Originally Posted by
Goat Milk
The thing in NHL is there is more parity and also the fact that there are more guys that play. NHL is more like baseball than it is basketball. Basketball is highly dependant on 3-4 players on the team, guys who are gonna take the majority of shots, play the majority of minutes, handle the ball all the time. Baseball, it doesn't matter how good your first 3-4 guys in the lineup are. If your 5, 6, 7, 8 hitters aren't quality, then you won't win. Why? Because the 8 hitter is gonna get just as many bats in a playoff series as the 3 hitter (what, he might get like 0.5 less at bats per game average, big deal). So 8 has just as much pressure to produce. Similarly, in hockey, you got 4 lines that play almost equal minutes. The 4th line is just as important as the 1st line in hockey. It's truly a team sport.