Keeping Up With The Jonses

Oscar Wilde once said that one should never wish for what one wants, because he or she might actually get it. This line of thinking may seem like convoluted logic at first. Only after a deeper assessment of what we really need, as opposed to want, is it possible to make the best long-sighted judgment.

Currently there is a body of thought within the ranks of Hockey aficionados that in order to be de jour, that the game should or rather must make changes to stay abreast for the benefit of the continued interest of a segment of its fan base. More often than not, these individuals write very well expressed, heartfelt stories, letters, et al, which implore the rank and file fan to consider their point of view, which is of equal value to any that are in opposition. It is not my intention to criticize, but rather point out a few facts that perhaps were overlooked in developing this line of thinking.

Attempts at increasing the amount of goals scored by both teams in a game cannot and should not be acceptable. Any tampering with the product, in an effort to soup it up would eventually backfire. The same people who desire a 9-7 contest, will eventually, given the limited attention span of many of them, tire of this and search for ways to an 11-10 score. Besides, a 2-1 nail-biter beats a 8-7 score any day, doesn’t it?

Despite the possibility of actually working, the subtraction of the red line, a favorite of many revampers, would not hold up in the long run. If it is a lot of goals, a perpetually cheering crowd, and eventually a meaningless score (with scores that high, the aspects of momentum-shift; the turning-point; and the tension of the game, will ultimately be drastically diminished, then perhaps that’s the game for you. Go ahead, go get that beer at the concession stand, we know that they’re going to score again! So I’ll miss a couple of goals, no big deal! In a perfect world, the red line idea would be a possibly entertaining alteration. However, knowing the nature of human beings and the fallibility of NHL refs (and all refs…I was a referee myself, once), the eventuality of players, coaches, & teams adhering to an honor system of not practicing cherry-picking is virtually zero.

Without dragging my point out any further, it should be pointed out that I sense that two schools of thought are usually at work, whenever ideas are put out for consideration. One is the worldview of the homogenizer: Lets make everyone enjoy Hockey. The second is the view of people with personal tastes to be satiated. True, the regular season does contain an inordinate amount of games that are somewhat less in content than the ticket price would suggest. True, from a subjective view, things could be improved. Changing the game for the benefit of compensatory reasons
won’t work. Enforce the rules: Eliminate a couple of existing, self-defeating rules: Get rid of the 2 Ref System (2 cooks in a kitchen, for heaven’s sakes!), I run the risk of looking badly, but this one is my idea: Get rid of the third man in rule. Lose it. There are numerous intragame ways of changing the game by simply utilizing it properly. We see how crease rules, instigator penalties, TV time outs (make the between period time 5 minutes longer for the benefit of the sponsors), stupid frigging replays of alleged high sticks (lose ’em), all of these minor adjustments could tune the old jalopy up without much cost to the essence of the game.

Finally I would like to remind some folks that this particular phase in the long history of hockey does contain the fruit of change. It was a great Finals series (I don’t hear any complaints?!?!)…The regular season always did and always will serve its purpose of development of team chemistry, by addition or subtraction: establishing of lines, familiarity with who can do what in specific scenarios, ad infinitum. It does serve an important purpose. It’s the car ride through the countryside on a beautiful day to a place we love. It has its value. So lets understand its place.

A final thought: Although I could personally care less about the 3 Major sports, I do have a question…Has basketball improved or diminished with its attempts at increasing fan support? 30-35% field goal shooting: the emphasis on razzle-dazzle dunks, ad nauseum. How many of those who wished to keep up with the proverbial times, have realized the mistake, now after it is too late? Baseball, likewise…50 home run seasons are run of the mill. Home run derbies detract from what was once America’s sport. Football, with its artificial turf-gotta have a domed stadium-mediocrity, is starting to suffer likewise. All of these changes dealt with ideas designed to increase offense within their respective gamse!!!

So before its too late for Us, lets be sure we really know what we need, as opposed to want we want…We just might get it.