By Jason Reed
Hockeytalk.biz

January 6, 2008 -- LONG BEACH, CA -- I’m not sure what brought all this on this fine Sunday morning. Maybe I’m feeling a big nostalgic. Maybe I’m feeling a bit old. The more I think about it, it must be the nostalgia thing, because I am NOT getting old.

MISS THE SIX

Don’t get me wrong—I like the “new” NHL. I like the fact that the two-line pass is back and I think that the game has gotten exciting again over the past few seasons. That part is cool, but there are some aspects of the game that I don’t like and that I wish we could get back. There are some things the NHL should have never allowed to get away and I am here to say that I want them back!

I was all for expansion in the NHL. Heck, if there was no expansion than I probably never would have gotten into hockey because I don’t think the LA market would be showing the Maple Leafs and Blackhawks on my local cable TV. I guarantee that it would not have been the ‘Hawks because that tight-sphinctered old coot Bill Wirtz—may he rest in peace—wouldn’t even allow the Blackhawks to be shown on their local TV. But that’s a whole ‘nother rant in itself.

The Original Six era brought us rivalries like we will never see again in any sport and it was an era where fans could identify with and get to know players because they generally stayed with one franchise for most of their career. The expansion era brought hockey to a lot of different markets, which is good and it brought the Stanley Cup to places that his Lord-ship never would have dreamed. Think about the strange places the Cup has resided in over the last 10 years—Raleigh, NC, Tampa, Florida, Dallas, Denver and Anaheim. The last time an Original Six team owned the Cup was 1993-1994 when Mark Messier and the Rangers hoisted the trophy. Will Montreal’s 24 Cups ever be eclipsed? I doubt it. The closest we have had to a new dynasty are the New Jersey Devils with three Cups in 10 years, Colorado’s two in five seasons and Detroit’s three titles from 1997-2002.

NHL 2 NIGHT ON ESPN

I want my NHL 2 Night back. What ever happened to this show? It was sweet! Maybe all you folks in the Great White North and back East can’t relate to what I am about to say, but in California this was the only show that gave us any kind of hockey news. If the Kings (and later the Ducks) weren’t playing, then there was no mention of puck on the tube. I loved watching John Buccigross and the Mullet breaking down the league. What’s better than Barry Melrose’s hair?

I also want the NHL back on ESPN where the great announcers once lived. This whole VS. thing is a huge joke, The few games that they actually show are called by people that aren’t necessarily bad, but they’re no Gary Thorne and Bill Clement. While we’re on the subject of TV—I want the NHL Network. Good luck with that one. If the all-powerful NFL is having a hard time with their network do you really think the NHL will sail through quickly with theirs? Me neither.

VINTAGE GEAR…WHERE?

Finally, I wanna know what is up with “vintage” hockey gear. For years I have wanted to find an old-school LA Kings hat. I’m talking a purple and gold hat. W A Y old school. I am having a hard time finding one. Of course, if I am ever in the market for a Colorado Rockies beanie or a Minnesota North Stars t-shirt, I can go to any number of places, but if I want purple and gold Kings swag I am S.O.L. I can find some of the Bruce McNall* era “silver and black gang look” items, but virtually no Jerry Buss-era stuff. What is up with that? The LA Kings own store doesn’t even carry much of the vintage gear!

So, in conclusion let me just paraphrase and say that I like the expanded NHL but I want to see some of the passion and rivalry that we saw in the Original Six era. I want the NHL back on ESPN and I want NHL 2 Night back on the air. I’m not holding my breath for the NHL Network, although I’m supposed to be receiving it on my local cable system and still don’t get the channel. Finally, I want a purple LA Kings hat.

*Jerry Buss owned the LA Kings for many years along with the LA Lakers (which he still owns). His teams were the purple and gold era. Bruce McNall bought the Kings and brought in Wayne Gretzky and changed the colors to silver and black—the popular LA gang colors of the day. McNall later went to prison for fraud.

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