Hockey is my game, and I am reluctant to give the NFL credit for anything, as today’s football bears little resemblance to the game that I grew up loving. But credit must be given when credit is due.
The NFL’s latest idea of making the extra point attempt more unpredictable and difficult is a classic example of the league’s perpetual ability to create more excitement and entertainment for its fans without handcuffing itself to an obsolete past.
The NFL has always demonstrated the ability to adapt and change. NFL kickers, like NHL goaltenders, have become too good. But while the NHL sits and does nothing as goaltenders dominate the game with unfair advantages, the NFL is ripping the game away from its deadly accurate kickers with solutions that turn a boring play into one of suspense.
The NFL has even discussed making the goalposts narrower to make field goals more challenging. The NHL, on the other hand, screams “GET OFF MY POND!” when it comes to discussions of making the net bigger to compensate for today’s huge goalies and their XL sized equipment.
There is no better illustration of why the NFL dominates and the NHL remains a niche sport in the USA.
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Where is Hockey’s Bill Walsh?
Most of the great football coaches in history are all known for their brilliant offensive minds and schemes. Sid Gilman, Hank Stram, Bill Walsh and Chip Kelly come to mind as head coaches that set the tone with offense. Walsh in particular revolutionized the game with the brilliant West Coast Offense.
Yet, in hockey, just the opposite is the case. Coaches do not create but instead suffocate. Detroit Red Wings coach Mike Babcock is celebrated as the best bench boss today and yet much of his style is based on structure, shutting down the opposition, and suffocating the life and creativity out of his own players.
Babcock won a Gold Medal with Canada at last year’s Olympics based on playing keep away rather than creating an attack oriented offense. He benched P.K Subban for the most important Olympic Games because he could not turn the exciting and creative Montreal defenseman into a ruined drone.
If Babcock is really all that, why doesn’t he develop an offense that can break down today’s structure and defense-first tactics?
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Creativity in a Fog
Perhaps one of the few NHL coaches in history that attempted to develop some sort of creative offensive system was Fred “The Fog” Shero.
Shero led the Philadelphia Flyers to back to back Stanley Cup championships in 1974 and 1975. The Flyers were the first expansion team ever to win the Stanley Cup.
While known as the Broad Street Bullies, the Flyers also played a Shero system that was based on the beautiful offensive creativity of the famed Soviet Red Army teams. Shero actually went to the Soviet Union to study their systems and tactics and then built his own style based on his research.
Perhaps such a unique and creative coaching style is what kept Shero out of the Hockey Hall of Fame until 24 years after his death. Nothing freaks out the insular members of the Cave of Clods like creative ideas.
Sun Coast Offense?
Could Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper be the answer to today’s void of offensive creativity? There are signs that he is different from the rest of the pack. Cooper relates really well with his players as a superb and positive communicator.
The Lightning are the top scoring team in the NHL and play with exciting fair. Obviously, Cooper was dealt a very good hand with offensive talent such as Steven Stamkos, Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, Anton Stralman, and Victor Hedman. But Cooper, unlike Babcock, unleashes this talent instead of suffocating it into drones.
Not Rating on TV
The St. Louis Blues and Detroit Red Wings 1-1 regulation score failed to entice March Madness basketball fans from changing the channel on March 22. The game garnered a pathetic 0.6 rating on NBC. Americans continue to find other sports options that are not advertising themselves to be “shutdown” leagues. Hmm, why could that be?
NBC is going the extra mile for the NHL and will televise three playoff games in prime time before the Stanley Cup Final. It’s a great opportunity that will likely be blown due to low scoring games.
