Proposed Rule Changes in NHL

[Quakes11]

Here is an interesting article about the proposed rule changes in the NHL. I also saw something simmilar to this in the Mercury News a few days ago. I disagree with 6, and am skeptical about 8, but the rest I believe would be very good for the game.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=1728310

[afgrijselijkheid]

10. Call the rule book

...well naturally - what an idea!

9. Bring back the "tag-up" rule

hell no - too difficult to officiate anyway

8. No limit on curvature of sticks

ridiculous

7. Stop protecting the goalie

most ridiculous thing ive ever heard of

6. Serve the full two minutes

no thanks

5. Move the goal line back

no... and make the net bigger? :rolleyes:

4. Amend the instigator rule

yeah maybe

3. A better schedule

never happen... fewer games, again a marvel of creativity

2. Fix the standings

the one he gets right - dump the freakin' OT loss point - i understand the idea behind it, but it hasn't exactly cut down on ties - 4 on 4 was a much better change

1. Shootouts

OH MY GOD! find me 5 real hockey fans that want a freakin' shootout - what a liar, this dude needs to just shut the hell up forever - anybody who wants this, much less a supposed hockey writer, is a clown... and i loooove how nobody felt like putting there name to this drivel - i'm so tired of how americans want to change a sport every two years because there's not enough this and too much that - these things go in natural cycles - in '68 baseball was distraught because not enough runs were being scored and now look where we've gone from their changes; 15-11 games in dodger stadium - just leave the damn game alone! rule changes should be like a bug fix, you only do it when there's a conflict that is harming the sport - it shouldn't be too tinker with for a bunch of amateur dr. frankensteins

[ticogordo]

10. Call the rule book
9. Bring back the "tag-up" rule
8. No limit on curvature of sticks
7. Stop protecting the goalie
6. Serve the full two minutes
5. Move the goal line back
4. Amend the instigator rule
3. A better schedule
2. Fix the standings
1. Shootouts

all of these are ridiculous with the exception of #4. Without the instigator rule, players will again be accountable for their hockey crimes.

no-touch icing should also be a rule change, and bring back the five minute major for high-sticks instead of the stupid four minute penalty. Too many guys are taking sticks to the face. yes, the sticks are lighter, but still you should be aware enough to not take a guys eye out. what is this slapshot?

[otterulz]

I thought they were gonna mention stuff like automatic icing or getting rid of the redline. How about stuff like limiting the size of a goalie's pads? Look at Khabibulin. Those things are enormous. I do agree on getting rid of OTL. You lost the game so you get rewarded with a point? Ridiculous.

[Quakes11]

No touch icing is stupid... why bring even more stopages to the game?


I like the idea of a tag up rule for offsides and eliminatiing the red line becuase it takes out a lot of stupid stopages in the game. With a tag up rule, you eliminate the problem that the offsides rule was trying to get rid of, which is having players cherry pick inside the zone. If a player must tag up there is no point for him to be there.

I also agree with the notion of not protecting the goalies outside of the crease... if he wants to play the puck outside his area thats fine, but he should be treated like a regular player... he shouldnt be above the law.

Moving the goal back will give a small amount of more space to let plays develop, and take it away from an area that doesnt need more space... the area behind the nets is definentally large enough.

My main issue is getting rid of the overtime loss, which is the stupidest rule in all of sports. If you loose, you loose... period. Having 3 point wins would make ties almost pointless.. and make teams strive to win the games more. I think shootouts are a stupid way to end a game, and they are unnecesarry.

[afgrijselijkheid]

Originally posted by Quakes11
No touch icing is stupid... why bring even more stopages to the game?


i agree with you guys - automatic icing would be an absolute farce

[ticogordo]

no touch icing is not stupid, all touch icing does is injure guys. lots of broken legs and separated shoulders. the nhl does not need its' players getting injured in this way. besides there's nothing scarier as a player to go back for an icing call and have someone take your blade out from under you ten feet from the boards
while i would miss the energy goals of a guy beating a lazy defenseman back, the risk of injury is too high to ignore.

if you are going to (and im not giving an opinion one way or the other) stop protecting goalies outside of the crease, then you HAVE TO remove the instigator rule. if you go after someone's goalie then you have to know the next shift you're on the ice, you better be prepared to fight the biggest guy on their team (with the exception of Ottawa who won't fight you at all, but will check you from behind into the boards).

[fidlerre]

Originally posted by Quakes11

I also agree with the notion of not protecting the goalies outside of the crease... if he wants to play the puck outside his area thats fine, but he should be treated like a regular player... he shouldnt be above the law.

here, here.

[microbrew]

Well, they missed my favorite suggestion- make the rinks wider. As for moving the goals back, I have read elsehwere they were suggesting they be moved back closer to the original distance, to open up the neutral zone.

