I had to watch this video again, this was some good stuff. I hope that NBC keeps this up because this was awesome. I think Cherry and Hull hit on a lot of things that many NHL fans feel about the NHL and the state of professional hockey in the USA. Basically hockey is an after thought and Bettman is doing us a disservice by trying not clean up or lets say tone down the game of hockey. Honestly, hockey needs to play to it's strengths and that is fighting, bone crushing body checks and the speed of the NHL.
Hockey is a regional game?
While not everyone is going to like hockey that's fine with me. Personally I can't watch the NBA is nothing more than a bunch of over paid punks, and it is boring. So why in the name of all that is sane did the NHL hire Gary Bettman to be the league commissioner? I think the NHL needs to realize that Bettman needs to go for the good of the game.
Personally, its time for change and I think that Hull and Cherry are right when they say that hockey should play to its strengths. Sure there will be people that will say that Cherry and Hull are a couple of blow hards, ok fine. Let's do the research and ask the fans what they want. Give me two reason's whey Don Cherry isn't right? They show NASCAR on T.V. there is nothing more violent than a crash or a skirmish after a crash between two drivers. Bristol Raceway has more fights than Madison Square Garden.
Take a look at Professional Wrestling and Ultimate Fighting, their whole existence is based on violence and scrapping and the fans eat it up. The USA is a culture of warriors and gladiators. Why not promote more fighting in NHL hockey? I am not talking about bench clearing brawls of the 1970's. I am talking about dropping the instigator rule in the NHL. The one that came up with that rule is a knuckle head. All that rule did was cause the stick work to increase in the NHL.
Fans for the most part love fighting in hockey, Hull was right go around and poll the fans on how they feel about fighting I would be willing to be that 80-85 or even more like to watch a good fight in hockey. For the fans that say that there is no room in hockey for fighting don't understand the reason behind fighting. Even in college I have seen the fans go nuts after a good scrap or fight. There is a reason they are called the Fighting Sioux.
For the people that think that people that favor fighting in hockey that this is questionable or fringe view it's not. Check out this article by B.D Gallof.
B.D. Gallof on Fighting in Hockey
Back a few weeks ago, when you all were assaulted with my little satire about how the new NHL under Gary Bettman has drained much of what audiences in America really want. Hockey fighting. Battles. Blood. Guts. Glory. That when the audiences of America are all tuning into Ultimate Fighting and other violence like 24 and The View, that a diluted hockey product is NOT whats going to fly or bring back US hockey fans.
Now, this wasn't anything mindblowing, mind you. I am certainly not tooting my own horn...well, much. But it was very refreshing when none other than Don Cherry say the exact same thing on NBC last night, only a couple of weeks later. Obviously I am not alone...and obvious some better hockey minds than yours truly are also on this very bead.
While Gary Bettman has press conferences with doublespeak and spins on why hockey is losing the battle in the US of A...I have been scratching my head to why hasn't the NHL at least marketed itself more strongly in the meaty demographic of 18-35 males. As I watch the UFC brand itself with deals with ESPN, VS, Spike TV and other places, I simply look at Gary's dull eyes and realize that the man in charge is just not fit for the job.
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