Canadians Take Hockey Way Too Seriously???

[The Lizard King]

So you can't take a dose of your own medicine..

The bottom line is, again, that American's in general don't give a shit about hockey. Even in a hockey hotbed, St.Paul, Minnesota, they cannot sellout Team USA World Cup games. This would NEVER happen in Canada. Again, more Canadians watched the 7th game of the Final than in the entire US. A 4.2 rating represents 4.536 million households in the US, versus 4.862 viewing households in Canada.



Also, do a search on the Washington Post site and you'll find a recent column by an AMERICAN criticizing the Americanized direction the American run league has taken. Just an example:

Just too many teams
September 6 @ 9:01 AM
Washington Post columnist William Gildea speaks the harsh truth about the state of the NHL:
there are just too many teams.
"There are too many teams, especially in southern outposts far removed from where hockey has
always thrived. The NHL has made the mistake of pulling up from its roots, trying to make
itself a national U.S. sport. It isn't. It's a regional sport. Only in certain areas do people
care about hockey with genuine passion. In other places it's a hard sell. There are 30 NHL
franchises. There are too many."


So why change the sport or attempt to cater to a public that doesn't care? And again, I'm okay with the fact they don't care.
Also, I said it's Canada's National Pastime and part of our cultural identity. For you to question either is foolish to say the least.

I've said enough, this is my final post on the matter. Beyond this, you are just wasting my time...

 

[wilde]

There are 30 NHL teams. 5 of them are Canadian teams.

Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver...... I counted 6

 

[wilde]

Originally posted by The Lizard King
So why change the sport or attempt to cater to a public that doesn't care?

Because Gary Bettman was hoping the TV revenues which have since evaporated would provide the owners with some much needed black ink.

 

[luckydog71]

OK LK you have my permission to not respond.

Wilde - you are correct I miss counted.

Canada and hockey are intertwined so you can't think of one without the other. I don't dispute that.

But the US has drastically altered the game and mainly through financial influence. I did not like all of the changes; In fact I liked it better when there were just 6 teams.

But it isn’t that way now and it won't return to that style. It is what it is. Take it or leave it.

 

[Restless]

Who gives a rat's ass what someone in Tulsa, Oklahoma thinks about hockey. If you are patiently waiting for Americans to develop manners, you are going to get very old before they do.

 

[bobsled]

Re: Hockey...

Alot of Americans enjoy sports. Like baseball, basketball, football, and hockey as well.

There are some excellent American Hockey Players. That's a given. Hockey is an International Sport. That means there's alot of countries that love and play hockey. The Canada Cup is testimony to that.

I wouldn't worry too much about an ignorant asshole from Tulsa that has no idea how to skate, and has never actually played the game. If he did, he would understand how difficult it is to stay on the ice for more than 45 seconds and go full out. And try to do something useful without hurting himself.

Try touching the puck when you play with guys or girls that know what they are doing. It's alot different than standing around in left field waiting for someone to hit the ball to you. In hockey, no one passes you the puck if you are standing still for very long. You have to actually do something to make things happen.

I have. And it's tough. I played for several years in pick up leagues. I love to skate, it's great exercise.

BTW the Americans are playing in the Semi's against Finland. Let's just see how they do.

bobsled.

 

[crustyclown]

They lost. They can go back to ignoring hockey. Had they won I'm sure Miracle on Ice 2 rights were already sold.....

 

[scott231]

The World Cup of Hockey on ESPN 2 is getting a pathetic 0.30 rating down in America which is brutal, reruns of Day of Our Lives on SoapNet is getting 3 times better ratings then the World Cup of Hockey. But ESPN which turned 25 did a recap of the top 25 moments in the 25 years of ESPN and #1 was "The Miracle on Ice" in 1980 when the U.S. beat the Russians.

 

[Calgary69]

Miracle on Ice 2....World Cup 2000....US beats Canada in final.





Miracle on Ice 3....World Cup 2004....US beats Canada in final ......NOT!!!

Way to go Finns.......Kipper's the REAL deal, $2.9M a steal.

 

[wolverine]

Another perspective:

Soccer is immensely popular in Europe and South America, but gets nary a blip on the radar of most Americans. But you don't hear many Britons complaining about Americans not appreciating their sport. They don't care. So why should we care if Americans are into hockey or not?

If you think we Canuckleheads take hockey too seriously, that's nothing. Wherever soccer rules, fans take their sport dead serious. People in the UK riot in the streets on a regular basis over soccer, and I recall that a goalkeeper in Colombia was killed after losing a World Cup match. Can you imagine what would have happened to soccer's version of Steve Smith (re: his major fuck-up in the 1987 NHL playoffs)?

 

[Calgary69]

Another perspective:

... Can you imagine what would have happened to soccer's version of Steve Smith (re: his major fuck-up in the 1987 NHL playoffs)?

Yeah they sent him to Calgary and made him a Calgary Flame!!!

 

[wolverine]

Yeah, that's punishment enough already!

 

[Calgary69]

Or a reward....depending on your perspective!!!...LOL

 

[crustyclown]

that was 1996 btw, Calgary....

 

[Calgary69]

that was 1996 btw, Calgary....

Yes I know it was many years later that Smith went to play for the Flames. It was said in jest as the irony of it all as I am pretty sure Wolverine took it that way. In fact many of the television stations here in Calgary replayed the infamous goal Smith scored when he arrived.

BTW, Smith was never traded from Edmonton to Calgary. If memory serves me correctly, he signed with Calgary after a stint in Chicago.

 

[carlotta]

Hey this gal takes Hockey so seriously...

That the final game that CANADA plays... 10$ off my regular rate for each goal CANADA WINS by!!! ((Do the math boys LOL!!))

BTW., I watch the series TEAM CANADA... For glimpses of THE GREAT ONE... He is aging "gracefully" & I was SUPPOSED to be Mrs. G. WHAT was he thinking picking JANET HAH

Although LACAVALLIER (sp?) is one hot lil' number himself!!! He could shoot high @my net anytime!!!

Carlotta
mmmmmmmmmmmmmassages available ALL day long!!!

 

[amanda604]

In response to all: Myself i grew up watching Hockey night in canada and i am sure most canadians did as well. I love hockey it just a great sport (not because of the guys that play it). I have a couple girlfriends who play womans hockey and I enjoy watching them play. I just don't understand we have CFL and baseball but hockey seems to over rule them all, it's just a more popular sport to watch and play.

 

[Oldfart]

Americans take themselves way too seriously.

 

[wolverine]

I just don't understand we have CFL and baseball but hockey seems to over rule them all, it's just a more popular sport to watch and play.

Uhm...because hockey is a winter sport and the others cover off the rest of the seasons?