Older to be younger
than a record's overcome her
Traded life for a number
and here we're left to wonder
why?
She's possessed by the skies
to change questions to cries
for seven year old eyes
that be too young to realize
Well done mom,
would you like another look?
I would rather see tomorrow than my name in a book
and I thanked you for the option cuz you let me set a goal
but, i can't nail the coffin or backfill the hole.......By myself....I'm told I want to fly....The youngest in the sky....I get to decide....All by myslef I get to see....
a life cut short by myself and me - RJDK
Hmmmmm....Let's talk hockey.
I love hockey and always have. As long as I can remember. Problem is that I remember too well. The current call for change has me wondering about that sniveling freak the NHL calls a commissioner; Gary Bettman.
Why does the game need to continually be changed or screened for ways to improve the game? These dickhead analysts on TV will just about drive you to drink sometimes. Why aren't they talking about this shit with other sports. Soccer nets aren't getting bigger. They don't give 2 shits if a game ends 1-0. Football isn't about to cutback on contact because a few people get hurt. Baseball can lull you to sleep watching a pitcher warm up. History of the particualer game can be maintained by leaving the fundamentals alone.
My latest shift was triggered by a viewing of someone's idea of how the nets should be restructured. Some fucking oval tubular thing. The "four by six" is the standard and dimensions of the net opening itself have never changed. Why should they? Not because some prick wants to increase TV market share in the USA. by trying to increase scoring. Essentially to spark interest in new market cities.
The forgotten stronghold and premier fan base for hockey is in Canada and the north is usually ignored in favour of the larger American cities. In recent months, some American city arenas had about 1/4 capacity some nights. Every team in Canada had near sellouts.
Even as the salaries have increased over the years, the revenue sharing has helped the smaller Canadian cities to be able to compete. The trend I am noticing now is that the watered down league with so many teams are trying to establish a new sport to an area where it is normally foreign. When hockey works as an attraction, there is no need for reminder that it is there. If it is affordable and available then there would be no issue.
Some teams in the southern states only warrant a minor league franchise with the fan base that is there. There are plenty of them as well. Coast to coast on the continental US looms a very large minor league professional hockey system. Canada boasts the predominant junior leagues and therefore major junior and tiers of junior teams are everywhere based on town or city size. The major Canadian centers carry the larger professional franchises, of course. With the number of minor league teamsin the US, it is no wonder that many people will go to a home town game rather than go to a major city. Typically the major city has a fan base that is also distracted by baseball, basketball, football, NASCAR racing, etc..etc.. The NHL wants to attract some of these people and they are sticking their fingers into the mix every year with rule changes and adjustments.
The main rule changes or nuances that I can't stand at the moment:
In no particular order...
1. The "No Zone" for goalies. I call this the Hasek rule. Part of this rule I like. Keep people like Hasek from wandering around and freezing the puck in the corner. What I don't like is that you can reach the no zone from the crease. I am just waiting for the day in the playoffs when this rule bites someone in the ass with a bad call. The diagonal should probably be at the same point on the boards, but the intersection with the goal line should be moved way over. Maybe even 90 degrees from the boards but at least further from the crease.
2. Instigator rule. I do accept fighting as a part of hockey. Goonery is a different facet that should be outlawed, but a good one-on-one tussle is what both of those people want to do. Consensual, motivating and also a release of emotion. You would never know what it was like unless you have ever been caught up in it yourself. Sometimes people do stupid things to your friends, as teammates, on the ice. A reminder of the ability to self-police the ice is welcome to keep all players in check. It prevents a deliberate injury attempt by someone having the person know that he will get more than a penalty for inappropriate play.
3. TV timeouts. Especially icing calls after a long stretch without a whistle lead to a 2 minute TV timeout. They have made it so the team that ices the puck can't change their players, as icing is usually carried out by tired players trapped in their own end. So, these TV timeouts let the players rest and take away the momentum from the team that just applied the offensive pressure. To me, that is taking away the ability to keep any flow to the game. It should be a hurry up and drop the puck if the offensive team is lined up type ruling. Offensive team can change if they want to, but they should dictate the faceoff. Not the fucking TV station.
4.Kicking motion. This is bullshit usually. A guy stopping on the ice taps a puck with his skate as he slides into it, is a goal. OR if he turns his foot to direct a shot in, is a goal. But, the league officials have this "kicking motion" that must be evident to call off a goal. I have barely seen one called that I have agreed with. Normally because it is the head office in Toronto ruling by replays at whatever rink in North America. They usually sit for 4 minutes talking to the ref on the ice over the phone and discussing the video replay. The on ice guy doesn't see the replay. I think he should. This would give him the ability to be on the same page as the video goal judge. The on ice ref sees it in real time so fast during the play, maybe the refreshing of the senses via video would be welcome.
I will carry on with this another time. But, maybe for now we should think more about getting a new commissioner than a new set of rules.
Merry Christmas.
Go CANADA go. World Juniors start Boxing Day.
Games are changed by the players.
