Hockey Prompt:

I've thought for a very long time that hockey has been way too bogged down by traditions that haven't been allowed to change and evolve with the times. The NHL as a whole exudes and promotes an extraordinarily out of proportion self-seriousness that I'm not convinced is necessary for hockey to be hockey. Let the players show emotion and actually enjoy themselves when good things happen. There's obviously going to be times where things should be more on the chill side. For example, if there's been a 10-2 blowout and the winning team scores a final empty-netter, the respectful move is to get your fist bumps and move on rather than celebrating and screaming like you just won the cup. I'm pretty sure the vast majority of players already have a good sense of the right time and place for letting loose, so just let them continue to navigate that line and remind everyone that hockey players do indeed have personalities. Their joy is the fans' joy, and the media needs to shut the hell up when a player stretches out of the boring cookie cutter with a goofy little celly.