Good Sunday to you ACC fans,
I know very few of you readers out there actually care about the NHL playoffs. Let’s be honest, the majority of the ACC resides in areas where the NHL has little or no impact on the sports landscape. There are a few exceptions, Pittsburgh, Boston, Syracuse, and Washington (I add Washington because of the proximity to Va Tech and UVA). I understand this, and understand that from a business sense the American sporting public cares very little about the NHL (citing the numbers released by Awful Announcing an average of 829,000 viewers per game over all platforms).
I LOVE playoff hockey! There I said it! I admit it! I believe that through out the entire playoff structure of the NHL you will see the purest form of hokey. There is very little goonery that mars the regular season. I will admit, I am not a fan of fighting in the NHL. I understand the reasoning for it, you can’t allow your star players to get cheap shots in the slot or in the corners Unless your Chris Neil of Ottawa who took a terribly stupid penalty on Saturday because he thought a cheap shot was taken but it wasn’t. It cost his team a powerplay and because of his stupid, selfish act it turned into a 4 on 4. But this kind of play is a rarity in the playoffs. I’m not saying there isn’t hitting, but most of it is legal (as a Penguins fan, I won’t go into the hit that put the best player in the NHL on the sidelines for Game 4).
The speed and skill that is on display in these playoffs is second to none. These guys are blocking 60-65 mile an hour slap shots. If you have never felt the weight of a rubber hockey puck, let me tell you, it’s dense and I wouldn’t get in front of one! The movement of these players, the ability to start and stop on a dime! And remember, THEY ARE ON SKATES! These guys have hand-eye coordination that rivals NO ONE!
The play is fast and furious and the hitting is intense! The technology has made watching the NHL so much easier! You can follow the puck without that stupid streak that Fox tried in the late 1990’s, (for those who remember that you can remember how annoying that was).
When you take out the fighting, add in the speed, skill and intensive play the NHL playoffs are the best when taken as a whole. In the NBA you rarely see and 8 seed beat a 1. The NBA has a predictability that has turned me off years ago! You can usually guess guess what 2 teams will meet in the finals In the NFL the playoffs aren’t best of seven. In the NHL they are hitting each other with a fierceness that is unrivaled and the match-ups are mostly competitive!
I would love to be on a podcast with Matt and Jeff talking hockey, however I understand that is not realistic because of the nature of the NHL and how most American sports fans do not care. I get it, I really do! But if I could ask a favor of all of those who have never watched a playoff hockey game. Just watch 1 period, I won’t even ask for an entire period, watch 10 minutes! Watch Edmonton who is a fast young hungry team with the SECOND BEST PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE Connor McDavid! Next season check in on Toronto, who has Auston Matthews, who is an American player who is from Phoenix who was the 1st overall pick and will probably be the rookie of the year! Watch Sidney Crosby vs Ovechkin (however it doesn’t seem like the Great 8 has played more like the Average 8 in this series).
I implore you guys, to give playoff hockey a shot. It is not like regular season hockey! The drama builds throughout the 60 minutes of play! And the scoring of goals only builds the drama up and doesn’t release it! THIS IS THE GREATEST PLAYOFFS AVAILABLE TO US!!! Please, don’t miss out…..
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