Hockey: A Sport That Lost Its Game.

[FireBettman]

Hockey: A sport that lost its game.

I believe that the NHL to-day is subject (and contributes) to all that is wrong with the world leading to its own decay. Yes, greed, power and control.

Gary Bettman: So enough of all the failing gadgets, tricks and stupid ideas he and his crew have dreamed up. The only thing remotely relating to a success was the cap (although after ensuing two labor stoppages and possibly another to come). Everything else Bettman has done including expansion in the states, is (or has) failed and is only now coming full circle. All the while destroying the integrity of the game. Worst of all is he just doesn’t get it when a whole city incessantly boo's him and he just spins it in his head to mean something completely different, least of which is acknowledging them. The players hate him even more.

$: Bettman doesn't care about hockey or even know how to play; He cares about power, money and control. If the league would just realize, "Don’t force a square peg into a round hole", we could move on and save the millions of dollars in capital spreading to areas uninterested. Expansion should be based on demand not experimentation. When is enough - enough?

The Untouchables: There must be a system put in place to have officials accountable. Publicly released stats, reviews and reports of quality of skills, techniques, effort, etcetera and launch investigations whenever deemed suspicious. I know I am definitely not the only one to mention it. This not only angers fans, coaches, owners but the players especially. One minute it is a penalty but the next it isn't? If they missed a penalty, that I could understand but when they don’t call a penalty I can only speculate as to their reasoning. Rules were not written to be enforced by whim or timing. Fines for players and coaches speaking of the malpractice of officials is absurd. Why are they not interviewed by the media? The NHL revenues are in the billions but what about the government and other betting tabulations? There is way too much secrecy involved for the amount of power these men have over the outcome of any one game and the moneys involved. Non-calls, inconsistency and biasness are destroying the morale, builds frustration and stress, debilitates concentration and thus weakening performances but overall contributes to the question of authenticity of the NHL as a whole.

The Children: Little fans who watch the NHL learn how to bully and cheat through every facet of the game and likely extrapolate that to everyday life. Confusion of counterproductive information translates to delays as these pieces of the puzzle may never fit. Psychologically speaking, anyone with a developing brain should not be subject to it as it may contribute detrimentally to their persona. The human brain continues development to the approximate age of 25 but your persona continues development throughout your life; although usually established by the age of 19. *I am not talking about fighting, but while I am on it, even it seems contrived and not spontaneous. Now it is like a WWE 'entertainment skit' and brings little - if anything? - to the game.

The Future: Personally I can not condone the activities of the NHL in its present format and find it much more frustrating then entertaining. The NHL must be socially responsible and lead with example but in the present form I believe it is not worth the time or money especially once measuring the detrimental effects.

Summary: The fans will enjoy it more and the children will learn quality sportsmanship without being subject to unsavory practices that consequentially delivers inconsistent messages. The players will play better because they wont be second guessing every action or cheating to get an edge and thus, excelling within the rules. The officials will be allowed to maintain the game and wont be forced into becoming an integral part of it by making choices and when.

Let's get back to REAL HOCKEY! NOW!

The NHL with honor, integrity and the character it once had.

For the love of the game. DJGQ

[MikeyBoy44]

There used to be a day where players may have hated each other but still respected each other. I am not one who cares that a game has a lot of goals, it used to be about the emotion. I enjoy a 0-0 game as much as 11-0 game as long as the emotion and hardwork were involved.

[Common sense]

If you think the NHL had integrity, character, and class in the dead puck era days (where every game was a snoozefest), or the days where Philly ran teams over and injured them, think again.

[The Brahma Bull]

Bettman's half-brother, Jeffrey Pollack, used to be the Commissioner of the World Series of Poker. I wouldn't put it by Bettman to be up to some shady dealings. Referee officiating/game management can make a big difference when it comes to betting.

[lateralus]

Bettman's half-brother, Jeffrey Pollack, used to be the Commissioner of the World Series of Poker. I wouldn't put it by Bettman to be up to some shady dealings. Referee officiating/game management can make a big difference when it comes to betting.

[The Brahma Bull]

That's a horrible connection you're trying to make.

[FireBettman]

Common sense: You can pull several teams and situations throughout the NHL history with douche-bag teams and players but your point has little merit in the whole scheme of things. It was officiating that caused that situation, or should I say the lack of it. Please re-read as you have not grasped any of the above points.

The Brahma Bull: I absolutely love your point, "Jeffrey Pollack, used to be the Commissioner of the World Series of Poker". This is 'one' of several connections that make it not only viable but probable.

lateralus: The fact you would denote it as a "horrible connection" is correct, it is, but The Brahma Bull is not making it, they did. Regardless of who made their relationship is not the question, but more-so, it is the likelihood of their impropriety and the need for investigation as this is just the tip of the iceberg. Why would you even assume they are clean? Do you know them? Shake your head!

Tonight's game with Keith and Daniel Sedin cheap shot hit to the head is indicative with my original post. Poor game management by the refs, 2 minutes for a blatant head shot with and elbow without the puck and with full intent to injure. This is to amp things up and sell tickets, make bets etc.!

Bettman is likely giggling like a little school girl. Refs get paid. Daniel out for who knows how long. Keith will get a couple of games at most. Blackhawks get the win. This scheme is about money, causing controversy to drum up free advertisement and interest so people will speculate (bet).

[DooBie604]

What is kind of ironic is how the NHL works in some aspects in stark contrast to real life.

In real life, a person gets whacked in the back with a hockey stick and calls the cops and that's fine.

In the NHL, a person gets whacked in the back with a hockey stick and tells the ref and they are whiners.

In real life, the law is the law and there isn't much leeway. Murder is murder no matter when it happened or who did it.

In the NHL, rules are shaky at best and up to the ref whether or not they want to call it. An elbow to the head is five minutes and a misconduct one day and then a two minute penalty the next.

In real life, if a cop stood by and watched a transgression occur and just did nothing, they would be called out and disciplined.

In the NHL, if they stood by and watched a transgression occur, they will call it depending on when it happened and against who. And then anyone who questions them gets disciplined.

Yet so many people still don't see this as a problem in the NHL but if it was to occur in real life to them or someone they know, they would probably outraged.

Imagine someone running across the room and elbowing you in the head with elbow pads on giving you a concussion. The cop standing next to you does nothing and you complain to the media telling them that the cop needs to do something. Next thing you know, the police department sends you a fine for $5000.