Goal Line Report
Old Time Hockey, Eh?
by Patrick Hoffman on 02/10/11 at 06:00 PM ET
Comments (4)
The game between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday night is the perfect example of why hockey can be so great.
It had big hits, plenty of fights, highlight-reel goals and it was one of the best rivalry games of the season between two Original Six franchises. It was old time hockey at its absolute best.
With that in mind, the National Hockey League needs to find a way to take advantage of the Original Six Franchises and give them more games to play against each other. Just look at the rivalries that are available to showcase:
- Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens
- Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers
- Boston Bruins vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
- Detroit Red Wings vs. Chicago Blackhawks
- Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
- Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
These are all great matchups whether it is a regular season game or a Stanley Cup playoff game because it features the absolute best that the game of hockey has to offer:
- Great goals
- Big hits
- Big fights
- Big Saves
- Large crowds
This is old time hockey games at its best and the NHL needs to figure out a way to schedule more games between the Original Six franchises.
What do you folks think?
Filed in: | Goal Line Report | Permalink
Tags: boston+bruins,
chicago+blackhawks,
detroit+red+wings,
montreal+canadiens,
new+york+rangers,
original+six,
toronto+maple+leafs
Comments

Yeah, but at the same time when you do that, you’re taking bigger draws away from the teams that need all the help they can get. If you schedule Detroit v. Chicago a couple more times a year (never mind that they already play one another 6 times per season), you’re taking Detroit and Chicago away from games that they might otherwise play in Phoenix or St. Louis or some other place where both of those teams draw better than average crowds.
For the most part, I think the Original Six teams play just about the right amount as it is, with the one exception being Detroit and Toronto. They used to have a great rivalry, and they’re mere hours down the highway from one another. It’s a pity that those two don’t play more often than they do.
Basically, I think there’s only so much Original Six to go around, and you have to share the love to some extent. And besides, non-Original Six teams can have great games too. Are you saying you wouldn’t get up for a Philly-Pittsburgh game this year? Or that Vancouver-Calgary on Saturday night as part of Hockey Day in Canada doesn’t have a lot of potential?
Posted by dzuunmod on 02/10/11 at 06:25 PM ET

I agree that more Detroit vs Toronto games would be nice. Other than that I think the Original 6 match ups are fine. More stress on rivalry games would be nice.
Posted by HockeyFanOhio from Central Ohio on 02/10/11 at 09:03 PM ET

The Wings/Leafs rivalry needs to get back to the level it was at while they were in the same division. They should play each other at least 4 times a year…Only one regular season game a year against cities that are so close to each other geographically is a disservice to the fans in Southern Ontario and Michigan…The NHL and their mindless scheduling has ruined this once great rivalry…LETS GO WINGS
Posted by yzer19man on 02/10/11 at 09:32 PM ET
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Patrick has a tremendous passion for hockey. Besides covering the Rangers and the NHL for Kukla's Korner, you can also find Patrick's work over at Sportsnet.ca, The Red Light District Hockey Blog, NHL Home Ice, and Liam Maguire's Ultimate Hockey web site.
Prior to writing for the above mentioned outlets, you could find Patrick's musings at hockey web sites/outlets such as TheHockeyNews.com, TheFourthPeriod.com, Spector's Hockey, Hokeja Vestnesis, Blueshirt Bulletin, SNYRangersBlog.com and many more.
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that game sucked,
crappy D by the Habs,
petty goonery from the Bruins,
childish crap
with that sort of a mindset, it is no wonder that Bruins exit the playoffs so spectacularily
Posted by edillac from isolation on 02/10/11 at 06:21 PM ET