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Posted by Travis Rodgers on Oct 1, 2009

NHL Preview – 10 Things You Need to Know About The Upcoming Season

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  1. Yes, it still exists.
  2. No, it isn’t on any national television network that matters. (Good call NHL, going to Versus. Even better when Versus had the plug pulled by Directv. Closing down the season was a good move by comparison.)
  3. Wayne Gretzky doesn’t play anymore.....Neither does Mario Lemieux, Bobby Orr, Gordie Howe, or any of the players that you may have actually heard of.
  4. Someone will say, "you have to go to a game to appreciate it." I do? Why? I don't need to be in the stadium to enjoy a baseball game, an NFL or NBA game, or the Olympics. What makes hockey so special that I have to be there?
  5. No one will care.
  6. Players will both ‘muck and grind’ and ‘dump and chase’. Others will ‘take the body’ and ‘crash the net’. If someone gets really fired up they may ‘take liberties’. No one will know what any of this actually means.
  7. Columbus has a team. Seriously. I looked it up.
  8. ESPN will continue to bury NHL highlights between high school football and billiards highlights. They will still be too high in the rundown.
  9. Sidney Crosby will not in fact ‘save’ the NHL.
  10. Hockey fans will be offended by all of this. Even WNBA fans think that NHL fans take themselves too seriously.

This is what I know about hockey....it looks like a bunch of guys skating in circles, furiously chopping at the puck, hoping that by some random bounce the puck flies into the net. Even the most die hard sports fans I know don't watch hockey anymore. I would challenge anyone outside of Manitoba, Detroit or Cal-gary to name a player on the Nashville Predators or Atlanta Thrashers, and that includes people in Nashville and Atlanta.

Someone remind me when it’s June and round 14 of the playoffs gets underway. There’s nothing like a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup playoffs...just ask a hockey fan. Actually don’t, they may start talking hockey.

Post a Comment
  • Wayne Bergeron
    Commenting from a purely L.A. point of view, the NHL has not been relevant since the early 1990s when Grezky and Granato were playing for the Kings. I can only imagine that the sentiment that Angelinos have for the Kings must be more widespread around the nation than is being reported. There are hotbeds of dedicated fans throughout this country, but not enough to support the league in its current format.

    Fans in L.A. and in the west want action without fights breaking out every two minutes. And what the hell is icing? If he NHL adopted some of the rules that are used for the WInter Olympics, it would be a more wide-open game with great movement, passing, and improved scoring opportunities. As it is now, you have giant-sized men skating in a rink two sizes too small and when that happens, there is not going to be any artistry. It's going to be a boring crashfest.

    With all honesty, hockey is an eastern states sport (Redwings, Blackhawks, Rangers, Islanders, Red Devils). Now with no major television contract/coverage, it'll become what the NBA was in the 70s: a late nite, tape-delayed viewing event. And the only people who will care about it west of Chicago will be the die hards, who are usually unemployed and living with their parents.

    Simply put, the NHL sucks and it didn't take Gary Bettmann [sic] to make it that way. A bad product is a bad product and will only change when a new commissioner with the vision of bringing the game to the masses, especially the inner city, takes over.

    P.S. - Travis, I love the new format. I was devastated when you left (forced out?) of the Jim Rome Show. The quality and feel of the the Rome Show has noticeably decreased and coincides with your departure. I wish you the best with this venture. I'll be checking in everyday to read the posts and listen to the weekly podcast. When you go daily, let us know. From what I have heard thus far, you have my vote for a regular weekday three hour gig.







  • Wayne, Thanks for the kind words, I appreciate the support. Also, your hockey comments are on the money.
    T.
  • davidnolongerinalbany
    i'm a hockey fan, but i can see why people don't like it. its dull at times. its played in towns where most people have never been to or don't live in. as for the team in c-bus, when i lived in ohio, people acted like last year's 1st round loss to the red wings was some kind of moral victory. last i checked, you got swept, and you are the columbus blue jackets. as for people caring in atlanta, i know some people who work in sports talk radio there, and they never, and i mean never talk hockey on the airwaves. to close this with a straight take....you should hear the promotions for the sabres with the upcoming season. "the team is going to be grittier". wow. great marketing there. the sabres have been on a downward spiral since they let briere and drury walk for nothing. losing the winter classic errrrrr the outdoor hockey game on 1/1/08 against sid the kid and pittsburgh was brutal in my mind, but the owner not going after big names and trying to get back to the playoffs is much worse. in the words of herm edwards....you play to win the game, and the sabres are just settling for mediocrity on the ice because people are filling the seats.
  • In celebration of this fine post I will be firebombing all of the vehicles in my neighborhood with personalized Ducks license plates, which is pretty much every other house (GODUX! How clever!). Hey Ducks fans, your team has existed for all of five years and your entire life is accessorized with their weak memorabilia - what does that say about you? Darth Raider thinks you need to tone down your enthusiasm. The Rally Monkey thinks you guys are lame.

    Rule of thumb: if the majority of your fans are chicks, your team sucks.
  • Name
    10 Things you Need to Know About Travis Rogers and his Pathetic Attempt at a New Career:

    01.) Sucks.
    02.) Sucks.
    03.) Sucks.
    04.) Sucks.
    05.) Sucks.
    06.) Sucks.
    07.) Sucks.
    08.) Sucks.
    09.) Sucks.
    10.) Sucks.
  • Thanks for reading. Enjoy hockey season.
  • I am a big hockey fan but I am not offended by all of this. Sadly it's on point and true. The NHL has done very little to keep existing fans let alone attract new ones. I grew up playing & watching hockey so as much as a hate the way the league is run, I can't un-fan myself of the sport. The league(Gary Bettman) is a tool & a puppet of the owners. He spends his time reacting to fires(Coyotes BK) rather than finding ways to improve the sport(contraction). Although I do take issue with #10. The WNBA doesn't have any fans.
  • Name
    unwar the arrogant American's takes on hockey.
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