Goaltender pads need to better regulated, while making sure they still protect against 100+ mph slapshots. Just look at Brodeur- he's doesn't look like a marshmellow.

[russ]

No.8 is nuts - I remember the unlimited curve days,and goalies were getting knocked cold on a regular basis,even with masks.Also defensemen got broken legs from stopping shots.I shudder to think what could have happened to Pronger if the shot he took to the chest a couple years ago came off a 3-inch curved stick.

Screw instigator penalties in general-the league needs to grow some stones and suspend players based on video evidence , whether the blind zebra made an original call or not.

This would mean Darcy Tucker would never play again, but thats a good thing.

Shootouts...newbie.

[Daniel from Montréal]

I think that the 3-point win would to the most for opening up the game during regulation. And if you want to get really into it, make the OTW 2 points.

[soccernutter]

Originally posted by bluedaddy19
10. Call the rule book

...well naturally - what an idea!

"When the league doesn't take the heat for an official, especially when that official is executing a league mandate, the entire group is more likely to become whistle-shy."

Hello? NHL, anybody home?

9. Bring back the "tag-up" rule

hell no - too difficult to officiate anyway

Nice idea, but not really that practical.

8. No limit on curvature of sticks

ridiculous

No limit is rediculous. But they should look at going back to a bigger curve. I could see somebody skating behind the net and shoving the puck in the upper corner. That would be cool to see.

7. Stop protecting the goalie

most ridiculous thing ive ever heard of

I dissagree. In the crease, the goalie is special. But outside of the crease, he is just another player who happens to have more padding.

6. Serve the full two minutes

no thanks

Na, I like it the way it is.

5. Move the goal line back

no... and make the net bigger? :rolleyes:

The actualy quote was "If [moving the goal] doesn't work, we'll put [the goal] back and make the net bigger." I took that as either/or. And I agree...well, with moving the net back. A side effect might be more ppg, which would eliminate the need for #6.

4. Amend the instigator rule

yeah maybe

Sure, but as I said in the fighting thread (http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=91424), fighting penalties/suspentions should be sitffer.

3. A better schedule

never happen... fewer games, again a marvel of creativity

Not fewer games, just fewer long distance travels. And make sure there is a rest day between trips to places like the Avs or Vancover. But realistically, I don't see how that would work.

2. Fix the standings

the one he gets right - dump the freakin' OT loss point - i understand the idea behind it, but it hasn't exactly cut down on ties - 4 on 4 was a much better change

Simplicity: 3 points for a win, 1 for a tie, 0 for a loss. Or are they trying to copy MLS? ;)

1. Shootouts

OH MY GOD! [snip]

That sums up my thoughts.

Originally posted by russ
Screw instigator penalties in general-the league needs to grow some stones and suspend players based on video evidence, whether the blind zebra made an original call or not.

What is the problem. Don't they want to cut down on violence?

Originally posted by Daniel from Montréal
And if you want to get really into it, make the OTW 2 points.

No. Anything that increases the possibility for a tie should be thrown out. OT should be looked at like a bonus period to get a win, not a special period.

[afgrijselijkheid]

Originally posted by soccernutter
I dissagree. In the crease, the goalie is special. But outside of the crease, he is just another player who happens to have more padding.



oh come on! there is a difference here... each team dresses 18 skaters but only 2 GKs - you simply cannot have teams taking runs at your goalie every night... which is exactly what would happen - you'd be down to junior prospects by november (not to mention there's a great chance that a given team's GK is one of the highest paid players on the roster) - you say you want fighting to have stiffer penalties, which i take to mean that you want less dropping of the gloves... forget the obvious slew of injuries... if you allow GKs to be plastered on a regular basis it is gonna seem like 'slapshot' every single game

[Daniel from Montréal]

Apparently, they will use a few of these in the next season for the AHL.

Notably wider lines and the 3-2-1-0 points system.

[kwik1980]

The GM's did throw a bunch of rule change proposals out today, but there's still a ways for all of this to go, and the earliest that some of these could enter the rulebook is summer, when the owners all get together (and, of course, there is still that nasty CBA to deal with...)

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=71686

In any event, here are the proposals:

-Goalies would no longer be allowed to handle the puck behind the net. (Decent enough idea, but the proposed penalty is a 2-minute minor. That's kinda steep)

- Goal pad width reduced to 10 inches, and the NHL wants to inspect all equipment before the season

-Nets moved back to 10 feet from end boards (they're currently 13 feet away)

-Tag-up offsides brought back

-3-2-1-0 point structure. (If a shootout was adopted, it would give a team 2 points, same as an OT win)

-Wider blue and red lines (24 inches as opposed to the current 12)

The point structure, and wider lines would get a one-season trial in the AHL, everything else could go into effect next season.

