I’ve been walking around with a pep in my step the last couple of days because after a long, hockey-less summer, the NHL preseason is underway.
And while it’s great to see all 32 teams back on the ice, there’s no denying that the games aren’t all that exciting, or even necessary.
That’s why Rod Brind’Amour, head coach of the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, is in favor of doing away with it entirely.
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“Guys just want to play. Guys just want to drop the puck and start for real,” the Canes bench boss said during an appearance on TSN’s “Overdrive” on Monday. “They don’t like practicing — nobody does.”
He’s right. Allen Iverson told us years ago that talking about practice is a waste of time.
Not a game, not a game… we’re talkin’ practice, man.
Interestingly, this comes as the NHL’s latest collective bargaining agreement cut the preseason from six games to four. Those two games were tacked onto the regular season, which now jumps to 84 games.
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But that’s not short enough for Brind’Amour, who thinks it should pound sand altogether, saying that he would prefer not to waste meaningless games on the fans.
Besides, the team is picked most of the time anyway.
“It’s not like even I remember, there were always spots available,” he said. “There were 10 guys maybe that you knew were on the team, then there were a couple of guys that were fighting for a spot here. Maybe even a goalie spot might’ve been open,” Brind’Amour said. “That doesn’t happen now, hardly ever. The team’s picked.”
They’re fair points, and it looks like we’re headed in that direction, but I think the preseason is still useful in some ways, primarily as a marketing tool.
It allows the league to host some neutral site games in places that would otherwise never see NHL hockey. The Capitals and Flyers played in Hershey, Pennsylvania on Monday, while the Senators and Canadiens played in Trois-Rivières, Quebec.
Giving fans a slightly more affordable way to see NHLers is a good way to bring in new fans.
But other than that, with most rosters solidified and bigger names in the press box until the regular season starts, maybe it is time to drop another game or two.
