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Tuesday, November 9, 1999
DULL play kills entertainment value
One of the many reasons Calgarians have decided to stay away from the 'Dome this year stems from the belief the NHL no longer provides the type of entertaining hockey it used to.
The John Yerxa Research poll commissioned by the Sun and CFCN revealed 53% of the respondents believe the quality of play in the NHL has decreased over the past decade.
It's a belief echoed by hockey experts Gus Badali and Peter Maher who have watched the game evolve into a watered-down product that puts a premium on defensive play.
"It's not good hockey to watch, but it's not the players' fault," said Badali, 63, a longtime agent to the stars who is widely considered to have one of the most astute hockey minds in the game.
"There are far more skilled players than before, but the style of play most coaches use doesn't allow them to use it."
Badali says coaches are simply trying to keep their jobs as long as they can and do that by keeping games close. That often means implementing systems like the neutral-zone trap or dump-and-chase hockey, which make for extremely boring affairs.
"I maintain 99 percent of the people coaching were all defensive people when they played, so of course they're going to teach that style," said Badali from his Scarborough, Ont., office. "Take a survey of all the coaches and you'll see none of them were offensive-minded players. We've just got to get back to Edmonton Oilers type hockey -- Glen Sather's staff has always maintained a high level of offence."
Maher, the radio voice of the Flames for 19 years, agrees the skill level has never been higher, thanks, in large part, to the influx of Europeans. However, aggressive expansion has spread that talent out.
"If you had 15 teams in the league, the hockey would be better than the Original Six," said Maher.
Maher said the league began deteriorating into a more defensive-minded style following the reigns of the highly-skilled Edmonton Oilers and Pittsburgh Penguins. However, he says recently he's noticed a trend towards "speed and flow" brought on by a crackdown on obstruction infractions.
"I'm noticing more small players, which is adding to the speed," said Maher. "If they continue to call obstruction regularly, it will make more room for the small skill player, which would be great for the Flames long range."
Maher also thinks the league is heading in the right direction by eliminating the goal-crease rule, which has helped increase scoring this year.
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