MyDetroitHockey.Net Blogs: mike7psu

As I again hear rumblings that the nets should be bigger, more penalties should be called, and expansion to more markets. I can't help myself than to comment on what I would do to make the game better.

First off, hockey is hockey. There is a reason why its not the top sport in the USA. Mostly because when 95% of the US population is growing up they are not putting on skates at 5am. When you look at your local parks, you see a baseball diamond, a basketball court, and a football field. It is not often you see a pond, or a rink unless your in the very north of the country. This makes hockey a luxury sport, similar to golf. It's expensive to play, and thus is not played by the average person. So don't expect to attract the audience that knows nothing and cares nothing about hockey. There is a reason why the Stanley Cup Playoffs have the feel that they do. Similar to rowdy soccer fans, hockey fans will kill themselves over their teams misfortunes. I recall myself driving from State College, PA to Ottawa for a playoff game, just to drive back that same day to Pittsburgh for Game 4 the next afternoon. The real NHL fans do not need Fox's glowing puck, or Versus in game interviews with coaches that would rather be talking to his team. What we would rather see is a good breakout pass, a nice backcheck, or a scrappy fight(not staged as is about every fight these days). So my number 1 change would be for the NHL to worry about the real fans for a change and not general public. Put the NHL back on ESPN, and add more commentators that know hockey not just know how to talk.