Rivalries…Can They Return?

One of the most disheartening trends we purists have witnessed over the last decade or so in our game has been unfortunately ever increasing. No, I’m not referring to the insipid, juvenile, market-seeking, and damned insulting FOX glowing puck; nor am I referring to the disastrous crease violation video replays; or even the whining and transparent greed of Alexei Yashin and his ilk. I am referring to an aspect of the game that those of us who like to see players go the knuckles for their teammates, have rapidly seen dwindle and virtually be eliminated from their repertoire. That being the rivalry: the annual perpetuation of previous animosities, unfolded on ice to the benefit of all. And the game.

Let me briefly give the major reasons for these negative phenomena, unavoidable in one area and intolerably foisted on the game with zeal, in the other.

First, we should go back to the pre-1967 days of the league. Prior to the Great Expansion epoch, players had the opportunity of facing each other a maximum of 14 times, regular season, not counting playoffs. Now, a Turf Protector (the phrase I prefer using and hearing in reference to) like Krzysztof Oliwa and Sandy McCarthy may only do turf protecting twice in a year, for a variety of reasons which I will explain later. The fertile soil of potential battle in the pre-67 NHL, was a major incentive for fan attendance (compare that with the virtually insane assessments bleated by the suits in charge of the NHL today, that fans don’t come for the dropped glove and occasional and always awe-inspiring donnybrook!). Expansion and its depletory nature may have done the most damage, from a surface view. However, the two major philosophical movements with more roots in the ground continue to be the remnants of a 1960’s social consciousness and the profiteer psyche ingrained in the game today.

Prior to the ’67 season, hockey was virtually free of do-gooders, pacifists with axes-to-grind, and change-for-the-sake-of change types. Virtually raw form, hockey was able to manifest itself in its own course. The early 1970’s allowed the aforementioned creeps to wield enough clout to get their foot in the door. The all-out styles of the Big Bad Bruins and more notably, the Philadelphia Flyers, allowed them in all the way. After the two Great Dynasties of Les Habitants and the New York Islanders had silenced criticism for a while, the advent of the Edmonton Oilers and their most feared offensive star, the patron saint of non-aggressive play, Wayne Gretzky, coupled with the ever-increasing influx of European-style hockey (not derogatorily intended, but a fact based comment), paved the way for the intentional diminishing of the gauntlet-dropping player, that we still see implemented today. Hence, this leads us to the profiteers.

By the way, although despite eschewing a less combative, more offensive oriented approach to the game, the 80’s Oilers weren’t that bereft of common sense. Cementhead Semenko, and later Marty McSorley were usually within arm’s length of Saint Wayne. This hypocrisy, on a personal level, is probably one of the more irritating aspects of that whole mind-set.

The profiteers, desiring to above all sell tickets had a problem. Advertisers and investors frowned heavily on a form of the game that did not conform to the fuzzy sentimentality of the average Joe at home. Screw the people who had built up the fan base, thar’s gold in them thar revenues from big-buck advertisers!

Give us the day back, when players didn’t go golfing together, and concentrated on the fact that the man you’re off-ice hob-knobbing with is the same man, on-ice where it counts, might be putting you out of the greatest profession in the world! Naive? Maybe. But something should give…

I recommend, although it may be comparable to spitting in the ocean, that every man, woman and child voice his or her opinion in any way they can and by any means necessary. Voice your approval even louder at games, whenever some turf is being protected. It’s your game! Voice your opinion in favor for the men who will willingly drop the gloves at each and every game…Your game!!! Every little bit helps. If we don’t try, we won’t get. Lets all work for that day. You know, hockey is an alien concept. Name something else a human being does on ice besides it. We love it. We support it and damn it, WE WANT IT BACK!!!

I appreciate the effort you, dear reader, have made in perusing this piece. I hope you will likewise have criticism and any other input to what I have written. Life without hockey is a mistake!