The NHL's dead puck era was actually amazing

[@NolanEgbert]

The violence of the old NHL combined with the skill of the modern NHL, the 90’s was the perfect era of hockey

[@lazywallstreetnews7234]

I was lucky enough to be a 7 year old kid that had just moved to Colorado the same year the Avalanche moved there from Quebec and won the Cup in '96 against the Panthers. I instantly fell in love with Sakic, Forsberg, Roy and Co.... But the guy that really blew me away the most from this era was the Russian Rocket, Pavel Bure. He was a scoring MACHINE during this era and if it wasn't for injuries he would've scored even more.

[@kahnatohru1906]

this is the era that made me love hockey

[@mr.jglokta191]

Same!

[@davidlongobardi9234]

As someone born in 1994 this era is my very earliest childhood and what I was exposed to for hockey, to me it was the best era of hockey…had no idea it was criticized and even had a name…if anything I wish it was still like this

[@daniel_bray]

The Dallas Stars back then were unreal. Hitchcock behind the bench. The Eagle in net. Modano, Hull, Nieuwendyk, Subov, Sydor, Lehtinen, Turgeon, Langenbrunner, Hatcher, Verbeek, Guerin, Arnott and Morrow. That quadruple OT game past my bedtime. So nostalgic for me

[@Samsquamsh]

...His foot was in the crease tho.

[@RazrSharpProductions]

"Rivalry between Roy and Brodeur" Hasek with his 6 Vezina trophies and 2 Hart trophies in the dead puck era: "Am I a joke to you?"

[@jonathanallard2128]

The rivalry was a tad bit more intense with these two as they were both Quebecois goalies.

[@zackyep]

@21tombombadil bro you must be joking. I love Hasek but Brodeur and Roy are just on another level

[@That90sShow]

@21tombombadil How many conn smythes did hasek get........

[@dinneryeti]

No cups = yes, a joke for sure. Kidding. I grew up watching Hasek, and was sad he didnt get a cup.

[@RazrSharpProductions]

@@dinneryeti hasek has 2 cups

[@royjonzejr]

The peak of the dead puck era for me is when Brian Boucher, an unknown career backup goalie for the Phoenix Coyotes, set the all time record with 5 shutouts in a row

[@Josh-fg5if]

I may be a bit bias being that I'm a Red Wings fan, but I think the dead puck era was the best hockey ever. There was a great combination of skill and violence, intense rivalries, and possibly the 3 best goalies of all-time playing at the same time in Roy, Brodeur, and Hasek. Also we had the best video games with nhl hitz.

[@tomasnajman5674]

Nice recap and memories, I started watching NHL right at this time from 96-97 (also thanks to hockey cards) and so it's closest to my heart, the skill, toughness, hits... And reign of Dominik Hasek and Jaromir Jagr. Suprised that you didnt mention them once, despite their domination. I understand its play off success that counts in the end... They had their share (Jagr early in his career And Hašek later) but they were literary carrying their teams on their back.

[@FloridaDreamz]

I grew up in this Era as a teen and fell in love with Hockey. Watching the Red Wings, Avalanche, Sabers, Flyers, Stars, Hurricanes, Flames, Ducks, Panthers and Penguins. I am still to this day an Avalanche, Penguins and Panthers fan.

[@getbrutal4388]

This is the era I grew up with, also had the best games, so hell yeah, bigtime agree.

[@MrBiteme39]

Same Being a shit team in Chicago from 98-2008 really made me love the early 2010's Now I'm sad again lol

[@PatrickEvabs]

Ditto

[@Katelyst]

This is the era I grew up with as well and I share the same view. It was a great time to be a hockey fan.

[@ninetailedfox579121]

@@MrBiteme39 When are you gonna let Patty Kane come home?

[@MrBiteme39]

@@ninetailedfox579121 he is home. Your hometown isn't everything Please tell me you want Bedard on the Caknuckleheads and matthews in Arizona for however long they have there.

[@HankJr.]

What I miss most from the dead puck era was dedicated enforcer/fighter lines. Fights more often than not we’re done out of tradition and mutual respect between the players and we’re not always driven by hate and anger. Rob Ray and Tie Domi as an example were two of the greatest enforcers in the NHL. It pretty much become a tradition for those two to drop the gloves every time they faced each other. Teams no longer have that dedicated fighter/enforcer line. It really began dying out throughout the late 2000s into the 2010s and as a result fights have drastically dropped. Some may prefer that and see it an an improvement to the game but I miss the fights.

