There are a few things that really pish me off in life:

Poor drivers.

Hippies.

Poor-driving hippies.

The Dave Matthews Band.

People who complain incessantly. (If any of my co-workers are reading
this, yes, I do mean you. Specifically, you.)

People who make lists.

The fans, media, players, and execs inside the NHL who constantly bicker
over "the state of the game".

These people invent stuff to worry about half the time. There's always
something wrong when scoring is up and when scoring is down. You
already know the whining: the equipment is too big. The players are too
big. We need to increase the size of the nets. We need to make the
rinks bigger. All of this debate seems to be both endless and fruitless
because no one stops to take a look at the game of hockey to see it for
what it truly is: the greatest game ever invented.

My friends and family know I honestly believe that, by the way. I just
want to put that out there.

When insiders constantly whine about what is allegedly wrong for the
game, they're seeing the trees and not the freaking forest. The
self-hating prophecy gives hockey's detractors, well, traction, because
all they know is that the people who love the game keep finding
something wrong with it. Basketball fans don't constantly harp on the
shortcomings of the NBA. They know well enough that to enjoy the parts
of the game that they like. The NFL, by God, would never cop to any
negative self-evaluation. They won't even admit that they're having
issues with the retired players who are breaking down mentally and
physically and yet built the league into what it is. There's too much
money at stake to upset anyone's apple cart so they stick their fingers
in their collective ears and sing "La La La" until Mommy and Daddy stop
fighting.

Why does hockey continue to do this? Is it that hockey fans feel
inferior? Why is the game deemed inadequate by those who profess to
love it? Why am I writing another post like this?

The only reason I can come up with for this bout of self-hating is that
hockey people are constantly trying to find out why everyone else in the
free world doesn't love the game as much as we do; and that breeds a
sense of inferiority. And I just don't get that. If someone doesn't
like hockey and wants to tell you about it, so what? I am no fan of
baseball. I find it boring as hell. I played it and wasn't a huge fan
of that either. Seemed to me to be a lot of standing around. But I
don't care if other people like it. I respect their choice. Fine with
me.

The other side of this is that the self-doubt that surrounds the game
gives the haters something to tell us about. A week doesn't go by
without some dullard in the office wanting to tell me that he saw some
hockey highlights on ESPN (Really? When?) and that it looked like there
were a lot of empty seats at the arena. Why do people want to tell us
what is wrong with the game? Could it be that we've left outrselves
open to criticism because we're always bitching amongst ourselves?
Nobody walks up to a NBA fan and tells them that the arena is empty when
watching highlights--and they are a lot of the time that I see
highlights.

Look--I am no Pollyanna Pie-In-The-Sky here. I know there's some things
I would like to change in the game, too, but this singular focus on
what is wrong with the sport comes at the expense of all that is right
with the game. You don't go up to Santa Claus and tell him that the
"Jack Frost" movie looks to be the creepiest thing this side of Barbara
Walters without makeup because that negates all of the fun and positive
stuff about Christmas.

OK, I know there are a lot of people who hate Christmas and to you I say
that you are cold and heartless bastards. But you all know what I am
saying. We should enjoy and celebrate the good in the game of
hockey...even if the Islanders are slumping really, really badly right
now. There's so much worth enjoying--ever heard of Sidney Crosby?--that
it's like eating empty calories to keep whining about whether or not the
game is ever going to capture the so-called casual sports fan. If it
happens, it happens. Worry about the fans you have, NHL, and make their
experience as glorious as you can. The other stuff can come later.

So we read things about the GM meetings and how they are discussing yet
more changes to the game. Really? I thought they'd be golfing for the
most part. Anyway, does it strike anyone else as odd that they're
changing the schedule and bending to the will of the smaller-market
teams at every turn? I love the rivalry games and by the way, I don't
care if Edmonton or San Jose doesn't get a chance to see Sidney Crosby
play in their rink as often as they'd like. I live in the east and I
root for the Islanders. What happens in Vancouver doesn't really
interest me until playoff time. Is that short-sighted? Perhaps.
Bottom line is that I care about the Islanders first and foremost.

Also, how do you think it looks to those outside the game when all you
hear is that the GMs are trying to change the rules every freaking year?
Doesn't that make it sound like they don't know what the hell they're
doing? Also, why would the (ahem) "casual sports fan" want to tune into
hockey when all they read about is chaos and rule changes? It just
comes off as desperate and cheap--wake me up when you have it all
together. Then I should care. And what does that say to the customers
who are already buying what you're selling? That their stupid for
investing in an inferior product?

Ugh, I swore I wouldn't write another one of these things. This is the
last one. If I do another one of these I am going to sound like Brian
Engblom and his Reality Check segment on Versus. I'm getting off my
soap-box now...but seriously, take a look around. There's plenty to
enjoy, love, and respect about the sport of hockey. Stop being so
worrisome and negative. Just sit back and marvel at the greatest,
toughest athletes on the planet and remind yourself why you fell in love
in the first place.