Why were the original 6 teams considered better?

Question

Today's talent pool is much wider than it was then, with a lot of talent coming from Europe and the US. Players keep themselves in better shape today, and are able to stay at the top of their game longer. I believe the main reason people believe the talent is too thin is beacuse players move around much more, and with more teams and more players it is just harder to appreciate the talent of the lesser known players.
IMO, a fourth line winger today would be as good as a fourth line player in the original 6. We just have more of them and because of this, don't recognize the names as easily and therefore don't consider them to be as talented.
Any thoughts?

Answer 1

A 4th line winger today would be as good as a 4th line winger in the Original 6?

I don;t think so.

6 teams, 12 forwards/team = 72 forwards

That is 72 TOTAL forwards in the entire league.

That will make up the first line for 24 teams....we have 30 now. That is 18 extra forwards that need to be accounted for to make up the FIRST line.

In 1965, 196 players played at least 1 NHL game, 185 of these were Canadian. Canada had a population of 22 million in 1967.
So, in 1965, a Canadian kid had a 1 in 118,919 chance of making it to the NHL

Last year, 858 players played at least 1 NHL game (from the Stats section on NHL.com), 452 were Canadian. Canada's population is 31,612,897 (StatsCan 2006 Census).
So, a Canadian kid has a 1 in 69,940 chance to play in the NHL today........almost twice as good as 1965

Note: I was born 40 years too early obviously!

So, the fact that twice as many Canadians (per capita) are playing tells me that product is diluted.

In layman's terms. In 1965, the top 1% of Canadian hockey players is in the NHL. In 2007, the top 1.8% of Canadian hockey players are playing in the NHL. That means that we are now allowing players ranked from 1.01% to 1.80% to play, when in 1965, they weren't good enough (or were in the minors) for the NHL.

So, to sum in...in the early 60s - I the fact that I was invited to camp tells me I wasn't in the top 1%, but I was in the 2%. Therefore, in today's NHL....I'd be a regular. In 1965.....I wasn't good enough.

Answer 2

Do the math. 6 teams with 20 man rosters = 120 guys in the NHL 30 teams with 22 man rosters = 660+ guys in the NHL In those days Candians made up about 80% of league or 96 guys. Today 55% or 333 guys. Obviously the number of exceptional players is spread around more. No matter how you slice it, the Europeans/Canadians/Americans can not put enough quality players into the league to make up for the weak pool.
Most Original 6 third lines could be a top line on any team in the league today.

Answer 3

Your comparing apples and oranges.

Today the game is fast, and speed is the key, most traditional hockey fans hate it too.

The original 6 were tough, pads were paper thin, you took pucks and sticks to the face, all you did was get the number and keep grinding it out, back then you knew you'd meet again and in the corner could take out the play who cheep shot you. Now you can throw an elbow and if it's not called you can't retaliate, Chris Pronger would be labeled a bully and be treated as such in the olde days, in other words he would get the crap beat out of him because every team had a line of enforcers not just one.

If your a 4th line winger now, you may still be considered a scorer but back in the day the 4 line was for one thing, and one thing only, a banger.

It's more immportian for the 4th line to lay the body on the D'man instead of trying to pick off the pass. Gotta play with emotion and heart, not your head. If you score it's a bonus, but don't ever think of coming back to the bench without tallying at least 2 checks, and a 4th liner would never, and I mean NEVER turn away from a check, ever!

Now because of systems like, the neutral zone trap, 4th liners can't throw the body like they did.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Because the biggest fans, the true fans, appreciate the work that the original six did to make hockey what it is today, the greatest sport on Earth! Without the original six and the traditions and toughness they embodied there wouldn't be an NHL. We're justing giving props where they are due, decades from now people will be tossing around the name Glenn Hall, with Brodeur, Roy, and probably Luongo. Legends aren't created overnight and someday the talent of today will be looked back upon with the same respect as the original six.

Answer 6

The Penguins followers get a foul rep via fact the numbers strongly propose there are a great factor of them that are bandwagon followers. yet you may desire to evaluate the inhabitants that surrounds each and each city. Philadelphia became recently gone via Phoenix via fact the 5th best in inhabitants. Pittsburgh's inhabitants is 4-one million/2 cases smaller than Philly. So, whilst it is far less annoying to anticipate that Pens followers are of the undemanding-climate persuasion, the Penguins don't have rather the metropolitan section to entice from as Philly, nor have they have been the main triumphing of NHL franchises. whilst I positioned little or no inventory in generic season numbers, I comprehend that that's a widely universal thank you to degree the expertise of communities. The Flyers have 15 branch titles to their credit whilst the Pens have 6. The Flyers have it everywhere in the Penguins in generic season success which will have some thing to do with decrease attendance in the process the tilt years. That became additionally a ingredient interior the Penguins almost shifting to a diverse city this is a few thing the Flyers have by no skill had to contemplate of their history. I prefer to stress playoff overall performance via fact the measuring stick of greatness of communities. as long via fact the style of Stanley Cups determines how great a collection is in my e book, appropriate now the Penguins are greater beneficial than the Flyers. The Flyers have a committed fanbase here in Philly. i assume all those branch titles mean some thing to a great style of folk and in line with threat that retains the employer interior the black.

Answer 7

I never thought the Original Six era or teams were better BUT just because players are in better shape does not make the game itself better. Players need to work on shooting and passing.

Honestly, equipment is better, too, but is the game? I think the defensemen are far mobile now but forwards have hands of stone. Lack of depth from even the '80s or '70s despite the larger pool of talent.

I mean, for crying out loud Trevor Linden is still playing and he stopped scoring ten years ago!

Answer 8

The original Six wouldn't have had a fourth line or a backup goalie. They were tough and knowing who the guys are on the ice is a big part of hockey. It's like a cagematch on ice. We want to know the gladiators, not watch a bunch of helmets with foreign names skating around trying not to bump into each other. I like playoff hockey now, but back then all of the games were played with great intensity, because if one team won most of the games against your team then you likely were not going to make the playoffs.

Answer 9

They didn't have a fourth line back in those days, they had three first lines. The NBA has 30 teams that employ the best basketball players from amongst the world's 30 million or so basketball players. The NHL has 30 teams that employ the best hockey players from amongst the world's 1 million or so hockey players. Why shouldn't I think the NHL is selling me a diluted product?

Answer 10

I pretty much agree with you the game has become global, so although the talent may be stretched you have such a greater size pool to choose from, i can't help but feel that the talent is at keast equal to the original six. I also feel that the equipment is so much better that you have to factor that in at some point.