August 9, 2005

THE BUSINESS OF HOCKEY IS BACK—BUT IS THE SPORT?

      The lockout is over and the signing frenzy is well underway as teams attempt to fill in depleted rosters.  Certain teams, like the Leafs, have been loathe to get involved in the process on a large scale—preferring to make smaller deals in anticipation of a drop in available cap space next season.  As such there are clubs that will ice similar type teams that they possessed at the end of the previous active season.  The business of hockey is back—but what about the sport of hockey?  The NHL insists that it will open the game up and eliminate all the clutching and grabbing that prevented the game from evolving and instead led to a devolution, into a free form of ice wrestling.  The league has stated on a number of occasions, and has tried several different times to control the mugging and increase the skill level, but each time the league caved under pressure and the game failed to improve.  After a year off will anything change, or will the game simply revert back to its previous slow moving incarnation.

      The league has instituted a few rule changes designed to speed up the game.  The elimination of the red line opens the game up to longer passes with the hope that it will also eliminate the congestion of players in the neutral zone.  The negative impact could be that teams simply keep their defensemen back at their blue line which would quell long passes and limit offensive forays into the opponents’ zone.  The league reduced the size of its goaltenders’ equipment, hoping that more net space will open up for its shooters.  The tag-up offside rule has returned and there will be no more line changes after icings.  These are all moderate attempts to inject some life into a dormant sport but none will be effective if its officials continue to ignore the interference that has become such a huge part of the game.

       Each time the league attempted to penalize teams for obstruction the owners and management of the clubs protested that too many penalties were being called and thus was slowing the flow of the game.  Each time the league bowed down.  Perhaps this time, with his power at its zenith, commissioner Bettman will ignore the catcalls from the governors and stand by his decision.  In time the teams would come to understand the pitfalls of obstruction and it would disappear from the game.  Then, and only then, would the ice open up to the skilled players.  At that time the game could return to its most popular times—when Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux thrilled fans with their skill and expertise.  Remember, it was Lemieux who, nearing the end of his initial stage as a player called the NHL a “garbage league”.  It didn’t change much in the following years.

       There is a lot of excitement surrounding the NHL right now.  Its superstar players seem to be spreading out across the league, perhaps creating a level of parity that every sports league desires.  Gretzky has decided to move behind the bench and coach in Phoenix and that will certainly add a new cache to games involving the Coyotes.  Lemieux will be teaming up with the “next one” Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh and the Flyers have added arguably the league’s best player in Peter Forsberg.  Even former small-market clubs have gotten into the act-- like Edmonton, signing Chris Pronger, Calgary re-signing Jarome Iginla, Anaheim signing Scott Neidermeyer, and Columbus re-signing Rick Nash.  If the league is as successful in controlling on ice violations as it was in controlling costs then maybe the NHL will finally turn the page on a poor decade and get back to being what it once billed as “the fastest game on ice.”