Time for the big market teams to step up.
Many people may have already read Scott Burnside’s article on ESPN from a couple days ago. About basically the state of the league and how all the other major sports leagues are facing major crisis with all their scandals. Yea, we know what they are so I’m not going to mention them. I’ll put the link at the end if you want to read it, but at the end of the article or in the middle I’m not quite sure he stated that this in the NHL’s third year since the lockout. This is historically the make or break year for sports leagues that come out of a lockout or a strike. This is the NHL’s chance to make a come back and get back some fans.
Now some people, fans or maybe everyone may disagree with this philosophy but its time for the big boys to make a splash in the NHL. No, I am not talking about the free agent or the trade markets either. I’m talking about the playoffs. The big market teams need to be successful for this league to have a good year and jump start itself again. By no means am I complaining at all about the playoffs or what has gone on in the playoffs or even who has won the Stanley cup the last 2 seasons. I thought the playoffs were amazing but years, I could have used a little more excitement in the finals this year but still the playoffs were great! I love watching the smaller market teams go deep into the playoffs and be successful. The problem though for the league no one is watching.
Yes, we are all watching… unless of course you despise who is playing in the finals and even it’s hard not to watch. Now no I am not saying that 2 big market teams will keep people up till 3 am watching a triple overtime game. The NHL playoffs are by far the most exciting playoffs to watch out of all the major sports. Versus was on every night in my house throughout the entire playoffs this year homework or not. There is really no way to make it better either.
From the league’s standpoint though and what would be best is to have 2 big market teams playing. We need 2 teams that are some of the biggest media markets to be at the top battling in the end. How awesome would it be for the league to have 2 of the original 6 teams playing a game 7 in sudden death? Can you even argue that this would be bad for the league? Unless that you argued that it would be amazing for the league. Watching teams like Tampa bay and Calgary, Edmonton and Carolina, and Ottawa and Anaheim play in the finals were great and exciting. The best thing would be to have Red Wings and the Rangers in the finals or Chicago and Toronto in the Finals. Yea I know that’s a long shot with Chicago there but who cares.
I mean I know this is just a bunch of rambling and it might have been influenced a little bit by me being a Rangers fan, but the league could use a jolt and 2 original 6 teams I think are just what the doctor ordered. I mean come on how awesome would be to get ESPN back covering the NHL and having Gary Thorne announce the finals, a pipe dream right now I know it but come on. ESPN picked up poker to cover the time they were going to lose when they let the NHL walk. Poker!
Alright well that’s enough for me; feel free to rip the article apart for plot holes and clearly stupid accusations. Here is the Burnside article if you guys want to read.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=2955556.
Yea, we know what they are so I’m not going to mention them. I’ll put the link at the end if you want to read it, but at the end of the article or in the middle I’m not quite sure he stated that this in the NHL’s third year since the lockout. This is historically the make or break year for sports leagues that come out of a lockout or a strike. This is the NHL’s chance to make a come back and get back some fans.
Now some people, fans or maybe everyone may disagree with this philosophy but its time for the big boys to make a splash in the NHL. No, I am not talking about the free agent or the trade markets either. I’m talking about the playoffs. The big market teams need to be successful for this league to have a good year and jump start itself again. By no means am I complaining at all about the playoffs or what has gone on in the playoffs or even who has won the Stanley cup the last 2 seasons. I thought the playoffs were amazing but years, I could have used a little more excitement in the finals this year but still the playoffs were great! I love watching the smaller market teams go deep into the playoffs and be successful. The problem though for the league no one is watching.
Yes, we are all watching… unless of course you despise who is playing in the finals and even it’s hard not to watch. Now no I am not saying that 2 big market teams will keep people up till 3 am watching a triple overtime game. The NHL playoffs are by far the most exciting playoffs to watch out of all the major sports. Versus was on every night in my house throughout the entire playoffs this year homework or not. There is really no way to make it better either.
From the league’s standpoint though and what would be best is to have 2 big market teams playing. We need 2 teams that are some of the biggest media markets to be at the top battling in the end. How awesome would it be for the league to have 2 of the original 6 teams playing a game 7 in sudden death? Can you even argue that this would be bad for the league? Unless that you argued that it would be amazing for the league. Watching teams like Tampa bay and Calgary, Edmonton and Carolina, and Ottawa and Anaheim play in the finals were great and exciting. The best thing would be to have Red Wings and the Rangers in the finals or Chicago and Toronto in the Finals. Yea I know that’s a long shot with Chicago there but who cares.
I mean I know this is just a bunch of rambling and it might have been influenced a little bit by me being a Rangers fan, but the league could use a jolt and 2 original 6 teams I think are just what the doctor ordered. I mean come on how awesome would be to get ESPN back covering the NHL and having Gary Thorne announce the finals, a pipe dream right now I know it but come on. ESPN picked up poker to cover the time they were going to lose when they let the NHL walk. Poker!
Alright well that’s enough for me; feel free to rip the article apart for plot holes and clearly stupid accusations. Here is the Burnside article if you guys want to read.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=2955556.