Yes, the Canada-Russia series in '72 was just amazing hockey. The real blame for the current state of hockey falls on the management. They encourage fighting. Listen to that lunatic, Don Cherry sometime. He is the loudest proponent of the "if ya can't beat 'em in the alley, ya can't beat 'em on the ice" theme. He's drunk on his own testosterone.

They have discovered that violence in hockey sells more tickets. Bingo! They encourage it.

Hockey as it is played now is war on ice, gladiatorial combat for a jaded public. It's the WWF on skates.

But when a player goes "over the line" he's in big trouble. Well, that happens in war too. Then it's called "war crimes".

I see no solution as long as the same old crass people run the game just in order to make more money by any means possible.

I've never bought a ticket to a hockey game in my life, but I used to enjoy watching it on TV back in the 70's. Then the Philadelphia Flyers started their goon hockey and the game slowly deteriorated. I gave up on watching it after awhile.

- LH