here's something ive come accross often: Hockey is just a game man, relax!
ive been thinking about that statement, and here's what i think of it. Fundamentally speaking, hockey is indeed just a game. but with the way it has gone today, this statement proves to be false for many reasons.
1- The level of competition at which it's at. No game that has such a high level of competition can really be called "just a game"
2- Money. When u think of the amount of money these guys are paid, they are not on the ice to "have fun". they are there to make the team win, which in turn makes the fans grow bigger, which consequently thickens the owners wallet.
3- The essence of hockey is lost. It is no longer a game, it's a business. and that's a sad fact my friends...when someone puts millions of dollars in such a thing, it's regarded as an "investment"; meaning that the person is looking to make cash out of it. and that's the bottom line. business killed hockey. the game can be boring, as long as the team wins (ie: NJ Devils). which is sad because we have to stand games that literally can put u to sleep (imagine being a fan of WAS when they played the NJD and Brodeur only received 8 shots in the game....)
so now when someone says that hockey is just a game, there's no way anybody could agree with that. because it's no longer just a game...that's what the game needs, to have no more ridiculously paid players, and players that play for the love, not for the pay check. that would be something...
so now when someone says that hockey is just a game, there's no way anybody could agree with that. because it's no longer just a game...that's what the game needs, to have no more ridiculously paid players, and players that play for the love, not for the pay check. that would be something...
I've always had a hard time listening to people who say that hockey players only play for money. I think that's total BS.
Aside from a few exceptions, a guy can't make the NHL if he truly doesn't love playing the game. Think about it, they devote their whole lives to hockey. Most of them left home when they were 14 or 15 and have played hockey almost every day for 8 months of every year since. Money can't be the only driving force behind that kind of devotion.
If players didn't love the game, they wouldn't care about winning, or making it far in the playoffs cause they don't get paid anything extra for doing so. Yet every year we watch guys play their heart out and recklessly throw their bodies around for a chance at the Cup.
You can also look at thousands of guys that play in the minors and in Europe and only make a modest living of it. I can gaurantee you if there were no NHL, 95% of the players would still play hockey, whether they got paid to or not.
yes it is a game , as a tv show , a movie or a music concert , it is something to distract, to spend the time.The problem is that we alre all taking the game too seriously.
i remember that a night , after a game , a reporter was asking something about the ''pressure to play in Montreal ''to Quintal ; he looked at the guy and answered that all the reporters were always talking about the pressure and that it was completly insane , because the real pressure is when you don'd have a job and you have to find something to eat for your children .....
you guys are all missing my point. perhaps most players play for the love of hockey, and some may even play out of not having a choice. when u play hockey so much, ur not doing anything else. meaning that if u stopped, u couldnt do anything else (lack of education etc). and i guess im looking at it from more the perspective of an owner, the game is a business, some owners dont know the firtst thing about hockey, all they care about is that the team wins so they can make money. that's what has become sad. hockey becoming a business is what is killing the sport
you guys are all missing my point. perhaps most players play for the love of hockey, and some may even play out of not having a choice. when u play hockey so much, ur not doing anything else. meaning that if u stopped, u couldnt do anything else (lack of education etc). and i guess im looking at it from more the perspective of an owner, the game is a business, some owners dont know the firtst thing about hockey, all they care about is that the team wins so they can make money. that's what has become sad. hockey becoming a business is what is killing the sport
I'm confused are you talking about hockey in general or NHL hockey because they are two different things.
1) Hockey IS a game. That is for the millions of people that watch and play it but for the NHLers it is a job.
2) True
3) Um sence when was hockey not a business. It always has been a business. Back in the Good Ol' days owners made it big in their cities while the players got screwed. Today sence hockey has grown and technology has gotten better it has turned into a bigger business but it has always been a business. This whole new defence first hockey that New Jersey and Minnesota are impplying isn't due to business its a new style of coaching that coaches and GM's have put together to stop high offensive talents. You look at the 80's with Gretzky and the Oilers. the Devils are just the opposite. And with teams like the Avalanche and with the new CBA coming it won't be long before we are back to that high offensive style of hockey.
Hockey is a game yes, but once someone pays you to do something, it is not only a game, but full out competition. Not all players are looking for the biggest paycheck, some are, but not all.
