[Tournament] You are the commissioner of NHL Hockey: How do you save the sport?

Emphasizing fighting is horrible for the game. Personally I think they should scrap the instigator rule, and I think fighting [i]should[i] be allowed since it reduces the incidence of dirty play and attempt to injure. It should never, however, be emphasized as the focus of the game. To do so cheapens the skill of the players. Any two goons can put on some skates and punch each other. If I'm going to pay millions of dollars in television contracts, I want to emphasize what is most impressive about the game. The things people can't go down and see in a beer league game at their local rink.

The schedule as it is, though I appreciate their desire for team rivalries, is horrible. Having marketable players like Sidney Crosby requires that you send him around to play and allow other markets to see him. He sells tickets. This whole two games every three years shit for teams in opposing conferences has to go. The eight games per division rival garbage can go with it, too. Eight games gets mighty boring, especially when five of them are in a two week period like happened to Vancouver/Calgary last season.

As far as marketing and stuff goes with regards to Mikey's statements, have you seriously not seen Crosby on anything? I can't even remember the last time I saw someone else on a Gatorade or a Reebok commercial, for instance.

Responding to your case-in-point, I can't name jack shit about anyone who played in the NFL or the NBA finals. I can't even name the teams that participated. =P

Jam it back in, in the dark.

I guess it's a case of looking for something where you aren't likely to find it. How many years has it been since hockey was even a minor focus in Sports Illustrated? I only read it when I was a kid, but it always could've been called Football, Baseball, Basketball, and Sometimes Golf Illustrated from what I remember.

I can't really comment on anything involving your television broadcasts and ad campaigns since I don't get them, but Crosby has been on every Reebok and almost every Gatorade commercial I can recall seeing for about the last year.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Get out of this forum forever.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.