NHL Proposes Rules to Boost Offense

By Diana Driscoll |

Were this season’s goaltenders spectacular or is it just too hard to score? That is the question the NHL is trying to figure out with its new proposed rules for future seasons.

“The discussions come at a time when the NHL’s average save percentage (.915) is the highest since the statistic arrived in 1983-84 and the mean Goals Against Average (2.52) is the third-lowest in 59 years. (Both figures courtesy hockey-reference.com.)”—Elliotte Friedman Sportsnet.Ca

NHL wants to see more offense and with that comes ideas (during the last competition committee meeting) on how to get players to produce. I want to stress this point: these are only ideas that reportedly came up during the meeting and over the course of the season. It does not mean all or any of these will become future rules in the NHL.

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Goaltender equipment

One way the League is looking to boost scoring is through changing goaltender equipment (yet again). If the rule is implemented, goalies would be stripped down to pretty much the bare necessities it terms of protection; if it doesn’t protect the goaltender than it may go.

This means that jerseys and pants are going to be tapered and may be cut so there is no extra room for the puck to get caught in and no place for the goaltender to hide oversized chest pads. The size of goaltenders has already increased (take Tampa Bay Ben Bishop for example) and the League doesn’t want the big pads and loose jerseys to take up any more room away from the shooter.

Faceoffs

“The current rule (76.4) requires the player on the visiting team to put his stick down first in all zones, including at the center-ice faceoff dot. The visiting player still would be required to put his stick down first on faceoffs taken at center ice, according to the recommendation. But in all other faceoffs the player closest to his own goalie would have to declare first.” — NHL.com

The NHL would change this to the player on the defensive side of the red line will have to put the stick down on the ice first before the puck is dropped. As former center Joe Sakic stated in the same article, and as many other centermen can attest to, he always felt that he had an advantage going in second. If the offensive player goes in second there is more of a chance that he will win the puck back and be able to make something happen, if not to score at least generate more chances.

This rule was first thought up by general managers back in March and I am all for it. I think it is much better than the rule that is in place now. Of course, if the team you root for is on defense, you aren’t going to like it, but it may bring about more offensive opportunities. Plus, it gives less of an advantage to the home team, which I especially like during the playoffs.

Shot-blocking

The last change and the one I am least OK with is the proposed ban on some shot-blocking techniques.

“NHLPA special assistant Mathieu Schneider declined to comment, but, according to a couple of sources, he introduced thoughts about disallowing certain shot-blocking techniques. Without his commentary, it’s difficult to know exactly what he proposed, but in 2008, then-Canadiens GM Bob Gainey recommended banning full-body sliding while in the defending zone.” — Elliotte Friedman Sportsnet.Ca

Just like everybody else I don’t know all the details, but I get wearisome when people try and change the defensive aspects of the game. I am all about people sliding across the ice and players huddling in the crease all in the sake of preventing a goal from going in. It shows the players who have heart and courage, and it makes for some edge-of-your-seat hockey.

I am afraid tampering with shot-blocking will make players and teams lackadaisical in the defensive zone. I am all for more scoring, but not as a result of lack of defense. I want players to rack up the points because they earned them, fought for them, grinded for them. That is the type of hockey I want to see.

Really, who knows if these changes will come into play eventually. But the NHL is clearly hoping that the old saying “Offense sells tickets, defense wins games” rings true and that these changes help with the former part of that sentence.

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