The fact that we love hockey doesn’t mean that it can’t be improved. There are a bunch of recommendations and guidelines from hockey fans, created for a purpose of getting rid of annoying things and adding new things to this fascinating sport.
Globalization
This is one of the first things in fans’ demands regarding hockey and NHL in particular. The possibility of expanding towards Europe and Asia is a perfect step for hockey to become more known worldwide and start generating much bigger revenues than it does today. The steps are being made; a good example is the NFL Global Series, which started in 2017 and was played in Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, and Germany.
There’s clearly a possibility to increase it’s popularity at home by funding youth programs like USA Hockey or Youth Canada and also paying attention to the National Women Hockey League. Hockey has proved it’s significance and can surely be played outside Canada and by any social group.
Player protection
This one goes hand in hand with the previous. The NHL and similar leagues have to improve the security means to reduce damage caused to players during the game, thus making the sport safer and more friendly for everyone, not just for tough bearded goons.
Of course, anyone would benefit from several improvements. One of them is the bigger penalties for headshots. They are a part of the game, but its threat leaves no other choice than to reduce its rate to the minimum. Concussion problems are popular among hockey players and there’s one good way to protect against it – increase the punishment for headshots. The same implies to shoulder protection. Softening it wot make a huge deal for the gameplay but will definitely improve players’ security and reduce the trauma rate. Which changes would fans want in gameplay and season duration?
Gameplay changes
There are also many issues regarding the gameplay which hockey fans would love to see fixed. It includes going back to the old playoff format, extending 3-on-3 overtime, and eliminating the shootout. Obviously, it would take some time to make these changes but the gameplay will certainly be changed as it does every 5-10 years. We want a shorter season! That’s what almost all the fans have agreed on. In fact, they are not the only ones who will benefit from the shorter seasons. A smaller amount of games means more attention from the audience, more hype, and less tired players, which will certainly result in more dynamic clashes. We hope you agree that 82 matches are too much for one season.
Conclusion
As we’ve seen, there are many things in modern hockey that ought to be changed in the future. Hopefully, they will change for the better. It’s been a long time since hockey has deserved the right to become the sport known and loved all over the globe and to do so, it certainly demands these changes.
What would you want in hockey? Share with us in the comments.
Also, you can read Tampa is One Step Closer to Victory. Hard Way to the Stanley Cup.
Comments
Loading…