[@wadewilson505]

Miss enforcers in hockey so much. Just watching from down the ice as you knew the speed was growing and CHOOO CHOOOOOO! "What ref i was going for the puck!"

[@mikkolappalainen_]

Every1 misses the boogie man lines

[@r.edward5701]

Wasn't this when the neutral zone trap became popular? Thinking this is a major factor for the low scoring?

[@SimRacingVeteran]

This era also saw some of the biggest goalie equipment there was. Which I believe also led to lower scoring during this time.

[@tacothunderking4558]

JS Giguere was legendarily puffy as I recall. Man that was so long ago now.

[@joejoseph00]

Yes rediculous goalie equipment, still gotta measure the Tampa Bay goalies equipment, insane. Patrick Roy had "The tent", Cam Ward, "Tent", many rediculous outfits.

[@DJ_Mooster]

@@tacothunderking4558 Look up the photo between Garth Snow and Ron Hextall in their equipment and see the size of Snow's chest protector compared to Hextall's. It's fucking legendary

[@simonallard3770]

studies have shown gear size has little impact on higher scoring

[@LomanLawson]

@@simonallard3770 all the studies you need is Hasek. the smallest gear for the best movement ;)

[@FishGalleon]

Great rivalry between the Avs and Wings developed in that era

[@redmudpei]

I miss the 90s, probably just nostalgia, but hockey was better then

[@thebelizeaneh]

During the low scoring stretch is where I stopped watching hockey for 10 years. Just started watching again a few times in the last few years. It will never be what it was and don't think I will ever get back into it like I used to be. To me hockey has been destroyed

[@SJReid82]

Brett Hull isn't an American born player. He was born in the same town I was, Bellville, Ontario. He's a Canadian who just happened to trade in his Canadian citizenship to play on the US National team. Beyond that though - great vid; 90s were my favorite era of hockey. It was truly an era of superstar goalies, Hasek, Potvin, Roy, Brodeur....a goaltenders era for sure.

[@RoyalMela]

Brett was able to play for USA because his mother is from USA.

[@oldfrend]

when he was young canada hockey said they didn't want him so he said fuck yall and played for USA the rest of his career.

[@TheVirtualSportsNetwork]

I'll agree to disagree. The neutral zone trap, the 2-line pass and that clutch-and-grab nonsense was ruining the NHL during that time. And no salary cap meant almost half the league was bankrupt. I think the only thing that saved the NHL was losing a whole season to clean all that up and bring about the NHL's golden era (2005-2012).

[@keithmontreuil6726]

The Owen Nolan Point. Calling the goal during the All star game. Incredible time

[@UnleashthePhury]

The Dead Puck era was a thousand times more interesting than modern regular season hockey. It’s practically non contact until you get to playoffs. Then it turns into Verdun.

[@NifeOO4niff]

Good points! One thing i feel needs mentioning too though are the jerseys of the dead puck era! Best of all time!

[@jw7156]

As a Red Wings fan, I still celebrate Turtle day every year on March 26th.

[@oldfrend]

we could've had all that without the stupid holding and hooking that they never called. this was the era my hatred of the red wings was at its peak because they clogged up the game better than anyone and never got called for it.

[@pomerlain8924]

I started following the NHL in the late 90s, and I always remember this era fondly. Great goaltending, tight-checking, and actual enforcers. You take a run at somebody on the other team and knock them out, then you could expect to answer for it. Like when Jeremy Roenick knocked out Mike Modano with a concussion. And in the last week of the season, Derian Hatcher payed him back by breaking his jaw. That does not happen today. Instead, teams get worked up over a good clean hit and want to fight the guy who threw it. And essentially, the guy who threw the clean hit in penalized for defending himself. And tight defensive games are much better, especially in the playoffs. High- scoring 6-5 or 8-6 games mean that the goalies suck and the defense is atrocious. That's not exciting.

[@EchosTackyTiki]

This was the era of hockey I grew up on. It will always be the best.

[@brettpatterson404]

Jagr during the dead puck dominated. Putting up two 120 points in two seasons (1999, 2001) plus would’ve had a third in 2000 if not for injuries.

[@LorentzHallMusic]

Jagr dominated egoism while Forsberg dominated the game. Forsberg didn’t chase goals or points like Jagr did. Forsberg only cared about winning. 5 x Jagr against 5 x Forsberg would end up a W every time for the Forsbergs.

