The dog days of August are upon us and around the National Hockey League all is quiet , not a creature is stirring except for Brian Burke. Why is this man allowed to be such a strong voice in the NHL?He is a man of contradiction as he pleads his case for safe hockey…after assembling the dirtiest defense in the NHL this side of Philly.
The Hockey Summit is taking place as the talking heads toss rule changes around to make hockey a better game. Do you want to make hockey a better game…?Then here’s how you do it….
- Take out the instigator rule.Let tough guys take on tough guys to protect the stars without any repercussions such as game misconducts.
- Take out the shoot-out. Sixty minutes of a well fought contest should not be decided by divas.
- Take out overtime. Why shouldn’t two teams that compete to a draw both walk away with a point?
- Allow defencemen to be defencemen. If a man comes into the slot then he must pay the price.This would allow 15 goal scorers to remain 15 goal scorers and in turn they will be paid as such.
- Bring hockey into markets where there are fans that don’t need cheerleaders to enjoy the game.
- Allow characters into the game.Make it fun and introduce players from around the league to fans around the league.A televised “Showdown’ that we had in the seventies would let us see the players up close and then you also have the shoot-out.Best of both worlds.
- No offense to America but…put someone in charge who is Canadian and has played the game.
- Less talk and analyzing the damn game.Less talk about money and more about plays and goals.(see Showdown)
Now – to lighten the mood as the NHL should….here is a list of the top twenty hockey quotes that I have come across in my forty – four years following the game…
“Hockey is the only job I know where you get paid to have a nap on the day of the game.” – Chico Resch
”We take the shortest route to the puck and arrive in ill humor.” – Bobby Clarke
”You miss 100% of the shots you never take.” – Wayne Gretzky
”I don’t like hockey. I’m just good at it.” – Brett Hull
”Playing goal is like being shot at.” – Jacques Plante
”I skate to where the puck is going to be, not to where it has been.” – Wayne Gretzky
“”Half the game is mental, the other half is being mental.” – Jim Mckenny
If you’ve only got one day to live, come see the Toronto Maple Leafs. It’ll seem like forever. ” Unknown.
“I can’t hear what Jeremy is saying, my two Stanley Cup rings are blocking my ears.” Patrick Roy.
”I know my players don’t like my practices, but that’s OK because I don’t like their games.” – Harry Neale.
”Hockey is like a disease, you can’t really shake it.” – Goaltender Ken Wregget
By the age of 18, the average American has witnessed 200,000 acts of violence on television, most of them occurring during Game 1 of the NHL playoff series. ~Steve Rushin
How would you like a job where, every time you make a mistake, a big red light goes on and 18,000 people boo? ~Jacques Plante
Street hockey is great for kids. It’s energetic, competitive, and skillful. And best of all it keeps them off the street. ~Author Unknown
Don’t go through life without goals. ~Hockey Saying
All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity. ~Gordie Howe
I went to a fight the other night and a hockey game broke out. ~Rodney Dangerfield
We get nose jobs all the time in the NHL, and we don’t even have to go to the hospital. ~Brad Park
“When I was a kid, I used to pray the Lord to make me a Hockey player. But I forgot to mention the NHL, so I spent 16 years in the minors!” Don Cherry
“In Canada, you’re not a hockey player until you’ve lost some teeth.”
Andy Bathgate
I hoped you enjoyed them and remember – keep your sticks on the ice….!