NHL Playoffs 2012: Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Flyers Is Beautifully Ugly

The NHL playoffs are one of the most revered events in all of sports, possessing the qualities of athleticism and sport that we all cherish in our unreasonable love affair with games — incredible skill, brilliant tactics and seemingly superhuman abilities.

But two teams from the state of Pennsylvania are challenging the notion that intrigue is purely based on the qualities of the status quo. That what captures the sports fan's attention can be more grounded in some post-evolutionary condition that is more satisfied by the story behind the game than the game itself.

This is the reason why we all have been glued to our seats every time the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Philadelphia Flyers in what can only be described as a disgustingly good brand of hockey.

It is no accident that this occurred. These two teams' rivalry extends beyond their geographical locations and into the very hearts of their personalities. Their regular-season melee, not more than a month ago, sparked a fire that has been burning ever since.

I, just like every “expert” out there, made the not-so-bold proclamation that this would be the series to watch of the first round (duh!). But what was poised to be perhaps one of the best series the playoffs have seen in a while, has turned into a chaotic and (un)spectacular array of fist fights and bickering, with hockey serving merely as an excuse to perform these acts that would land anyone else in jail with felony charges for assault.

Giving up 10 goals, which the Flyers did Wednesday night, is not a hallmark of playoff hockey and is certainly not the play of a contender. On the other side, allowing your opposition to go 9 for 15 on power plays is not going to get the Pens very far either.

Both teams have been horrendous by every measure of the sport. Their defenses have been awful, their goaltenders are giving up two or three soft ones per game on average and the penalty minutes are reaching record levels. As of right now you would not pick either to make it past the second round.

However, I challenge you to tell me you have not enjoyed every moment of it. That the blows exchanged off of Sidney Crosby’s frustrated temper tantrum did not get you off your seat. That the incredible amount of shots being laid on these goalies does not make every possession exhilarating. That the way these two sides go after each other’s heads more than the puck makes allows for big plays to happen more often.

But when you scrape away the human tendency to excite over the obvious, you are left with a very mucky level of hockey.

It is not so easy to see where this all began, but it is very obvious why it has happened. Somewhere along the line, what existed between these two teams changed from rivalry to pure hate. No longer are players playing on the adrenaline they build up in a tightly contested bout. They are going onto the ice with intent and an over-zealousness that leads to poor decisions.

Now some may argue that that is a blurred line, one that many rivalries tread dangerously close to overstepping, but rarely do. It is in the moment when the logical desire to win becomes overshadowed by the emotional necessity of beating your opponent that this kind of play is created.

It is as if their rivalry was a murder case being brought to trial. Most would be tried as a murder in the second degree, that which “an intentional killing that is not premeditated or planned”, but instead brought on by the escalation of a situation. However, these two would be tried as first degree “that is both willful and premeditated, meaning that it was committed after planning or 'lying in wait' for the victim." It is this very fine line that has transformed this series.

Respect is an essential part of sport. Once that respect is lost between two teams, respect for the game and its rules becomes obsolete. Players are not driven to succeed for their fanbase. They become infatuated with the notion of winning for personal pride, but how pride is achieved varies from player to player, thus making it an individual game of process rather than a team sport of results.

But yet we continue to watch.

For Flyers and Pens fans, this might as well be their Stanley Cup. Sure they would love to hoist the real thing in the end, but what is the point of being a fan beyond the ability to brag to those you hate? And if you can oust your number-one rival then that should be enough to hold you over until next season anyway.

Besides, it is impossible to know if either of these teams is really any good looking at the way they have been playing. The exhaustion of this series may take its toll, or maybe once either team advances they will begin to play with their heads and not emotions, and could be one of the strongest left.

But why does the passive fan watch? Why do those who are dedicated to one of the other 28 teams in the NHL make a point to tune into to this game over others? An even better question would be why do those who have only a passing interest in hockey decide this is where they are going to get their recreational fix?

There is no exact answer to this question. It has something to do with the media's promotion of it, a bit with the story behind the games and some more with the trending nature social media has to bring us all to the same spot thank anything.

But what this all encapsulates is just human nature — despite as much as we love our sports it is rarely the sporting aspects that keep us so entertained. It is the fact that much like a car crash, we all slow down to look at as we pass in traffic, it is beautifully ugly and never will sport mean more to a person than this very unique qualifier.

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