Dear Trevor,
On Fri, 20 Feb 1998, Trevor Boicey wrote:
=%ONory wrote:
=%O>
=%O> On the contrary, Trevor, the skating and finesse with the puck are the
=%O> required "skills" of the game. There's more to hockey than just bashing
=%O> the other guy against the boards
=%O
=%O What are you, european? ;>
=%O
=%O Hockey is a physical game. The highest level of hockey is the NHL
=%Oand the Olympics/World Cup, all of which play the physical game.
=%O
=%O Do you consider touch football a "pure" version of the silly
=%Ogame that the NFL/CFL/WFL plays?
One might as well say that when, in American football/gridiron, they
outlawed certain chop blocks that were allowed when I played the game that
it was no longer football. Before you say, apples and oranges, let me tell
you, there were many plays I was brought down on by blocks that are no
longer allowed and it would have drasticly changed my play in the game to
have disallowed those tactics.
Let me remind you that only ONE form of checking was prohibited in the
women's game (although I must say I'd prefer that they didn't prohibit it)
and there was plenty of physical contact- just not three step boarding
body checks, usually.
=%O
=%O It takes a lot of skill to do well at contact-free hockey,
Were we watching the same games???? Contact-free hockey? I think there was
more contact than one sees in a rough soccer game, and of a similar
nature- mostly contact incidental to playing the puck, rather than playing
the man/woman as we were taught playing hockey.
I think a slight de-emphasis on body checking inproves the game- more play
development and better passing results. I like a good check as much as
anyone else, but I also like to see good skating, stick handling and play
development.
Years ago, I liked the way the russian teams played with their patterns of
skating and passing. It was beautiful to watch as opposed to the NHL slam
the puck into the zone and get there first. It is why I prefer college
hockey to NHL. Then again, all I have to watch here are the Kings and the
Ducks, so maybe I haven't seen real hockey in a while.
and
=%OI respect those who can do well at it. But it's not the real thing,
=%Oso much of the game is missing. It's like a "kit car", it looks
=%Oright and might be fun but it's not right.
=%O
=%O--
=%OTrevor Boicey
=%OOttawa, Canada
=%Otboicey@brit.ca
=%Ohttp://www.brit.ca/~tboicey/
=%O
"Never ascribe to Malice that which can be explained by Ignorance"
John J. Peloquin
Molecular Biology &
Biochemistry
3205 BioSciences II
UC IRVINE
Irvine, CA 92697-3900
jpeloqui@uci.edu
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