[OT] NHL Stanley Cup Finals

[Agamon]

I can't believe you folks are still wittering on about this none event, especially after the USA beat Portugal 3-2 yesterday which puts them in a good chance of getting through to the next round.

I hear the only US media coverage of the match was by a Spanish language TV station.

Just in case you are still completely clueless as to how amazing a win that was for the USA; Portugal lost to France in the Euro 2000 finals, France are the current holders of the World Cup. Portugal are in fact pretty good. USA had the joint worst record in the last France '98.

Reminds me...anyone listen to The Jungle on Wednseday? I used to hate Jim Rome, but man, he cracks me up on that show!

God Bless America!

Edit: BTW, "Non-event"? Of course it's a non-event for you, you're from the UK. An asteroid on a collision course with Earth would be a non-event compared the all-mighty World Cup for you Brits.

 

[tleilaxu]

i think some people (europeans) like to point to america's soccer apathy as evidence that americans are basically uncultured yokels.

 

[Welverin]

Originally posted by Nightfall Hell of a game by both teams, but I definately think Detroit controlled most of that third period. That's why they won it. I still am shocked at Brindamor's goal. I didn't think he had that kind of hands. (And trust me I KNOW since he's never been a pure offensive minded guy, at least not for the Flyers!) Still it was a good and timely goal.

He shows flashes on occasion. Guess you forgot about his two shorties on one power play before he got released from hell.

Lady Dragon

Originally posted by Lady Dragon As to the world cup.Why are europeans so concerned about what americans think about world cup soccer.Just be glad we don't care and go on.Americans like watching sports with exicitment and scoring.Soccer is a childrens game here.

When the world cup came here 8 years ago we were amazed at how boring it was.Whats up with a sport that throws cards at people and throws players on stretchers so they won't have to stop the clock.Thank god they don't stop the clock its boring enough.

First of all no one watched because the game started at 5:00 am on the east coast (the Disney Syndicate has been showing quite a few games as evidenced by this).
If Americans dislike soccer because it?s boring, which I disagree with, how do you explain baseball, golf and to a lesser extent basketball? I?d guess that people who think it?s boring just don?t understand the game, and if they don?t understand they?re not interested and if they?re not interested they?re not paying attention. If you?re not paying attention you?re just sitting there doing nothing and that?s boring.
One last thing, how can a hockey fan hold a lack of scoring against any sport?

 

[madriel]

My boss is a huge soccer fan and a former player himself. He's been getting up and watching the games at 5 am.

I've been trying to get into it, but it's hard to learn a game from scratch. I understand now what it must have been like for Americans in Texas, Tennessee et al when they landed NHL expansion teams. The announcers oh and ah over a play and I haven't a clue what just happened.

 

[Welverin]

I've been trying to get into it, but it's hard to learn a game from scratch. I understand now what it must have been like for Americans in Texas, Tennessee et al when they landed NHL expansion teams. The announcers oh and ah over a play and I haven't a clue what just happened.

I think this is one of the major reasons for the NHL's lake of popularity south of the border. Most people in this country just don't understand the game and how can you like a game you can?t understand? Plus it just works better in person than on TV (hopefully HDTV will change this for the better some day).

 

[Desdichado]

Welveren:
First of all no one watched because the game started at 5:00 am on the east coast (the Disney Syndicate has been showing quite a few games as evidenced by this).
If Americans dislike soccer because it?s boring, which I disagree with, how do you explain baseball, golf and to a lesser extent basketball? I?d guess that people who think it?s boring just don?t understand the game, and if they don?t understand they?re not interested and if they?re not interested they?re not paying attention. If you?re not paying attention you?re just sitting there doing nothing and that?s boring.
One last thing, how can a hockey fan hold a lack of scoring against any sport?

That's completely untrue. Almost everyone in the US plays soccor as a kid, so saying we don't understand the game is BS. It's just a relatively boring game for most folks. Even I think so, and relatively speaking, I'm a soccor fan.

Baseball isn't as boring as soccor because there's a lot of things happening at once and it's very strategic, golf some people like to watch because they're also avid golf players (not really very many people watch golf, though, in my experience) and backetball is hardly boring: someone scores every few minutes.

And hockey is interesting in spite of fewer scores, because people are always getting roughed up. That's why Americans like football too.

 

[Tom Cashel]

Mitch Albom gave a little editorial during the 6-7:30 Sportscenter last night, in which he wondered why hockey couldn't generate the same kind of fan base as the NBA or NFL. He quickly dispelled the notion that violence is "the albatross around the neck of the NHL," because if that were the case, how would you explain the popularity of the NFL, Boxing, or even the WWF?

Americans like violence in sports just fine. Mitch claims it's the lack of superstars that makes hockey "boring" to non-fans. There aren't any Gretzkys in the NHL. The solid players that are looked up to by teammates are players like Steve Yzerman and Ron Francis, who keep their heads down and quietly go about the workmanlike business of playing great hockey.

Mitch Albom went on to say that the NHL doesn't want a Dennis Rodman or a John Rocker. Players who seek the spotlight are not in demand. "The ice is white, the puck is black, and the players remain gray," or something to that effect.

I'm not sure if that's the whole story, but he certainly makes some valid points. What do you think?

 

[Lady Dragon]

Welverin I've got news for you Americans wouldn't watch it if it were on during prime time.They just don't care and don't say we don't understand the game whats to understand its a simple game and our children all play it so we go watch them.

Europeans should be glad we don't care.If they got there wish and suddenly we cared we would start leagues over here and steal all of there best players just like we do in Hockey.And we would beat them on and international level if all of our best atheletes became soccer players instead of whatever they are doing now.But they don't have anything to worry about.

 

[Quickbeam]

Hey, I'm a Habs fan cheering for the Canes, too. The Canes are a great young team, I liked them before the playoffs started and cheered for them over NJ and the much-hated Leafs, too. Just because the Canes ended up on top against my favorite team doesn't mean I all of a sudden hate them.

OTOH, let's say we're in Bizzaro world, and the Bruins got past the Habs, and they were the ones in the final. I wouldn't only be cheering for Detroit, I'd be screaming for Chelly to leave a bloody trail behind him. But that's just me...

You're my kind of fan Agamon .

 

[Quickbeam]

My usual rapid-fire remarks before I have to check outta here for the day:

1) I hope those two goals 13 seconds apart last night signal the beginning of the end for the unlfappable 'Canes confidence. I'd love those two slapshots to be the harbingers of Carolina doom !!

2) Bagpuss -- I post hockey comments here, and soccer comments in the World Cup thread. ESPN2 has shown all the games, and living near Canada I can also see them on CBC. Also, what stations do you watch for US television? Because I've had no problem getting Team USA or World Cup news in general. I'm not a big soccer fan, but I love the World Cup for the same reasons I love the Olympics -- people from everywhere swelling with joyful national pride and the truly global feel of the event. It's a beautiful thing.
Europeans should accept that soccer will likely never be an overly popular sport in the States, but so what? I'd love to see this country go crazy at World Cup time like we do for the Super Bowl, but if it never happens I'm fine rooting with a handful of other interested observers.

3) I think hockey's biggest problem in gaining the same level of acceptance as football, basketball, etc, is simple: the cost of equipment and ice arena availability. Kids may be able to play street hockey pretty cheap, but finding open ice without getting up at 5:00am and keeping your kids in skates and gear is expensive. Since many people never play hockey, their interest level is lower than it might otherwise be. The converse of this theory is soccer which many kids in the US play, but lose interest in quickly because it's perceived as a children's game and has less immediate gratification in terms of scoring. Just my thoughts.