hits...honestly this stuff should have been sorted out YEARS ago. I don't know if you follow the NFL or not but you might remember spygate with the New England Patriots? At the time they were perhaps one of the most watched team in the league, Tom Brady was one of the biggest stars in the game and they were becoming a HUGE source of revenue for the NFL. The team is caught taping signals from the sideline...oops...and what did the NFL do? They came down hard on the whole franchise. Coach Bellicheck is fined something like 500,000 dollars and the team docked (I think) 2 draft picks. It destroyed the teams reputation and put a huge black mark on the upcoming (nearly) undefeated season that year, something I'm sure the NFL would love to have marketed with a team not labeled cheaters. Why am I writing about this you may ask? Because the NFL wasn't afraid to punish a team that broke the rules, popularity and revenue be damned, they broke the rules and had to pay the penalty. Until the NHL learns to take that approach to handing out punishment they will continue to be the joke of the sports world, which is a crying shame because hockey is such a great sport. __________________ “My god I must have missed it...its hell down here!”