2019-2020 NHL Thread

[Bates]

That women's 3-on-3 was the best part of the night. So much skill!

I'd love to see 2 women on each all-star team. Co-ed games. You know the women would be trying hard, it'd bring up the level of play on the men to keep pace, plus it'd be fun.

That could get rather embarrassing for the girls. There arent anywhere near NHL caliber.

Yeah, I'm not so sure, especially in the context of an all-star game.

The level isn't close. I play rec hockey with a team Canada player,  we are Div 4 averaging about 40 years old and never played at high level. She can't outskate me. There have been massive improvement to the women's game but if NHL players dont ease up greatly the girls would look like kids against them.

Easing up... have you watched an All-Star game?

It's not men and women, it'll be men+women against men+women. The fact you play with women you're much better than suggests the NHL'ers could as well.

Also, I'm guessing you can outskate Coyne Schofield too.  8)

I think you are missing my point. The women are good, the women playing women games are good.  Trying to sell your product and proving it's inferior just isnt good. I doubt I can out skate Kendal but I would bet you most of the NHL allstars could when they were presented with the possibility of being embarrassed. And every single one of them are significantly better at playing hockey.

 

[Frank E]

It's the All-Star Game.  It's pond shinny hockey at best.

The girls would be just fine.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I doubt I can out skate Kendal

lmao

 

[dappleganger]

I doubt I can out skate Kendal

lmao

I dunno, maybe Bates is faster than Clayton Keller?  :-\

 

[Bates]

I doubt I can out skate Kendal

lmao

I dunno, maybe Bates is faster than Clayton Keller?  :-\

Probably

 

[Guilt Trip]

That women's 3-on-3 was the best part of the night. So much skill!

I'd love to see 2 women on each all-star team. Co-ed games. You know the women would be trying hard, it'd bring up the level of play on the men to keep pace, plus it'd be fun.

That could get rather embarrassing for the girls. There arent anywhere near NHL caliber.

Yeah, I'm not so sure, especially in the context of an all-star game.

The level isn't close. I play rec hockey with a team Canada player,  we are Div 4 averaging about 40 years old and never played at high level. She can't outskate me. There have been massive improvement to the women's game but if NHL players dont ease up greatly the girls would look like kids against them.

Easing up... have you watched an All-Star game?

It's not men and women, it'll be men+women against men+women. The fact you play with women you're much better than suggests the NHL'ers could as well.

Also, I'm guessing you can outskate Coyne Schofield too.  8)
 

I'm with Bates on this one. The game was fun for what it is.

 

[Zee]

I enjoy women's hockey, the Olympic tournament is great, but I don't get why they were part of the NHL all star game. Maybe it's just me but they've supposed to be promoting the NHL, not women's hockey. Unless they're looking to start a WNHL league similar to the WNBA I don't see the point of it.

 

[Kin]

Unless they're looking to start a WNHL league similar to the WNBA I don't see the point of it.

There's a ton of talk that that's exactly what is being discussed. Either way it's broadly in the NHL's interest to support the Women's game.

 

[Bullfrog]

It's the All-Star Game.  It's pond shinny hockey at best.

The girls would be just fine.

Seriously. The women would be absolutely fine in an all star game. These are the best women hockey players in the world.

John Scott was fine in an all star game.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Just watched the replay of the women's game (it's on youtube if anyone is interested). I was actually surprised how competitive it was. More intensity, defence, and honestly physicality than we're used to in all-star games.

 

[Hobbes]

Just watched the replay of the women's game (it's on youtube if anyone is interested). I was actually surprised how competitive it was. More intensity, defence, and honestly physicality than we're used to in all-star games.

More at stake in two ways...

Canada-USA women have a long-standing rivalry that is probably akin to original 6 rivalries were back before expansion...they have a serious hate on for one another and under no circumstance would either team want to lose to the other

Plus they're playing for their hockey lives, in a way. This was one of the best possible platforms for them to showcase the women's game to a huge audience and they want to look at good as possible to attract the necessary interest (and investors) to be able to make a legitimate go of it. They're lobbying the NHL pretty hard to be the organizing body for their sport in the future so they needed this event to be the biggest hit possible.

I think they acquitted themselves very well. It was by far the most entertaining portion of the evening and if they regularly broadcast professional women's hockey I'd happily watch it. I'm really hoping they garner enough interest to get a new pro league started with perhaps 6 or 8 teams. The NBA is way ahead of the curve in this area and is doing extremely well these days with the WNBA, which has a beneficial effect all the way down to the grass roots level.

 

[Bates]

When the NHL agrees to fund the next Wonen's League they need to limit the number of teams so that they are truly elite. Then put a little pressure on the networks to broadcast some games. I think it is sellable but it needs to be the best of the best from the start.

