Hartley Miller's Slap-Shots May 26th Edition

By Hartley Miller

Have you noticed the lack of exciting, nail biting, and dramatic moments during the hockey playoffs this year?

The “New” NHL and WHL have nearly completed their first season with several rule changes. I can't remember a year when so many highly anticipated series ended so quickly.

For instance, the Vancouver Giants romped through the WHL post-season by disposing of Prince George and Portland in 5, and Everett and Moose Jaw in 4 game sweeps. Who would of thought in March that the Giants were actually getting their toughest test from the Cougars prior to the Memorial Cup ? There were 15 WHL playoff series with only two going the maximum seven games (Portland over Seattle in Round one and Moose Jaw over Calgary in Round two).

In the NHL, not one of the six Eastern Conference series have played a full seven game series, while only one of the first six Western Conference series needed a 7th and deciding game. This was Anaheim’s 2-0 first round win over Calgary, which may have been the most boring seventh game in the history of hockey.

The Edmonton Oilers surprising run has kept the interest in Canada, but how about the U.S.?  NBC must be wondering why they are back televising the NHL. A playoff game between New Jersey and Carolina drew a dismal 1.1 rating on NBC. Even taped coverage of the NCAA women’s gymnastics championships on another network drew more viewers with a 1.2 rating. As well, a playoff game between Colorado & Anaheim drew a 0.9 rating. The average TV rating for NHL regular season games on the obscure Outdoor Life Network was 0.2. This translates to a paltry 165,000 households in the U.S. which are shopping channel type of numbers.

Gary Bettman has preached all year about how the “New” NHL is working.   Don’t be fooled by overblown attendance figures, or that small market teams reached the league semi-finals.

There have been some suggestions that if it weren’t for the new rules, teams like the Oilers would have little chance to compete for the Cup. This is ridiculous.  It was just two years ago, prior to the new wave, that the low budget Calgary Flames won the Western Conference final, and it wasn’t that long ago (2003) that the Ducks (2002), Hurricanes and (1999) Sabres all played in the Stanley Cup final.

So, why is the new brand of hockey not working?  

Under Bettman’s guidance, hockey has lost its rich tradition. Baseball, basketball, and football have tweaked their games, but have never overhauled the very core of their sports.  Bettman’s “New” NHL has evolved into a circus type atmosphere. 

In addition, the new NHL has virtually eliminated the offensive attack. More often than not, the league has evolved into an all-star type game.  Players are weaving, spinning, circling, but rarely do you see them shoot the puck in the corner, chase the defensemen and deliver that “punishing hit”. Consequently, players are simply too afraid of being sent to the box.  We are watching penalty filled, no touch hockey, at its finest.

In this neck of the woods, hockey is a religious culture that will remain no matter who tries to ruin the sport with several rule changes. Yes, the goals are up and the game has changed, but not for the better.

***

Let's see if I have this straight. The L.A. Kings fired Coach Andy Murray because the team stumbled down the stretch. They replaced Murray with Marc Crawford, who was let go by the Vancouver Canucks for the same reason. I’m not sure I follow the logic but the trend continues to re-cycle NHL coaches. And yet, no NHL team wants to give Moncton Wildcats junior coach Ted Nolan another shot.

Nolan deserves a second chance. He may have been “black-balled” after his stint behind the Buffalo
Sabres bench, but that was 10 years ago.  It seems to be a rather small pro coaching fraternity, one where Nolan has yet to receive the welcome mat, even though he has been stepped on (overlooked) several times.

From the quote rack:
---------------------------

"A man who is actually named Stanley Cup will work the NHL Playoffs on the OLN Network. He was late for work his first day---he got lost at the Vancouver Airport luggage area"

Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California

***

"The Arizona Cardinals' first-round draft pick will spend more time in the video room."

Cam Hutchinson of the Saskatoon Star Phoenix, with a positive slant on highly regarded
quarterback Matt Leinart dating Paris Hilton

***

"Pity the school-aged sports fans of Dallas-Fort Worth when a teacher asks, 'In which geographical division of the United States do we live?' According to Major League Baseball, we live in the West. According to the NHL, we live in the Pacific. The NBA says we live in the Southwest. And the NFL says the East." . . .

David Thomas of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram

***

"I guess that means they didn't shoot anyone on another team."

Joe Biddle of the Tennessean, on the Jacksonville State rifle team winning the Sportsmanship Award for the Ohio Valley Conference

***

"Charles Barkley revealed he lost $10 million in Las Vegas. And that was just at the buffet table."

NBC'S Jay Leno, after hearing that golfer John Daly claims to have lost more than $50 million gambling

***

“I don't know. I've never been a woman.”

New York Mets pitcher Pedro Martinez, when asked what kind of woman would marry an umpire

***

And in case you missed it……..

The Westchester-Rockland (N.Y.) Journal News reported that a 36-year-old man was charged with third-degree assault, after police determined he was the aggressor in a rec hockey-game scuffle that left a player with a broken wrist.

The oddity in this story is the alleged assaulter was the referee.

And how was your week?

Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm. He also writes for the
PG Free Press. His e-mail address is hmiller@94xfm.com

Email | Print | Facebook | Twitter | Digg | Del.icio.us