Also discussed, but not acted upon were: wider nets, no touch icing, and the possibility of a player having to serve the full 2 minutes of a minor penalty regardless of goals scored. Again, there's still time to tinker before this goes to the owners in the summer, but this is the starting point.

[afgrijselijkheid]

Originally posted by kwik1980
In any event, here are the proposals:

-Goalies would no longer be allowed to handle the puck behind the net. (Decent enough idea, but the proposed penalty is a 2-minute minor. That's kinda steep)

an utter joke even without the penalty - how about of left wings can only move diagonally and right wings have to chug a beer before they shoot the puck? idiots!

- Goal pad width reduced to 10 inches, and the NHL wants to inspect all equipment before the season

fine

-Nets moved back to 10 feet from end boards (they're currently 13 feet away)

whatever, but i thought they were concerned about having too little offense - i'd think taking space out of one of the offices for top playmakers would help penalty killers

-Tag-up offsides brought back

joke

-3-2-1-0 point structure. (If a shootout was adopted, it would give a team 2 points, same as an OT win)

i think i'm gonna be sick

-Wider blue and red lines (24 inches as opposed to the current 12)

what an inconsequential rule change proposal - what exactly do they think this will do?

[soccernutter]

Originally posted by bluedaddy19
oh come on! there is a difference here... each team dresses 18 skaters but only 2 GKs - you simply cannot have teams taking runs at your goalie every night... which is exactly what would happen - you'd be down to junior prospects by november (not to mention there's a great chance that a given team's GK is one of the highest paid players on the roster) - you say you want fighting to have stiffer penalties, which i take to mean that you want less dropping of the gloves... forget the obvious slew of injuries... if you allow GKs to be plastered on a regular basis it is gonna seem like 'slapshot' every single game

This will cause one of two things (even with the new rule change): 1 - the gk will stay in the net or 2 - the gk will become a better skater/stick handler. Look at the gk in soccer. See how they have had to handle the ball better with their feet due to the rule change. You think gk in soccer would have been able to do that 10 years ago?

The side effect, though, is that becuase of the number of gk on a roster, when a gk does leave the net, the officials need to pay close attention to suggestion #10. It is not specifically #7, but protection of the goalie in the way that soccer officials (I was one) do.

[Quakes11]

The NHL ovbiously doesnt want the goalie handeling the puck, since it kills a lot of forechecks and it is not very entertaining to watch him stickhandle. Without protecting the goalie, the goalie would all but have to stay in the net, eliminating the problem of them overhandeling the puck.

[microbrew]

Stupid "Marty" rule. They're penalizing the few goaltenders who do have stick skills. And it still doesn't deal with what really bogs down offenses in the neutral zone.

When Brodeur handles the puck, he improves game flow. I want better puck movement, not more dump-ins. I also didn't mind when Patrick Roy came out to play the puck. Those moments were... interesting.

From what I've read, there will be unintended consequences, mainly for defensemen.

[nyrmetros]

Hockey is very easy to fix. Just copy the model of European soccer, and install a promotion and relegation system. The 3 teams that finish last in the NHL get relegated to the AHL. The top 3 teams of the AHL get promoted to the NHL. The bottom 3 teams in the AHL East get relegated to the ECHL. The bottom 3 teams in the AHL West get relegated to the WCHL. The top 3 teams in the ECHL get promoted to the AHL East. The top 3 teams in the WCHL get promoted to the AHL West.


The whole concept of "farm team" must be done away with. Each team in the AHL and ECHL and WCHL will become their "own" teams. With this system, no team or player can call it quits with nothing to play for. They will be fighting relegation, they will be fighting for the fans, and they will be fighting for their paychecks. This would revitalize the sport of ice hockey in North America. It would give it a real juice where every game would count, from beginning to end.


NHL = division 1
AHL = division 2
ECHL = division 3 E
WCHL = division 3 W


This could revolutionize the way pro sports are played out in America. Every team in every city would have a chance to win the Stanley Cup.


Also, a new tournament should be held. The Canadian Open Cup, and the U.S. Open Cup. The tournament would obviously be held seperately in Canada and America. But the same rules would apply. The tournament is open to every hockey team in each country. Obviously the minnows would play eachother first and a round robin 1 game winner type of tournament. the AHL and NHL teams would enter the tournament in the later rounds. Imagine a knockout tournament for ice hockey involving every team in the land. Imagine the pride a small town would feel if their amatuer hockey team knocked off an AHL or even an NHL team on their way to glory. This is the passion that ice hockey in North America is missing.


Any thoughts on this.... ?