 

[L K]

Why are we back to the puck tracking of the 90s.  This looks horrible

 

[L K]

Calling borderline offsides in an all star game.  The NHL sure has the best on making hockey exciting.

 

[ZBBM]

Calling borderline offsides in an all star game.  The NHL sure has the best on making hockey exciting.

That was eye-rolling.

 

[Hobbes]

Has Tkachuk killed anyone yet?

 

[OldTimeHockey]

I enjoy women's hockey, the Olympic tournament is great, but I don't get why they were part of the NHL all star game. Maybe it's just me but they've supposed to be promoting the NHL, not women's hockey. Unless they're looking to start a WNHL league similar to the WNBA I don't see the point of it.

Perhaps because the NHL sees an opportunity to help out women in the sport they are supposed to be the leader in. Increasing viewership in hockey is the goal of the NHL. I can tell you that I haven't watched the All Star game (and more specifically the skills competition) in approximately 20 years. It's a circus that makes a mockery of the game. I tuned into the women's game. Many people did that never have even watched before. That women's game was a lot more entertaining than the Men's game on Saturday. It was a heck of a lot more entertaining than Hertl skating down the ice with a Bieber mask on. I'd be willing to bet that viewership was up for this all star game specifically because of the women's participation.

I guess the question I have for you is why wouldn't they help? A bigger question, what does it matter to you?

 

[Zee]

I enjoy women's hockey, the Olympic tournament is great, but I don't get why they were part of the NHL all star game. Maybe it's just me but they've supposed to be promoting the NHL, not women's hockey. Unless they're looking to start a WNHL league similar to the WNBA I don't see the point of it.

Perhaps because the NHL sees an opportunity to help out women in the sport they are supposed to be the leader in. Increasing viewership in hockey is the goal of the NHL. I can tell you that I haven't watched the All Star game (and more specifically the skills competition) in approximately 20 years. It's a circus that makes a mockery of the game. I tuned into the women's game. Many people did that never have even watched before. That women's game was a lot more entertaining than the Men's game on Saturday. It was a heck of a lot more entertaining than Hertl skating down the ice with a Bieber mask on. I'd be willing to bet that viewership was up for this all star game specifically because of the women's participation.

I guess the question I have for you is why wouldn't they help? A bigger question, what does it matter to you?

It doesn't matter to me, as I said I enjoy women's hockey when I see it at the Olympics. The bump in viewership is probably a one off as a novelty. If they had the 3 on 3 women's game each year it would grow as stale as the men's all star game.

I'd be interested to see if they can get a WNHL off the ground but I'm not sure how successful it would be. The WNBA still struggles to draw attendance and viewership and basketball is far bigger than hockey in terms of market share.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

I enjoy women's hockey, the Olympic tournament is great, but I don't get why they were part of the NHL all star game. Maybe it's just me but they've supposed to be promoting the NHL, not women's hockey. Unless they're looking to start a WNHL league similar to the WNBA I don't see the point of it.

Perhaps because the NHL sees an opportunity to help out women in the sport they are supposed to be the leader in. Increasing viewership in hockey is the goal of the NHL. I can tell you that I haven't watched the All Star game (and more specifically the skills competition) in approximately 20 years. It's a circus that makes a mockery of the game. I tuned into the women's game. Many people did that never have even watched before. That women's game was a lot more entertaining than the Men's game on Saturday. It was a heck of a lot more entertaining than Hertl skating down the ice with a Bieber mask on. I'd be willing to bet that viewership was up for this all star game specifically because of the women's participation.

I guess the question I have for you is why wouldn't they help? A bigger question, what does it matter to you?

It doesn't matter to me, as I said I enjoy women's hockey when I see it at the Olympics. The bump in viewership is probably a one off as a novelty. If they had the 3 on 3 women's game each year it would grow as stale as the men's all star game.

I'd be interested to see if they can get a WNHL off the ground but I'm not sure how successful it would be. The WNBA still struggles to draw attendance and viewership and basketball is far bigger than hockey in terms of market share.

So that's it? Screw girls hockey?

I can tell you this Zee, the smiles on my girls face when we talked about the game in the dressingroom Saturday morning was ear to ear. They were bubbling with excitement. This is 11 and 12 year old girls. Highly competitive girls. That is why the NHL needs to do this!

 

[Kin]

I'd be interested to see if they can get a WNHL off the ground but I'm not sure how successful it would be. The WNBA still struggles to draw attendance and viewership and basketball is far bigger than hockey in terms of market share.

This kind of feels like another "who cares?" to me. If the generally odious billionaire class who own professional sports teams decide to use some small percentage of the money they've "earned" to fund a good thing like a women's league then I don't really think we should care if it's turning a profit for them. If you're asking how long it can keep going if it's not profitable then the WNBA has been around now for almost 25 years so...a long time? And even if the WNBA is struggling their most recent CBA will bring average salaries above the 6 figure mark so clearly it's managing.