If Not Now, When?
http://www.atomicsportsmedia.com/articles/311/1/If-Not-Now-When.html
Lev Elgudin
By Lev Elgudin
Published on 04/6/2006
We know, the NHL broke your heart last season. So you've stayed away out of pride. But Lev Elgudin says it's time to come on back. Don't let a little betrayal ruin your chance to see the best hockey of the year...it's playoff time.
I know what you’re thinking. It’s a dead sport. It’s boring, hard to watch and is never on TV anyway. You change the channel to an old episode of Fresh Prince when highlights are on Sportcenter, and you agree when Stephen A. says that quite frankly, nobody cares.
So I’m here to tell you to give it a chance. Give hockey (and peace) a chance. The new and improved NHL is worth watching, especially now that we’re entering the best time of the year, playoff time.
Back in the days of Gretzky and before Mario Lemieux left the game for the first time, hockey was considered a major sport. A lack of scoring, dwindling star power, and the lockout have knocked it from the public consciousness. It now ranks far below NASCAR and golf in fans’ minds, and can’t be found on mainstream television (it’s national television carrier is actually OLN). And while NHL teams have slashed ticket prices and created new promotions to bring fans back to the game, but their best hope for luring back the occasional fan are the playoff battles looming in less than three weeks. Here are three reasons to work a little harder to find OLN on your cable system, and switch from the meaningless baseball blowout you were watching to the hockey playoffs, which begin on April 21st.
1) The Players
Simply put, these are the best hockey players in the world. By far. And the playoffs put the best of the best on display. During the regular season, cycles four lines throughout the game, the latter two with little actual skill. In the playoffs, it’s basically the top two lines, filled with skill players, and occasionally the third line for a change of pace. No goons, just skill and scoring. The playoffs are basically a game of highlight reel moves, saves and goals. With the new rules in place that prevent obstruction, the game’s stars have been given more room to operate, and have thrived as a result. Expect that to increase come playoff time when every player realizes he’s playing not only for a title, but also for immortality in his sport.
And don’t forget the goaltending. The playoffs have seen some of the most dominating goaltending performances of all time; a hot goalie can carry a Cinderella team deep into the playoffs on his back. Remember when J.S. Giguere carried the 7th seed Anaheim Mighty Ducks within one game of the Stanley Cup finals? He started the conference finals with three straight shutouts, and gave up only one goal in the entire series. The playoffs are filled with these types of performances, and the wide-open 2006 playoffs should provide them in spades.
2) The Intensity
In the playoffs, everything is magnified. Every inch of ice is struggled for, every puck fought for, every goal battled for. The passes are crisper, the goals are prettier, the hits are harder and the players are giving it their all, every second they are on the ice. Make no mistake about it; every single NHL player wants to win the Stanley Cup more than anything in the world.
3) What Else Are You Going To Watch ?
March Madness is over, the two-day 1,000 pick NFL Draft has just concluded, the novelty of a new baseball season has seeped away, and, let’s admit it, the NBA playoffs aren’t entertaining until the Finals. So what better reason to tune in to the excitement of the newly improved NHL, with the best teams in the league fighting tooth and nail for hockey supremacy? The lack of sporting excitement at this time of year means you’ll miss nothing if you occasionally tune to the hockey postseason.
Since you’re now convinced to watch the playoffs, I hope you enjoy them as much as I surely will. Let’s help bring hockey back to being the fourth major American sport.
Now that I think of it, the NHL should really hire me as their marketing director. I’m sending in my resume today.
 |
We know, the NHL broke your heart last season. So you've stayed away out of pride. But Lev Elgudin says it's time to come on back. Don't let a little betrayal ruin your chance to see the best hockey of the year...it's playoff time.
 |
I know what you’re thinking. It’s a dead sport. It’s boring, hard to watch and is never on TV anyway. You change the channel to an old episode of Fresh Prince when highlights are on Sportcenter, and you agree when Stephen A. says that quite frankly, nobody cares.
So I’m here to tell you to give it a chance. Give hockey (and peace) a chance. The new and improved NHL is worth watching, especially now that we’re entering the best time of the year, playoff time.
Back in the days of Gretzky and before Mario Lemieux left the game for the first time, hockey was considered a major sport. A lack of scoring, dwindling star power, and the lockout have knocked it from the public consciousness. It now ranks far below NASCAR and golf in fans’ minds, and can’t be found on mainstream television (it’s national television carrier is actually OLN). And while NHL teams have slashed ticket prices and created new promotions to bring fans back to the game, but their best hope for luring back the occasional fan are the playoff battles looming in less than three weeks. Here are three reasons to work a little harder to find OLN on your cable system, and switch from the meaningless baseball blowout you were watching to the hockey playoffs, which begin on April 21st.
1) The Players
Simply put, these are the best hockey players in the world. By far. And the playoffs put the best of the best on display. During the regular season, cycles four lines throughout the game, the latter two with little actual skill. In the playoffs, it’s basically the top two lines, filled with skill players, and occasionally the third line for a change of pace. No goons, just skill and scoring. The playoffs are basically a game of highlight reel moves, saves and goals. With the new rules in place that prevent obstruction, the game’s stars have been given more room to operate, and have thrived as a result. Expect that to increase come playoff time when every player realizes he’s playing not only for a title, but also for immortality in his sport.
And don’t forget the goaltending. The playoffs have seen some of the most dominating goaltending performances of all time; a hot goalie can carry a Cinderella team deep into the playoffs on his back. Remember when J.S. Giguere carried the 7th seed Anaheim Mighty Ducks within one game of the Stanley Cup finals? He started the conference finals with three straight shutouts, and gave up only one goal in the entire series. The playoffs are filled with these types of performances, and the wide-open 2006 playoffs should provide them in spades.
2) The Intensity
In the playoffs, everything is magnified. Every inch of ice is struggled for, every puck fought for, every goal battled for. The passes are crisper, the goals are prettier, the hits are harder and the players are giving it their all, every second they are on the ice. Make no mistake about it; every single NHL player wants to win the Stanley Cup more than anything in the world.
3) What Else Are You Going To Watch ?
March Madness is over, the two-day 1,000 pick NFL Draft has just concluded, the novelty of a new baseball season has seeped away, and, let’s admit it, the NBA playoffs aren’t entertaining until the Finals. So what better reason to tune in to the excitement of the newly improved NHL, with the best teams in the league fighting tooth and nail for hockey supremacy? The lack of sporting excitement at this time of year means you’ll miss nothing if you occasionally tune to the hockey postseason.
Since you’re now convinced to watch the playoffs, I hope you enjoy them as much as I surely will. Let’s help bring hockey back to being the fourth major American sport.
Now that I think of it, the NHL should really hire me as their marketing director. I’m sending in my resume today.
Lev Elgudin is a big hockey fan, and laments the game’s poor stature in America. He can be reached for hockey encouragement at lev.elgudin@atomicsportsmedia.com