The Rangers And The Devils.

The Rangers And The Devils. . . Played to a 4-4 tie in the swamps of Jersey last night. And according to the New York Post's Larry Brooks, they played in front of more empty seats than usual. He thinks he knows why:

But it was not good news at all for the NHL that last night's game did not sell out. In fact, with empty seats prominent in the most attractive locations in the arena, last night's attendance of 17,890 marked the smallest audience ever to watch the Rangers in their 62 appearances at the Meadowlands. If this matchup on a weekday night could not fill the building - 60 of the preceding 61 had sold out - then the Devils and League probably should begin looking into the proverbial mirror for the reasons why not.

The NHL is very much a league in transition, but transition to what, nobody seems to know. The laudable move to finally eliminate the clutching and grabbing that put the game into stall gear for the last half-dozen seasons seems to have referees overreaching the mandate. The sport that, at its best, is a compelling blend of speed, skill and intimidating contact, the one and only sport in which there is no out-of-bounds for players to seek refuge, this sport is now almost unrecognizable what with referees moved to call penalties almost every time an athlete is bumped to the ice.

Well, we shouldn't be surprised that players are grumbling. All I know is that the hockey I've been seeing over the past few weeks on NHL Center Ice has been uptempo and pretty exciting. Here's hoping the refs keep up the enforcement regime they implemented at the start of the season.

Eric 12:14 PM

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