[@Terminator6364]

@@thisisalongdrive1372 Jagr had a PPG of 0.54 1991 (54 players with a better record) 1992 there was thirteen players above him. Forsberg was also ranked as number 14 1996 while he had the best PPG of them all 2001 (10 games minimum). Summorizing their playoffs during this era, Jagr had a slightly better PPG with less games played but what makes Forsberg so special is his +/-. 1995-2004 he tops the list in the regular season, far from other franchise players like Lindros, Jagr, Modano, Sakic, Yzerman and Fedorov. And same thing in the playoffs in this period, Forsberg is twice as good as Jagr here. Forsberg had it all.

[@siobhanofarrell4646]

Fuck that - the ‘99-‘00 season we were ALL robbed. At the end of Dec ‘99 Jaromír was on pace to score 70-80+ goals, rack up 170-180+ points and finish 40-50+ points ahead of the entire rest of the league in the scoring race. The second half of his season was shot to shit thanks to cheap shots by Mike Peca & Dan McGillis that caused him to miss much of the second half of the season

[@siobhanofarrell4646]

@@LorentzHallMusicThat’s a real creative way of saying Forsberg DIDN’T DO SHIT! 😂 You look at the ‘98-‘99 season. Jágr played 81 games & racked up 127 points, playing on a line with a couple of randos like Kip Miller and Jan Hrdina, and ran away with the scoring race, finishing 20 points ahead of the entire rest of the league. Your boy Petey? He played 78 games and only managed to get 30 goals - and that was playing on a team with another star like Sakic - who played 73 games, only managed to get 41 goals. And Jágr ALSO accomplished something else than season that St. Wayne himself NEVER managed to accomplish at ANY point in his career (so sayeth The Hockey News) and that was that Jaromír was directly involved in 52+% of his team’s goals. But Forsberg was Soooo much better than Jágr! Are you gonna say Mats Sundin was too? Fans like you are PATHETIC. In case you’re wondering, in ‘98-‘99 Sundin played 82 games, didn’t even crack the top 10 in scoring and only managed to score 31 goals. And if Jaromír Jágr was some kind of egotist for - *gasp* shock - scoring goals - and doing his best to play up to his potential - considering he was an Offensive Player - then by YOUR OWN STANDARDS - ol 99 was a raging narcissistic sociopath! Cos Gretzky was famous for being a great 2 way player with his stellar defensive game 😂 Guys like you shit talk Jágr because he was a skilled European player from a commie country who didn’t give a shit about fighting. Had he been some chuckle fuck from Moose Ass Alberta North Americans would be falling all over themselves declaring him one of the all time greats - and you know it.

[@siobhanofarrell4646]

@@Terminator6364Sure he did Scooter which is why he only won 1 Art Ross Trophy, 1 Hart Trophy (Stanley Cups don’t have anything to do with how great a player is INDIVIDUALLY, it requires luck and being surrounded by a bunch of fellow potential Hall of Famers) and his delicate little feet sent his happy ass into Retirement by the midpoint of 2011. I hope you guys realize how idiotic you sound when you try to claim guys like Forsberg (or even better - Mats Sundin! 😂) are better than Jágr. It’s a level of self delusion that is off the charts! It’s just as hilarious and retarded as those guys who insist that Cana-duuuh would’ve won in Nagano if they had just put St. Wayne in the Shoot Out! And - talk about level of delusion! 😂 the best part is that, before the BRONZE medal game the coaches for Canada were actually trying to say that - well since we haven’t lost any games in regulation or OT we’re REALLY UNDEFEATED! 😂 Now, let’s go out and play for the Bronze Medal! If you’re playing for the Bronze - news flash - you are losers!

[@nateh2665]

Best ever time for hockey, will never be like this again. Definitely the players that made it.

[@PRYVTgomerPYLE]

This era was my childhood, and it was fucking amazing.

[@sidetrak85]

The dead puck was the most passionate time in any sports. Player's couldn't get away with anything. Hockey used to be a sport where you had to own up for what you did. You cross checked some one in the board's, they knew what was coming next shift and team's moved on. Now hear some analysts say " that was payback for the hit last game". Last game?? 3 weeks ago? This is getting straight up sad. This is not a diss against player's these days, it's the people upstairs. New rules every year, change the equipment, REPLAYS??? Tuck your jersey in, jump over the board suspended till 2031, a ceremony if you played 2 year's somewhere, coaches apologizing.......oufff I'll stop lol thanks for the video. Will subscribe and rant once a week lol

[@joshuabailey3397]

Facts. The best era of the NHL. Hitting, rivalries, fighting, amazing talent. Hockey now is very bland, generic, passionless. It's getting NBA like. There's almost no point in watching a game until the 3rd period. You're almost never going to miss a big hit or fight. Score doesn't matter bc teams can score 4 goals in the 3rd to comeback. It's no longer an achievement to comeback. Weak penalties. Player touches another player, penalty.

