This year's Stanley Cup was a classic. It was truly one of the most memorable Cup Finals most people have witnessed. Three games of the six game series went to overtime. The first game went into triple overtime, however it was only the fifth longest Stanley Cup finals game ever. Nonetheless, the Finals went down as some of the best hockey ever played.
This series was really one for the ages because of the suspense. The twists and turns occurred every minute. Perhaps the most memorable game in the series was the last. Two goals in less than a minute with seconds left in the game explain fully why the Blackhawks are Stanley Cup champions. With a team filled with great players such as Jonathon Toews, Brent Seabrook, Duncan Keith, Patrick Kane, the Hawks were destined to win. Perhaps the best part of the Finals was what happened after. The Hawks taking a full page ad in the Boston Globe to express gratitude to the people of Boston. Now that's hockey.
Hockey comes and goes with the season. Now, we'll have the normal season, with the winter classic, the Olympics and everything in between. But as long as there's heat, there's no hockey.
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Surprise on Ice
The NHL playoffs have been satisfyingly entertaining so far. There's been plenty of suspense, adversity, and good hockey. Super powers aligned in the conference finals; the four remaining teams have each won a cup in the last four years. The two match ups were fast. The Bruins surprised the Penguins with a sweep, and the Blackhawks beat the defending champions in five games. Despite the dominance of the two teams there was plenty to talk about both about this point in hockey as well as the future of hockey.
Tactically, it was apparent that fourth lines come in handy. The Blackhawks' fourth line was what set them apart. Also, being big wasn't the only deciding factor in the series. As exhibited by the final goal of the Chicago-LA series, you had to be fast to be competitive. But the biggest tactical observation I made is that your individual attributes have to be adequately diverse. In other words, you can't have good stick skills but not hit. It's hit or be hit in the NHL. Hitting is a sign of mental dominance more than physical dominance. If all you're doing is being hit, there's no way to score. That being said, you have to be able to skate and take advantage of break-aways. It's the ability to have a balance of assets that set players apart.
The shorter season has made hockey a lot more popular, as far as this year goes. However, throughout much of the playoffs, the NHL has failed to have its game aired on a major network (i.e. NBC). Instead, more games than not have been aired on the NBC Sports Network, a more minor channel. A lot of this is because hockey isn't considered an American sport. The games are expensive. Also, while every town, large or small, has a football field, only the larger cities and the northern small towns have hockey rinks. It's hard to be into a sport that you haven't grown up with. However, this seems to be changing quickly. Artificial ice substitutes are making ice more accessible. As ice and hockey in general becomes more widely accessible, hockey equipment, such as pads, skates and sticks, will come down in price. The future of hockey seems bright...for now.
The Stanley Cup is tight, and it will make hockey all the more popular. Meanwhile, innovation is making hockey cheaper, and more accessible. Greater accessibility will lead to more popularity. That's good news for hockey, and even better news for the NHL.
Tactically, it was apparent that fourth lines come in handy. The Blackhawks' fourth line was what set them apart. Also, being big wasn't the only deciding factor in the series. As exhibited by the final goal of the Chicago-LA series, you had to be fast to be competitive. But the biggest tactical observation I made is that your individual attributes have to be adequately diverse. In other words, you can't have good stick skills but not hit. It's hit or be hit in the NHL. Hitting is a sign of mental dominance more than physical dominance. If all you're doing is being hit, there's no way to score. That being said, you have to be able to skate and take advantage of break-aways. It's the ability to have a balance of assets that set players apart.
The shorter season has made hockey a lot more popular, as far as this year goes. However, throughout much of the playoffs, the NHL has failed to have its game aired on a major network (i.e. NBC). Instead, more games than not have been aired on the NBC Sports Network, a more minor channel. A lot of this is because hockey isn't considered an American sport. The games are expensive. Also, while every town, large or small, has a football field, only the larger cities and the northern small towns have hockey rinks. It's hard to be into a sport that you haven't grown up with. However, this seems to be changing quickly. Artificial ice substitutes are making ice more accessible. As ice and hockey in general becomes more widely accessible, hockey equipment, such as pads, skates and sticks, will come down in price. The future of hockey seems bright...for now.
The Stanley Cup is tight, and it will make hockey all the more popular. Meanwhile, innovation is making hockey cheaper, and more accessible. Greater accessibility will lead to more popularity. That's good news for hockey, and even better news for the NHL.
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