2008 Woodie Awards
NHL Season Highlights League's Promise
NHL
Emre Aksoy
Issue date: 4/8/08 Section: Sports
As I watched the highlights for the Capitals-Panthers game over the weekend, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
No, it wasn't a dazzling goal by Alexander Ovechkin that caught my eye, but rather a sea of red in the stands. The fans have rallied behind this Capitals team and it has paid off. Winning their last seven games to close out the season, the Capitals have captured the Southeast Division crown and the third seed in the playoffs. After Alexander Semin scored to give Washington a 3-1 lead in the third period, both the players and Capital fans exploded together in jubilance. As I watched fellow teammate Ovechkin tackle Semin to the ice in celebration, I realized that the NHL was back and better than ever.
It has now been three complete seasons since the NHL has returned from the dreaded lockout. Many speculated that the NHL would not be able to return to the high standards it once had before the lockout, and that the league would slowly die out. Now some might think I am crazy for saying this, but looking back three years later, I can firmly say the NHL benefited from the lockout. It's plan and simple, adjustments to the game had to be made if the league was going to move forward. There was too much clutching and grabbing of players skating through the neutral zone, slowing the game down to a snail's pace. Teams were forced to play a much more defensive style of hockey, trying to keep scoring to minimum. The game needed to be opened up. The removal of the two-line pass rule helped to open up the middle of the ice giving quick players more room to work with, and harder enforcements on penalties made it so players could skate without being mauled by the opposing team.
However, the biggest change in my opinion had nothing to do with the way the game would be played on the ice. The installment of a salary cap gave smaller markets a chance to compete against bigger markets in signing free-agent players. Teams like the New York Rangers were able to overpay for players, making it extremely difficult for teams with a smaller budget to match their offers. Now smaller market teams are able to bring in a big time free agent player to help boost its fan base, and in accordance, sell more tickets. The Chicago Blackhawks were able to lure in Robert Lang, a highly talented veteran, on the free-agent market. Now he will be looked upon to play an instrumental role in guiding this very young Blackhawk's team to the playoffs next season.
No, it wasn't a dazzling goal by Alexander Ovechkin that caught my eye, but rather a sea of red in the stands. The fans have rallied behind this Capitals team and it has paid off. Winning their last seven games to close out the season, the Capitals have captured the Southeast Division crown and the third seed in the playoffs. After Alexander Semin scored to give Washington a 3-1 lead in the third period, both the players and Capital fans exploded together in jubilance. As I watched fellow teammate Ovechkin tackle Semin to the ice in celebration, I realized that the NHL was back and better than ever.
It has now been three complete seasons since the NHL has returned from the dreaded lockout. Many speculated that the NHL would not be able to return to the high standards it once had before the lockout, and that the league would slowly die out. Now some might think I am crazy for saying this, but looking back three years later, I can firmly say the NHL benefited from the lockout. It's plan and simple, adjustments to the game had to be made if the league was going to move forward. There was too much clutching and grabbing of players skating through the neutral zone, slowing the game down to a snail's pace. Teams were forced to play a much more defensive style of hockey, trying to keep scoring to minimum. The game needed to be opened up. The removal of the two-line pass rule helped to open up the middle of the ice giving quick players more room to work with, and harder enforcements on penalties made it so players could skate without being mauled by the opposing team.
However, the biggest change in my opinion had nothing to do with the way the game would be played on the ice. The installment of a salary cap gave smaller markets a chance to compete against bigger markets in signing free-agent players. Teams like the New York Rangers were able to overpay for players, making it extremely difficult for teams with a smaller budget to match their offers. Now smaller market teams are able to bring in a big time free agent player to help boost its fan base, and in accordance, sell more tickets. The Chicago Blackhawks were able to lure in Robert Lang, a highly talented veteran, on the free-agent market. Now he will be looked upon to play an instrumental role in guiding this very young Blackhawk's team to the playoffs next season.
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