[@owenposer6720]

It’s like you don’t even watch hockey anymore. Have you watched th battle of alberta?? Game is still very physical, lots of fight and there is more talent now then ever.

[@daves.5301]

This is what hockey was meant to be in my eyes.

[@thegdomo5791]

Dead puck era really watered down the skill of the game glad it’s gone

[@nerdingout3560]

Because goals were so sparce they meant that much more and the roar of the crowds from this time period cant be matched imho. The shear name power to from this time is absolutely unmatched. Jagr, Bure, Roy, Hasek, Kabrle, Yzerman, Sundin etc etc. The list goes on of just massive star powered rosters that were the reasons arenas sold out constantly. I still love hockey but the mid to late 90s though to about 2011/12(somewhere around there) will be my favorite time of hockey. 2000 to 08 is specifically the years i cherish the most. I'll never forget watching that legendary red wings roster with guys like osgood, yzerman and chelios become champs, and ill never forget edmontons cinderella run to the finals in 06. Nothing will beat the nhl from when i was a kid

[@accordionSWE]

92/93 is the season that really kickstarted my interest in NHL hockey. After that I remember I sat up late at night watching the Rangers and the Devils win the Stanley Cup. Devils zone trap was a machine. The Red Wings had some serious style of play during the 90s. I do not watch so much hockey today because it has changed so much and it is a bit to fast paced for my tired and aging brain.

[@georgeinfante1106]

My favored hockey Era 1990s

[@7ehNP]

Nostalgia glasses

[@koncorde]

It'll always be my era of hockey. That '04-05 lockout all but ruined my enjoyment of the sport in many ways, (and I guess the '92 strike may have done the same for a lot of the people raised on the 80's high scoring games) and the loss of so many great names in that period were just never quite replaced by the incoming crowd. Last couple of seasons has been the first time I have felt the league moving forwards again.

[@koncorde]

@danbuckner8364 Yes, the lockout was a hugely distasteful affair, the behaviour of various people was horrific, and it cast the entire sport in a bad light. The end result was I didn't care anywhere near as much for the league or the team leadership. As for everything else you said: everyone has their favourite era, and it has nothing to do with dictating play. Mine is the late 80's to early 00's - but even then the grinding defensiveness was beginning to become overwhelming (watching the Devils win the Cup against Dallas was one of the most boring experiences of my life). Post lockout the overall quality of the league fluctuated in quality as players adjusted to a new era and it has taken a decade to get hockey back out of that defensive doldrum of the early 2000's - and (for me) I am finally seeing not just one or two players who are genuinely exciting but instead each year seems to bring a new top tier prospect. You compare that to the early 2000's and post lockout and it really wasn't attracting or promoting those kinds of players.

[@KapitanPisoar1]

Roy and Brodeur great rivalry about who is the second best goalie after Hasek....

[@lordaleron2912]

No. The dead puck era, marked by the development of the center ice trap, devolved the game of hockey from a high powered sports car to a farming tractor. Slow and frustrating as opposed to fast paced slugfest. Before the dead puck era, NHL teams fostered great goal scorers instead of suppressing scoring and also showed who the great goalies were. Before the dead puck era, a GAA under 3.00 was great and one that was under 2.00 was phenomenal and rare. But during dead puck there were sometimes a dozen goalies with GAA’s under 2.00. That really robs the greatness of a Bernie Parent, a Tony Esposito or even Ken Dryden, when dozens of goalies post sub 2.00 GAA’s. It’s supposed to be hard to do; a measure of greatness. During the dead puck era, it meant scoring was down due to the center ice trap and other rule changed and defensive schemes. In addition to tough trap defenses and questionable rules during the Dead Puck Era, creativity and skill on the ice were not prioritized. The style of the game during these years did not center around players with offensive mentalities, raw talent, and speed. Going forward, the NHL was so concerned over the lack of offense that they even removed the 2 line off sides! PLEASE! The dead puck era should stay dead.

[@lordaleron2912]

@@AnthonyD0311 Trendsetting? Sour grapes. My team, the Bruins embraced all that crap and it was boring and frustrating back then. Look at them now. They are embracing offensive, talent and speed and they’re an exciting team to watch again. If the dead puck trend is not to base play around goal scoring and individual talent, speed and creativity, and instead base it on suppressing those assets, then why has the NHL moved away from that? Because it’s boring. It’s the antithesis of exciting and excitement is the ultimate reason for watching sports.

