I left Texas last spring and missed most of the playoffs and off season news while moving to Hawaii. What are the new rules? What's the deal with the nuetral zone trap and the left wing lock? I've only been a fan for about 10 years or so, and really don't know a lot about tactics. Are they saying it can't be done? If so will it be penalized on the ice? Someone who knows the nuances of hockey please kindly explain. Thanks.
The deal with the new rules is: Existing rules regarding hooking/holding type infractions will be enforced much more strictly, for offenses against players both with and without the puck. This makes the neutral zone trap much less effective as that strategy depends on being able to slow attacking players down on their way through the neutral zone by hooking/holding them up. It also makes forechecking easier, as a defenseman can no longer hold up a forechecker while his partner plays the puck. The idea is that, once the teams get used to the new way the rules are being enforced, the game will be more open and fast-paced, and scoring will go up. In the meantime, a large portion of the game (at least, the game I watched last night) will be played on special teams due to increased penalties. The NHL has adopted the hurry-up faceoffs seen in the Olympics last winter. From the time the whistle is blown to end the previous play, the visiting team has five seconds to get its new players on the ice. After that, the home team has eight seconds to get its new players on the ice. After that, both teams have five seconds to be in position for the faceoff, and the linesmen have been instructed to drop the puck at that point, whether both teams are ready or not. The idea here is obviously to cut down stalling between plays and make the game quicker. The other result is that teams can't stall to get their top lines rested, and depth should be more important, as teams will have to use their 4th lines more often. I don't know if this last one is a rule change so much as a general guideline for officials. I noticed during the game I watched (NYR@Car) that the officials weren't inclined to blow the whistle when the goaltenders had gloved the puck if they weren't being pressured, instead telling them to play it. Again, the idea is to cut down on unnecessary stoppages and speed up the pace of the game. Those are the two main rule changes that impact play, as far as I can recall. Am I missing anything?
I noticed that, too. If anyone knows the details about this (rule change or officiating guideline), pass it on, please. Thanks.
Thanks for the run down. The pace in ther Stars Avs game was pretty fast, and Dallas had 7 short handed situations in a row. There were also penalties on both teams in the overtime.