The Eve Of Destruction

Joe Tasca
Jul 4, 2001

This summer has been a strange one for me thus far. It suddenly hit me yesterday. It's July and I have yet to have a day off work. Even today, Independence Day, I had to get up at 4:30 this morning to talk on the radio. As glorious as some people think it is, it's just another day on the job for me. As much as I enjoy working in radio, it's hard to relish waking up at an hour when most other college students are going to bed.

Speaking of enjoyment, that's a feeling I have not experienced very much in recent years when I turn on my television to watch an NHL hockey game. The reasons are simple, though difficult to explain to the average hockey fan.

When I first started watching hockey in 1989, the game was at its peak. Goal scoring was at an all-time high thanks in part to the scoring machine in Edmonton that had captured four Stanley Cups to that point. Most games were wide-open shootouts with goaltenders constantly under the gun to make big saves. To get a shutout back then, you really had to earn your paycheck. Physical play wasn't at a shortage either, as premiere body checkers and 300-penalty minutemen were regulars rather than rarities.

Playoff games were a real joy to watch, as the NHL's divisional format constantly pitted intense rivals against each other year after year. New Englanders like myself looked forward to the usual Adams Division slugfests in April between Hartford, Boston, and Montreal - three teams who had some of the most bitter playoff series you will ever see.

When I started watching hockey, it really seemed like guys played for the love of the game. Many players didn't wear helmets. Most didn't even have teeth. On some nights you'd see a player get cut with a high stick, skate to the bench, get stitched up and be back on the ice for his next shift. A lot of guys made their living by dropping the gloves and getting pounded in the face every night.

That was hockey.

And now we observe the game today. This past January I was watching a game between St. Louis and Anaheim while on vacation in Orlando. Without a doubt, it was the worst experience of my trip. All the players were just skating around in the neutral zone, occasionally penetrating the wall affectionately referred to as the "trap" - a menacing structure that only could have been thought up by Satan himself. I think there were a total of 35 shots on goal by both teams combined, and I can guarantee you there weren't even half that many body checks.

In fact, the highlight of the game came in the 3rd period when Tony Hrkac clocked Pierre Turgeon with a right cross that knocked the Blues center into next Tuesday. As much as a Canadiens fan like myself enjoyed that incident, it showed me how desperate I was for the days of old. When a fight between Tony Hrkac and Pierre Turgeon is the lone bright spot (and the lone fight) in a 60-minute hockey game, it's quite obvious that something is wrong.

Don't believe me?

In 1992-93, 15 players scored 50 goals. 18 players had over 200 penalty minutes. And only one goaltender had a goals-against average of under 3.00.

This past year, only two players scored 50 goals. Only one player had over 200 penalty minutes. And 13 - count 'em - 13 goalies had a goals-against average of under 2.00. And this is with six more teams in the league compared to 1992-93 numbers.

Expansion, coupled with escalating contracts and diminishing passion for the game have all but ruined the game of hockey. Two-thirds of NHL teams lost money last year, mostly because of ridiculously priced tickets and atrocious teams that can barely lure season tickets holders to games, never mind the average working man. Overpaid players that spend half their time down on the ice and the other half complaining to officials about non-calls and coaches about a lack of ice-time are all too prevalent in a game that is played in entertainment facilities rather than ice-hockey rinks.

Feeling sentimental recently, I spent close to $100 recently buying a number of NHL playoff games from the late 80's and early 90's, longing for the days when watching the NHL was a pleasure. One of the games I purchased was Game 7 of a1991 Smythe Division playoff between Edmonton and Calgary. I almost broke down and cried! The ice was littered with superstars. Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Jari Kurri, Joe Niewendyk, Theoren Fleury, Al MacInnis. The Battle of Alberta had been well established and played out what seemed like every year in the playoffs for years. For the record, the Oilers won the game in overtime on a goal by Esa Tikkanen.

Ten years later, what does an Edmonton/Calgary game have to offer? Ryan Smyth. Ethan Moreau. Craig Conroy. Steve Begin.

Who's Steve Begin, you ask? Let's just say he's no Joel Otto.

The NHL's current collective bargaining agreement expires in 2004. At that time, players and owners alike are expecting a long work stoppage that may force the cancellation of the 2004-2005 hockey season. The NHL is looking to impose a salary cap - something they failed to do in 1994. For many years, hockey never needed a salary cap. But teams like the Rangers and Avalanche, who believe that money does indeed buy happiness, have managed to run small market teams like the Oilers and Flames out of the Stanley Cup picture perhaps permanently.

Look at some of the signings we've already seen thus far this summer. Joe Sakic's getting $10 million a year. Rob Blake's got $9 million per year. Patrick Roy's in at $8 million a season. Checker Martin Lapointe just inked a four-year, $20 million with Boston. Even Russian back-stabber Igor Ulanov is getting $7.5 million from the Blueshirts! Tell me we're not on the eve of destruction!

I have a lot of bad things to say about the NHL, but my faith in the future of the game keeps me watching. I'm hoping the league reassesses it's state come 2004. They not only need to impose a salary cap, but they need to conjure up ways to improve the game. Outlaw the neutral zone trap, which produces more boredom than a chess match. Outlaw the two-referee system, as the only thing it's done is clog up the ice surface even more. Crack down on goalie equipment, call more penalty shots, and get rid of seamless glass. Hopefully the league can accomplish some of these goals while averting what could be a nasty labor strike. At this point, a stoppage may not be such a bad proposition.

It'll give me more time to watch my tapes.

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