[@kellokabana2399]

The dead puck era was painfully boring and nearly killed my passion for the game. When the most boring team in hockey is a 3 time dead puck champion and 4 time finalist, you know there’s something wrong. Even in 2000 when the Devils were the highest scoring team in the nhl, they were still playing trap and counter attack hockey. And the worst part is that every team tried to emulate them because it’s much easier to emulate the Devils than to emulate a talented team like the Red Wings or Avalanche. So basically, the nhl expanded to 30 teams during the dead puck and only 2 of those teams were consistently entertaining. The dead puck will be remembered as the era of swamp hockey. The era of Ken Hitchcock, Jacques Martin, Jacques Lemaire, Lindy Ruff and every other boring systems coach. The era where referees turned a blind eye to interference, hooking, holding, clutching and grabbing. It didn’t help that the expansion teams were boring too. Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets have been boring audiences for decades. Contrast those teams with the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken. There’s no comparison. With a few individual exceptions like Jagr, Lindros, Bure, the Red Wings and Avalanche, everything else about the dead puck was forgettable.

[@mandrewjones3097]

Being from colorado, I was a fan of the avalanche during the dead puck era. I remember how grinding those games could be, like, get it out of the corner already! It was a great time for hockey, but I'm glad this style is all but dead. Good times, lol!

[@mikkolappalainen_]

Era of my childhood, the golden era. I remember hockey cards and teams having enforcers

[@rick-says-hello-world]

My memory of that era, being a Devils fan was being told over and over that "the Devils killed hockey with the 'neutral zone trap'". Also: "Scottie Bowman is a genius and the Red Wings are so awesome with their 'left wing lock'". The left wing lock is, for all intents and purposes, the same strategy as the neutral zone trap. (Also, when the two systems met, NJ beat the pants off Detroit, with such low scoring games like 4-2 and 5-2 -- twice). Not that I'm bitter.

[@dro_dozer]

dead puck era with one huge exception - Pat Quinn's run and gun Maple Leafs! They said fuck defence and go score goals, Cujo will figure it out if we get there hahaha

[@markusius]

I couldn’tdisagree more. Having lived through that “dead puck era” I can say that the game changed to what it is today because the new rule changes and actual enforcement of hooking made it favorable for fast technical skaters (skaters with a high degree of skill) to score more. I.e. the common North American way of playing hockey was to dump and chase. IMHO the worst strategy still. Secondly the NHL didn’t enforce hooking which is how a fast skater was slowed down. It was so frustrating to watch. Also the goalie pads had been increasing in size year after year. At one point goalies even had a webbed jersey. It was just so ridiculous the whole thing that the NHL were loosing fans. To increase interest in the game the focus went from brawling to developing good skill. There were in fact some BIG enforcers that really didn’t get any playing time because they sucked so bad. The players you mentioned like Forseburg, Datsuk, etc, the Detroit Red Wings won championships because they didn’t focus on dump and chase.

[@JaredtheRabbit]

I only lived to see the last few years of this era (born 22 years ago on the 11th), but I find it sort of nostalgic.

[@ethanl1359]

I started watching the NHL in 2002. Hasek, Roy and Brodeur were amazing. So we’re the red wings of that era. But hooking, holding and slashing were given too much leeway. I’d argue after the lockout it went a bit too far the other way. My biggest complaint against that era: a 2 goal defecit was INCREDIBLY difficult to overcome. The physicality was fantastic though. I prefer the game now, but the playoff rivalries were something else then

[@achildr1]

I agree with the premise but this title was wasted on a short slideshow. I was a 10 year old Red Wings fan in 1996. The "Dead Puck Era" was some of the best hockey that will ever be seen...as the repeating it is basically impossible now that we know what we know about concussions. Dead Puck Era hockey was literally war on ice...especially the Wings - Ava rivalry.

[@alkumhcounseling8634]

I think your logic is wrong because you're forgetting how much more amazing the game might have been players like the ones you've mentioned didn't have to worry about being elbowed in the head and we're allowed to express themselves more creatively.

[@MrJameslupien]

The dead puck era was awful. No 2 line passes. The goalie allowed to play the puck where ever completely killing any action. Flagrant penalties being ignored killing power plays yet again killing the action. Players not allowed in the paint again killing the action. Allowing the goalie to throw temper tantrums if you even looked at him funny with a toe in the paint. Teams finishing the season with 20+ tie games. Teams that weren't even above .500 coasting off of ties getting the third seed in the playoffs because they won their division when far better teams didn't make it in with substantially better records. The dead puck era was awful for the sport. You're just nostalgic looking back through rose colored glasses. I grew up dead puck era. Im glad it's dead. A 1-0 win every night almost killed hockey.

