Larry Opines:

> alley you can't beat em on the ice". Sad to say the best and  purest
hockey
> ever played was by the Soviet National Team. I would think  that many
of us
> who like college hockey is that college hockey with no  offsides pass;
no
> fighting; emphasizes skill and finesse. The NHL with  clutching and
grabbing
> and premediated goonery cannot grow beyond the WWF part of  the
audience.

Very interesting observation.  Whether the Soviet team played the purest
hockey or not is open to question.  But your points are well taken.  NHL
is not as exciting as college because of those rules, yet it seems what
turns fans on at all levels is the hard, even brutal (but clean) check.
There are a lot of college fans (I am not one of them) who want to see
automatic icing without touchup taken off so they can see those mad
dashes down the ice with, in some cases, a major hit against the boards.
I like to see physical play too, but I would rather see all rinks be
mandated to Olympic size to be legal (yes, I know the financial problems
that would cause) which would emphasize passing and skating over hitting
as well as refs who would call penalties when they see them.

*Warning:  Rant mode ON

Let me clarify what I mean by that last part.  There is one aspect of
refereeing I do not understand and never will, yet know I am in a
minority:  If its a penalty, call it - and be just as ready to call it
with 5 minutes to go in the 3rd period as you were with 5 minutes gone
in the first.  The concept of "letting the game be decided by the
players" is utter nonsense.  What you are really saying is "let the game
be decided by whichever team is able to get away with more illegal
action."  There are rules in hockey.  Enforce them and you will have a
more exciting game; sluff them off and you start to approach the NHL.

*Rant mode OFF

Just an opinion, of course.

Tom Rowe                            UWSP dept of Psych
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Home of Division III National Champion Pointers
89, 90, 91 & 93 and National Runners-up 92 & 98
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