The experiment of NHL Outdoors was rather interesting, but, ultimately, nothing that needs to be repeated, I don't think.
It was great to watch the (Ford-sponsored, if you hadn't noticed) Legends game and I was surprised that I got choked up for a moment when Guy LaFleur was introduced. The image of these legends scraping the ice with shovels between periods was fantastic. Seeing these players made me realise, however, how the current game lacks a superstar. Yes, there are great players right now, but none that stand out, head and shoulders above the rest.
I loved the image of Jose Theodore with the touque over his goalie mask during the game.
Mostly, though, being a Habs fan, I was glad that Montreal won the game.
3 comments:
I wonder if there would be stars in the game now if the game allowed it. I can't even watch NHL hockey anymore - the most skilled players on the planet jammed up and have to throw the puck in, and then scrum after scrum behind the net or in the corner. Well, after a while it reminds me of every six-year-olds' house league game I've ever seen, where the players all congregate and hack at the puck until it shoots off in one direction or another, and the clot dissolves and re-forms at the new location.
It was great to watch the Legends game, if you could pretend to yourself that the skills hadn't degenerated so far as to be sad. Just to hear the names again, linked together, and to remember what hockey could be like when we just let the kids play ...
I thought the most interesting aspect of the outdoor game was the new camera angles it allowed. I don't watch hockey at all, ever. But I was entranced by the "robo-cam" shots and the overhead blimp shots.
On ESPN's Sunday night and ABC's Monday Night Football telecasts, they have camera shots which are fantastic. Basically it's a system of cables upon which the camera 'floats' directly above the action no matter where the action is on the field, so one can get a really intimate perspective. I suspect the NHL will have something like this soon enough as well.
But yes, the robo-cam shot at that game was a cool perspective.
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