[@botsareeverywhere]

@@kevinbadger8030You must love puck dump in’s, hooking, holding and grinding for pucks along the boards

[@botsareeverywhere]

Agree with everything you say, the only one’s who say they “enjoyed” it had teams that did well. You know it wasn’t fun for them to watch their team play, but they had “fun” because their team did well

[@rongermanjr]

boo hoo

[@DJ_Mooster]

@@botsareeverywhere I was born at the tail end of it and grew up with hockey when the higher scoring era of today was starting. Dead puck had some shitty rules and some other bad things but it still was fucking awesome

[@ianalex119]

This brought back some great memory’s being an Avalanche fan. But I couldn’t agree more with what you said. My only wish is 1:52 they open the rink up a little more. You know increase it’s size

[@richardtherichard26]

No one has “forgotten” about the Avs wings rivalry. The bottom line is defensive hockey doesn’t draw casual fans. Hockey was never going to grow in the dead puck era. No one wants to watch soccer. Why would they want to watch soccer on ice?

[@jacoblamb3535]

Best era of hockey 93-04.

[@jaylenbarnes2.079]

Love this Video so much You definitely earned my subscription

[@That90sShow]

Mario Lemieux was still the highest ppg from 2000-2005. He was 35 to 40 years old btw. Wayne was irrelevant since 1994

[@kellokabana2399]

Irrelevant? Gretzky and Lemieux had 25 head-to-head matchups throughout their nhl careers. Gretzky’s teams went 18-6-1 against Lemieux’s Penguins. Gretzky put up 60 points in those games to Lemieux’s 38. And it didn’t matter if Gretzky was playing for the Oilers, Kings, Blues or Rangers. He owned Lemieux in every facet of the game. Also, Gretzky was past his prime in the 90’s but still managed to lead the decade in scoring lol. Peak Gretzky proved that he could match Mario’s goal scoring, but Lemieux couldn’t touch Gretzky’s playmaking. That’s the difference. Gretzky’s 163 assist season destroys anything Mario has ever done.

[@That90sShow]

@@kellokabana2399 irrelevant! What did the "great one" do since he early 80s dynasty? Oh right, nothing. Play making?? Lol, hiding behind the net all game is play making? The pansy is lucky he was on dynasty teams and had body guards or he would never won his cups. He was a protected, coddled pansy to help grow the league and make $$$. Plain and simple kiddo.

[@chizorama]

The early 90's to mid 90's was the best hockey; scoring, fighting, physical hockey, players had character, then the Devil's ruined everything with the trap. It was still better to watch than the last decade of hockey, but it seems to be picking it up again, scoring wise at least.

[@pushon10]

I agree. I'm British, so my first love was football. I can't stand to watch 80s NHL matches because it moves too fast for me. This is what I'm comfortable with.

[@cormacmccarthy1559]

Dead Puck was the "Blood Rivalry" The greatest rivalry in Sports History.

[@bluehorseshoe444]

It was boring as hell... getting rid of the 2 line pass rule saved the NHL

[@leehaber]

I don't know how you can say there was more parity back then than there is now in the salary cap era. The Red Wings, Avalanche, Stars and Devils dominated much of it while small-market Canadian teams mostly struggled.

[@joshuabailey3397]

It's worse now than then. Cap hurts high tax teams the most. If I'm a player and it's a choice between Dallas or Toronto, I'm going 0% taxes all the way. (- federal taxes)

[@DJ_Mooster]

There still a lot of good teams and you can argue that teams had a better chance of getting great players without a salary cap.

[@rs180216]

Did the Devils spend anything close to what the others did? Or even as much as their less competitive neighbors that dominated their market?

[@justinpellegrino9071]

The Canadian teams don’t win championships because buttman joobag knows they will always sell tickets that’s why the fixed nhl has Tampa bay Carolina Florida non traditional markets win cups to sell the game in south

[@mackjeez]

Hated this era, the games were boring, gone were the fast pace offensive smart plays, replaced by defensive tactics that just slowed the game down to a crawl. I remember seeing the stands empty in a lot of games with many franchises having crippling attendance issues and I honestly thought this is it, hockey is in decline. The only fans that loved this era were rooting for Detroit, Colorado and New Jersey. That's the era my dad also stopped watching hockey.

