Comptetitive Disadvantage

I figured I would try to get in depth to a point I made earlier in regards to why the AHL is important, or should be worth your consideration and I figured it merited a longer think piece. But the point was something along the lines of everyone is on the level so the games in a way aren't that different from an NHL game.

So, what this blog is, is me emphasizing that in a bunch of different ways. It will probably be redundant. It will probably be boring. Just stay with me on this though as I try to ramble my way to what will probably amount to an insanely idiotic conclusion.

The only difference between the NHL and the AHL is the stage the games are set at. And the skills of the players, yeah, but it isn't like high school or college where some teams are really, really good, and other teams kinda suck and the good teams pick on the bad teams. They're professionals all the same, waiting to get called up. you won't encounter Olympians competing against the Bad News Bears Go to Japan. Even compared to the NHL, a greater parity can be achieved because if a player was skilled enough to be NHL ready, they would be playing there.

I'm digging a hole here, but here is where the game gets comparable. Scoring occurs due to capitalizing on weaknesses and the mistakes of the other players. It is just as hard for an AHL player to score a goal on an AHL goalie as it is for an NHL player to score a goal on an NHL goalie because their ability to assess and target weaknesses and capitalize mistakes is the same as the players on the other team. So, at each level competitive advantages and disadvantages are assessed the same. 

While NHL has the tv contract, it makes more sense to go to an AHL game because its cheaper for the ticket, cheaper for the beers, cheaper for the snacks. Unless you're a hockey scout or pro, you probably won't have the eye to discern the differences in the play because of how hockey is. Most people think they're trained to  recognize a superior product but that's because TV tells you whats going on to make you think that. At speed, it gets harder and while you can tell at times, it isn't a game like football  where there is less passing and more running at the lower levels. In an AHL game you get maybe a little bit less puck control, so its a little bit more like a national game with bad ice.

In either situation, the threat of scoring is always just as real, just as the threats of fights and hits, breakaways and saves. Is it the same as an NHL game? No, but it can be pretty close and you might not always be able tell.

I know its a hard argument to sell, and I don't know if I made it well. I probably lost some people out there. Hell, I lost myself I think. But the easier sell is, just stop thinking the results can be terribly different. They game can play out similarly and either can be just as fun if you put the same amount of heart and emotion into it.