1995 and 2013- The Lockout-Shortened Seasons

[c9777666]

We've had two lockout shortened seasons with 48 games.

But both are seen differently- 1995 is seen by some as a very boring season, while 2013 was seen as a lot more interesting and less boring.

An interesting stat- the 2013 season had only 15 20-goal scorers compared to 28 in 1994-95, and 1 30-goal scorer (The Great 8) compared to a surprising 5 in 1995 (Bondra/Jagr/Zhamnov/Owen Nolan/Ray Sheppard).

Marty St. Louis, the Art Ross winner of 2013, would have been 5th in 1995 (behind Lindros/Jagr/Zhamnov/Sakic)

And the highest scoring team of 2013 (Pittsburgh, 165 goals) would have only ranked 5th in 1995 (Quebec/Pittsburgh/Detroit/St. Louis) scored more.

Of course, the 2013 playoffs were a lot better than 1995. And the Cup Finals couldn't have been anymore different.

And the Blackhawks epic start to the 2013 season probably was more memorable than even the great years the Red Wings/Nordiques had in the 48-game '95 sprint.

With that said, was the 1995 season really that much less interesting/entertaining than the 2013 season despite both being 48 games and not ending until late late June?

 

[dr robbie]

They both sucked. No one wants a shortened season. I don't think I've ever heard anyone refer to 2013 as "exciting". The best I heard was that people were glad hockey was back.

And I'm guessing scoring was up in 95 compared to 13? That would explain the scoring disparity.

 

[JackFr]

2013 season sucked but I thought the playoffs were outstanding, especially the final.

 

[Big Phil]

For whatever reason, I associate Christmas 2012 with the ugly mugs of Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr. And that bothers me. I was mad, very, very mad that hockey was on hold again based on greed and stubbornness of two very arrogant sides. It really sickened me, and still does.

That being said, the 2013 postseason was exciting. Chicago was dominant in 2013 also. That streak they had was fun and has only been bested by the Flyers of 1980. Crosby was also on fire and would have made a mockery of the scoring race if he didn't get a puck to the face and missed 25% of the season.

 

[GMR]

2013 would have been more fun if my team didn't blow a 3-1 lead against our rivals. Granted, I think the Wings would lose to either LA or Boston, but it'd be cool to knock off the top 2 seeds in the West. Many years from now Wings fans will still look back at 2013 as the team's last great playoff run.

I don't remember 1995 too well, but how could it not be fun with the influx of talent and big names in the league back then?

 

[mrhockey193195]

For whatever reason, I associate Christmas 2012 with the ugly mugs of Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr. And that bothers me. I was mad, very, very mad that hockey was on hold again based on greed and stubbornness of two very arrogant sides. It really sickened me, and still does.

Call me a "glass half full" guy, but I remember that December as such an exciting time, when hockey was coming back. October and November were miserable, but there was some excitement for me - I would duck out of work early and head to whatever NYC hotel the NHL and NHLPA were meeting to try and hear any news through the grapevine.

 

[Johnny Engine]

2013 would have been more fun if my team didn't blow a 3-1 lead against our rivals. Granted, I think the Wings would lose to either LA or Boston, but it'd be cool to knock off the top 2 seeds in the West. Many years from now Wings fans will still look back at 2013 as the team's last great playoff run.

I don't remember 1995 too well, but how could it not be fun with the influx of talent and big names in the league back then?

You had breakout seasons from Jagr and Lindros, a few exciting rookies - Forsberg, Kariya, Carey - and great veteran seasons from Coffey and Francis, but a lot of the players you'd want to remember fondly actually had pretty poor seasons. Gretzky at a PPG, Yzerman and Gilmour way below that, neither Bure or Selanne anywhere near a threat at the goal title, Mario not even playing.

On balance, I don't know if that was actually all that exciting to witness.

 

[seventieslord]

You had breakout seasons from Jagr and Lindros, a few exciting rookies - Forsberg, Kariya, Carey - and great veteran seasons from Coffey and Francis, but a lot of the players you'd want to remember fondly actually had pretty poor seasons. Gretzky at a PPG, Yzerman and Gilmour way below that, neither Bure or Selanne anywhere near a threat at the goal title, Mario not even playing.

On balance, I don't know if that was actually all that exciting to witness.

You are right. I remember it being a very blah season.

 

[Sentinel]

I thought 95 was very exciting. The Wings had a very nice run. Mike Vernon was the new goalie. I was excited about Fetisov pickup. They cruised through the first two rounds, utterly destroying both the Stars and the Sharks (payback for the 94 humiliation), then beating Chicago despite Balfour's heroics, and then... the unthinkable happened.

 

[Johnny Engine]

I thought 95 was very exciting. The Wings had a very nice run. Mike Vernon was the new goalie. I was excited about Fetisov pickup. They cruised through the first two rounds, utterly destroying both the Stars and the Sharks (payback for the 94 humiliation), then beating Chicago despite Balfour's heroics, and then... the unthinkable happened.

Well, you're not wrong. When your team is winning, or undergoing a period of change, or both, even the darkest year for hockey is going to be exciting for your own fanbase.

But it would be wrong to look at 1995 and assume that it's a great example of a crossover year between the record-busting, high-flying cohort born in the early to mid 60s, and the wildly diverse group of Europeans, Americans and Canadians born in the early 70s. 1993, 1994, 1996 and maybe even 1997 are all better examples of those two groups colliding.

 

[Big Phil]

Call me a "glass half full" guy, but I remember that December as such an exciting time, when hockey was coming back. October and November were miserable, but there was some excitement for me - I would duck out of work early and head to whatever NYC hotel the NHL and NHLPA were meeting to try and hear any news through the grapevine.

I was more optimistic in 2012 than I was after 2004 that a deal would get done. Then something seemed like it was on the table and Donald Fehr went to go check it and then came back immediately to throngs of reporters to say it was flatly refused. I just thought, "Oh come on............." I mean, this was a guy who helped erase baseball's hallowed records based on cheating and was part of the reason the World Series was cancelled in 1994. By Christmas of 2012 there still wasn't a deal done.