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From: ken@alberta.UUCP (Ken Hruday)
Newsgroups: net.sport.hockey
Subject: Re: NHL Expansion, if any
Message-ID: <511@alberta.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 24-May-85 14:18:58 EDT
Article-I.D.: alberta.511
Posted: Fri May 24 14:18:58 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 27-May-85 00:35:20 EDT
References: <1820@watcgl.UUCP> <5566@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Reply-To: ken@alberta.UUCP (Ken Hruday)
Distribution: net
Organization: U. of Alberta, Edmonton, AB
Lines: 32
Keywords: Oh no, not again!

In article <5566@ucla-cs.ARPA> rick@ucla-cs.UUCP (Richard Gillespie) writes:
> ...
>...  it would be incredibly *stupid* of the NHL to expand at this
>point. They are just barely recovering from past fiascos, and don't need
>the burden of 2 (or more) new bozo teams that will not win for several
>years. The hockey talent is still pretty diluted in the league, but is
>much better than a couple of years ago.

Be careful Rick - to claim that hockey talent in the league was very
diluted a few years ago (early 80's) tends to denigrate the 4 consecutive
Stanley Cup victories scored by the Islanders. Your claim essentially 
infers that the feat was not all that great since the Islanders had
inferior opponents.

Give the Islanders more credit! Winning four consecutive cups is no
mean feat! I agree that immediately after expansion there was some
dilution but as far as the present is concerned, the talent situation
couldn't be better. Expansion allowed (forced?) talent scouts to go
outside of North America to obtain the cream of European talent.

This has resulted in a game that relies more on finesse and skill, and
less on body mass and bruising potential. It isn't for lack of talent
that the NHL should resist expansion - it's the prospect of extending
the hockey season to 365 days a year :->.

					Ken Hruday
				  University of Alberta
An Oilers Fan,
A Flyers, and Hawks admirer,
A Billy Smith hater,
A disliker of Rabid anti-Oilers!
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