[@siobhanofarrell4646]

You get a gold star ⭐️ for NOT declaring that Detroit, Colorado, NJ were awesome sauce and players like Forsberg, Scott Stephens, etc. made the Era Great! The Dead Puck Era was absolute SHIT and trying to watch teams like Colorado, Detroit and NJ were mind numbingly BORING. They may have won Cups, but my God did they play the most excruciatingly BORING, ugly ass hockey - to do it. It reminds me of what Jeremy Roenick said back then - that the game in general (and having to play teams like Dallas too) was boring enough to make you want to slit your wrists. And Brett Hull said the same thing - Dallas was playing the Florida Panthers - and he was talking about how they had players like Modano and Pavel Bure on the ice and there were fans literally sitting there ASLEEP IN THEIR SEATS. And he turned to one of his teammates and said sarcastically- another satisfied customer. The ONLY damn team that was really worth watching was the Penguins because, despite being in BANKRUPTCY, they had Jaromír Jágr who was dominating the entire league - he was by far the most talented, charismatic player back then. And they had a good group of European players like Martin Straka, Alexei Kovalev, Robert Lang, etc who were capable of scoring so they were never completely out of the game. I just wish Jágr hadn’t been injured in Jan or Feb of 2000. Because the Pens had fired Kevin Constantine, brought in Herb Brooks and, under Brooks they’d gotten off to a 12-3 start. Brooks turned Jágr and the entire team loose, and by Dec ‘99 Jágr was on pace to win the scoring race - 40-50 points ahead of the rest of the league. Their game against the NYI was what hockey SHOULD BE - poor Roberto Luongo was in goal, Jaromír was on fire (3g, 4a) and the Pens won 9-3. All offense - it was BEAUTIFUL!

[@66fitton]

WAY better today. Only watched playoffs through this dreary period. I mean seriously, who wants to spend over two hours watching these guys TRY to score. WAAAAAY better today!

[@ericshultz8796]

Kerry Fraser! You almost made me punch my computer monitor.

[@icewyre]

Apart from the glowing puck, I see a good argument here haha

[@Smalls420]

Goalie equipment was also bigger back then

[@cheifwaffle]

I missed this era for all the reasons you mentioned. Really miss the physicallity and defensive play. The current era is just about highlight goals and fancy plays that you wouldnt be able to pull off back than. Member when there was no charging or no touch icing? Brutal times

[@davidodabashyan324]

Gretzky, Yzerman, Sakic, Ferderov, Lemieux, Roy, Hasek… need I say more??? Imagine what they could have done with today’s rules.

[@thrash208]

The flames absolutely would have won the cup if it wasnt for shady reffing. I grew up in the dead puck started watching hockey mostly in 96 and it was great but it was all i knew . Now hockey is far better without question.

[@M.C.R.SYNTRN]

Madono, sakic, forsberg, thorton, brodeur, bertuzzi, jagr, fedorov, the list could go on.. so consistent with high level players. Hockeys golden age!

[@drewburns246]

My dad stopped watching hockey because of this era, many people can relate.

[@chadwellington2524]

The leafs senators series were the best.. and i miss the all star game being North america vs rest of world

[@joejoseph00]

It was called the Trap era, Jacques Lemaire and the Leagues crackdown on skilled players, the Trap and obstruction era, terrible officiating, terribly dangerous hockey, concussions. John Kordik, Bob Probert, Boogard, many post concussion syndrome careers and lives ruined. Good riddance!

[@len6482]

I thought this was the best era. I enjoyed low scoring games, made it a real fight to win.

[@Yochillitsthatserious]

More enjoyable to watch because you had more puck control. Modern nhl is so fast that it can be kind of frenzied and chaotic.

[@Nhamp2000]

I f-----g loved what's known as the Dead Puck era. I still think the 90's is the best playoff hockey I've ever seen.

[@botsareeverywhere]

an era where skill players are limited, it was awful and not fun or exciting to watch

[@deleteduser6074]

i miss this hockey

[@scrubduuken7755]

Brett Hull was not "American born". He was born in Ontario and had duel citizenship otherwise good video.

[@luvslogistics1725]

Loved the cheap shots in this era, the career ending hits on skilled guys by no talent hacks. The 2-1 scores with 89 shots on goal…today the game has opened up and is entertaining. Yes I love Yzerman and Lemieux from that era…

[@letsgoracing4849]

back when the league used the 1-8 method which produced some of the greatest playoffs ever to exist. 90's was literally the golden era of modern(having a sufficient tv deal to fund the league well) hockey. couldn't agree more with this video.

