So again….the NHL have done it for years…unlike any other sport …correct?
We should just accept it?
Rules change . How about we go back to the 70’s …have brawls and players in stand beating up fans….
Don Cherry and Fans loved it back then too.
It’s funny tho that viewership isn’t going well …especially in the States with this NHL product. And it’s no wonder because all the other sports promote their stars ….not goons
But we just accept rules changing in playoffs because it’s some kind of war and “some” of us like it?
It’s weird to me. I loved hockey…playing it and watching it but it’s a terrible product especially in the playoffs because of the rule change. Players are not tougher because they can take a header into the boards or skate thru hooking and slashes.
I mean look at Gudas …late hits …holding sticks….punching players in the face and the playoff refs just turn a blind eye
IMHO that isn’t good for hockey.
Make the rules consistent….have same rules in regular season. Let there be this so called “War” for 82 games then
So, as far as the difference in the officiating between the playoffs versus regular season is concerned, as fans, it’s not left up to us to accept or not accept, simply for the fact there is no official mechanism for us to directly affect change.
I suppose if enough people tuned out because of the issue and it cost the teams enough revenue, then the teams might collectively push for changes, that is assuming they could accurately identify the source of the decline in interest.
Would the majority of fans, if given the chance change the rules so that the playoffs are officiated more consistently with the regular season?
I honestly don’t know, but it’s a good question.
I think many fans would say they don’t want the officials to decide games, they want the teams and players to decide games. I think fans also like consistency in the game calling, especially within an actual individual game itself.
How often in a game thread is it mentioned by someone that we should expect an even up call as the next penalty?
I would suggest that happens a lot, whether it’s the regular season or playoffs. And as predicted, that’s exactly what often happens.
But to your point, look at some of the other rules the NHL has attempted to clamp down on and taken a hardline on over the years.
Remember the no goal if a skate is in the crease era?
It became borderline ridiculous, especially after the Brett Hull Stanley Cup winning goal fiasco and they subsequently relaxed the rules.
How about the let’s “kill the trap” obstruction clampdown?
That lasted for a little bit and it was the same thing. They relaxed their hardline stance on it, partially to protect players as attacking forwards were left completely unopposed on the forecheck.
The rules on head shots largely changed because of the league’s exposure to legal liability. Fighting has been more harshly punished for much of the same reason.
In the end I’m not necessarily disagreeing with you, but the playoff rules are what they are. Dubas knew what they were when he began moulding this team to be successful. He failed in the time he was given, largely because he couldn’t overcome the reality that the playoffs are a different game. I believe he thought he could build a team so offensively gifted, that they would simply overwhelm any opposing team trying to stifle his teams offence.
It didn’t work.
I personally never thought it would work and many others here saw it similarly to me. One of the main obstacles I saw being an issue was holding that many high scoring players together with the financial restraints of the salary cap was not going to be possible.
Many others here saw it differently and thought it was possible though.
Given all that, we might as well acknowledge the reality of rules as they are today though, and build a team that can win as the rules exist today.
If things change tomorrow, or down the line, then we simply adjust to the new reality.
