Every now and then, people disagree with me. On top of that, some of my readers (a very small margin) just aren't smart enough to understand me the first time. So today, I'm mailing it in, because the Sports Gospel is to be enjoyed by everyone, not just the intelligent. Today's mailbag is dedicated to the NHL (a topic I haven't covered much lately). If you have issues you want addressed or want to make an appearance in a future mailbag column, drop me a line at [email protected].
Mark,Larry
What's your take on the new CBA for the NHL? I think that the year off will do a world of good for the NHL and will make it stronger in the long run. Can we ever regain our spot as the fourth major sport, or have we, gasp, been passed by NASCAR forever?
Larry, as an avid hockey fan, I have done more than my fair share of worrying the past year. Among other things, I worried that the lockout would ruin the future of the sport, I worried that hockey would lose the casual fan because of the lockout, I worried about what hockey needed to do to fix the league and I worried that hockey was going to lose its respect from the national media. Now that the NHL is back, I'm done worrying for awhile.
Some things were done right in the new CBA, some things were done wrong. The big issue, the cap, was settled and the game is stronger now because of the lockout. As far as NASCAR goes, it will be a long time before we can catch up to it. But you know what? I can live with that. I am done worrying and I'm just ready to enjoy hockey again.
If the mainstream media still wants to take shots at it and claim poker is a more popular sport (poker as a sport is laughable), fine. If fans want to boycott games because of how they handled things, they are welcome to it. If people want to complain about how hockey is too violent for them or what else they are doing wrong, screw them.
I will always be a hockey fan and I'm thrilled the game is back. All I'm going to do this season is attend as many games as I can and just enjoy it. I will worry about the declining TV numbers or over-expansion in the offseason.
Mark,Joe
As a lifelong Pens fan I love the fact that we got Sidney. I feel confident in saying he will be better than Gretzky and he will make more than a few people forget about the lockout. I know the whole thing about not counting chickens before they hatch, but mark my words, Crosby will go down as one of the savior of hockey.
Joe, techincally, what you are doing isn't counting your chickens before they hatch, but rather counting the great great, great, grandchicks of the possible poultry. I can mark your words until I'm blue in the face, but Crosby won't be better than Gretzky. It just isn't happening. Will he break some of his records? Maybe, but only because the rule changes will make the game more open, so I would put an asterisk next to any of the Great One's records Crosby breaks.
I know most hockey fans are all over Crosby's jock, but I've already seen one LeBron James in my lifetime, I don't know that I will see another. I think the pressure is going to be too much for him and I can't see how he will be able to live up to it. He's not going to immediately dominate the game or even be the best player on his team. In time Crosby will be great, but I just don't see him being the all-time great. I hope I'm wrong, because hockey sure could use someone like Gretzky. This is an interesting question because back in November, long before we had the new CBA, I wrote a column about how Crosby will be the savior of hockey.
The league will be fixed for the better and the result will be a more open game, which will play right into Crosby's strengths. The Pittsburgh Penguins have a great shot at having that pick and would immediately christen him as the next [Mario] Lemieux. In addition to the Crosby factor, the NHL still has a deep group of young superstars who are ready to blossom.
There will be doubters. There will be haters. There will be those who say that there is no way Crosby can live up to the hype. There will be those who say that one player cannot revive the league. And, naturally, there will still be those ignorant sports "journalists" who try to convince everyone that they shouldn't care about hockey.
"The one thing they will share in common? They will all be wrong." — Sports Gospel, 11/09/04
To be honest, I don't know how I knew the Pens would pick up Crosby, but the fact that I was so sure of it nine months ago means that it must have been completely rigged. I want Crosby to be great. I want him to succeed. But, I'm just not feeling it. Oh well, I warned you about people like me nine months ago, so we're square (nothing like being on both sides of an argument.)
Mark,Tom
I just saw that Todd Bertuzzi has been reinstated, how stupid is the NHL? This guy should be banned from all competitive sports and deported to France for his cheap shot. This is the last thing hockey needs, what a complete joke. This is the last straw for me.
Tom, deported to France? How does that make any sense? That aside, I would originally agree with you, but I'm okay with his reinstatement. I only approve of it because I think hockey needs a good villain. Bertuzzi can turn into a modern day Ogie Oglethorpe. What Bertuzzi did pisses me off as a hockey fan, and I would hope that players around the league share my position. It's going to be a good season, but it would be even better if I got to watch Bertuzzi get smacked around in every arena he visited.
Bottom line, it was a cheap shot, but it wasn't the worst shot I've seen. Heck, even in football you have players on defense who try every play to injure players on the other team. I don't get any satisfaction from him sitting on the bench, but I would like to see him get knocked around a few times.
That's it this week, if you want to be in the mailbag, drop an e-mail to [email protected].
The Sports Gospel According to Mark is sponsored by BetOnSports.com. BetOnSports.com gives you the greatest sports action to bet on. Wager on football, cricket, boxing, Rugby, horse racing, and more. Mark Chalifoux is also a weekly columnist for SportsFan Magazine. His columns appear every Tuesday on Sports Central. You can e-mail Mark at [email protected].
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