[@jotithind7502]

This was not a great Era. Once a team scored the first goal it was pretty much over. That's why fighting became more prominate. It over shadowed finesse plays and the goons took over the spotlight. It's way better now...im in my 40's so I've seen it all

[@shawnyt6368]

The physicality of the eara was unbelievable. A lot of mucking and grinding stuff that you had to see in person to appreciate. Lots of holding and clutching that would be penalized now, because everything is penalized now. 2011 season was the perfect blend.

[@canucklehead1100]

Nope. Sorry. I grew up watching hockey in th 80's and eatly 90's. I basically stopped watching NHL in the late 90's/early 2000's, except for some playoff games. During those years, I tuned into hockey to watch any international competition I could.

[@stopusingmyrealname2372]

You sound pretty young. Maybe you grew up on this era and are looking back now with rose coloured glasses. Back then you couldn’t make a 2 line stretch pass, so all the grinders would just clog the neutral zone, forcing offensive teams to play dump and chase. The devils were built for this. Scott Niedermayer was the fastest skater in the league. Even if you managed to chip the puck past their grinders, you still had to retrieve the puck before he did, and then you had to contend with Martin Brodeur coming out of his net to disrupt the attackers. (This wouldn’t be a problem if skaters were allowed to hit goalies, but Brodeur would often run interference and get away with it). Scott Stevens was also allowed to patrol the blue line with dirty hits. And if those 3 things weren’t bad enough, the Devils would toss the puck over the glass anytime they were caught out on a long shift and the rules permitted them to do so. They were not a visually impressive team to watch and most nhl teams started copying them.

[@corona61868]

How was Scott Stevens dirty? He hit hard and high, but you could do that back then. Also, and I could be wrong, but I don't ever remember a time when you could clear the puck out of play without a penalty.

[@madisonsykes4896]

brett hull isnt american born, but love the vid! 01 was when i got into hockey, that avs team was epic

[@flyingiguana409]

i watched less hockey the better the devils got. it was just boring. once the game opened up i started to enjoy it more. the clutching and grabbing was just crazy

[@flyingiguana409]

@@AnthonyD0311 more like only devils fans would enjoy it. the whole league turned into clutching and grabbing.

[@alphapred]

bring back the glowing puck!!!!

[@mattwarbuckle]

Fox Glow Puck! I try to explain it to my kids, but they don't believe me.

[@maconmemories3085]

Noooo.. the game was a lot slower. Whistles all the time..

[@julioignacius7687]

I think it was an amazing period of NHL. Now the game is so fast, high scores.. .it certainly is a different game but its not a bad thing.

[@trentreimer130]

0:15 Wow, Paul Rudd has barely aged a day since his time on the Hartford Whalers.

[@MarsLonsen]

i remember the dead puck era like it was 20 years ago

[@PatrickEvabs]

Anyone who wants to relive the 1995/96 to 2002 era and “Hockeys greatest modern Rivaly” between the Avs and Red Wings… read “Blood Feud” - Helluva story written by the Colorado Avs newspaper journalist… all the behind the scenes and it’s brilliantly written. And IM A WINGS FAN!? It covers the Forsberg acquisition and Roy trade/ Fight night at the Joe/ and 5 cups won between both teams in 7 years- It is SO So good - Enjoy

[@lelouchvibritannia4028]

I have the book but haven't read it yet. I was born in the late 90's and Forsberg is my all time favorite player, even though I didn't get to see much of his career beyond highlights.

[@jessemacneil2723]

Dude it was not a snooze fest . freakin miss those players . Loved detroit .Yzerman my fav player

[@tonym3413]

I never understood why the NHL strangled the game with the ban on 2 line passes? players crossed the center line to dump the puck in, opposing goalies would be able to play anywhere and they'd intercept it and shoot it around the boards and back to neutral ice. This would repeat a mind numbing amount of times until a turn-over was created. It's kind of a shame with the kind of talent that came out during this time, it would of been cool to see them play in the modern era.

[@rv2167]

try watching the 2003 cup final....7 games, all of them absolutely terrible, trapping defensive hockey. Sickening to watch.

[@BriefHistoryOfRockandRoll]

AGREED

[@stoneandearthandsailing4127]

What is the dead puck in reference to?

[@thosearentpillows5638]

Brett Hull was born in Canada.

[@jamiecampbell1981]

I watched every Bruins game of the season with my Dad , I miss that, I should go watch em with him Asian love you Dad!!