The recent lack of negotiations over the ongoing NHL lockout have made it very likely that we won't have any hockey for a while. Canada's TSN network seems to have gotten this message loud and clear. They put on game four of the 1988 finals between the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins during primetime. It was a refreshing change from the brand of hockey we would be seeing had the NHL season started (as originally scheuled) today. Those who doubt this assertion only need to take a quick look at the two lineups. Gretzky, Messier, Kurri, and Fuhr versus Bourque, Neely and Moog - all playing at the top of their games.

So what are some of the differences that have crept into the game over the last 16 years?

- For starters, the ice seems much larger. We know that the rinks are basically the same size, the players have gotten bigger but the biggest change is the player equipment. Back then, players weren't decked out like robots. Shoulder and elbow pads were definitely smaller.

- The open style of play. In the couple of periods of hockey I watched, neither team seemed to be trapping. The play was more open and free flowing than what we see in today's typical playoff game. The two teams scored 4 goals in just the first period.

- Style of goaltending. Watching Grant Fuhr and Andy Moog playing with the standup style seems somewhat strange these days. Fuhr's athletic style and Moog's calm and collected, technical play are classics. The age of 3-XXXL goalie equipment and the ensuing butterfly style wasn't there yet.

- Much more finesse. Maybe its just watching the "Great One" do his magic, but there seems to be a lot more finesse in both passing and shooting. You actually saw players take low speed shots with very quick releases and placed impeccably (for example one the ice, blocker side).