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Subject: The New NHL
Posted by: J
- Leader [049346417] Mon, Sep 26, 2005, 11:01
So has anyone gone to or watched a preseason game???
I've been to 2 Thrashers preseason games now, and I've gotta say, I dont like it.
There are wayyyyyyyyyy too many penalties, the first game I went to had 34 penalties, not sure how many the second game had, but it was probably pretty close. The referees were calling EVERYTHING.
I like the idea of creating more offense, but if the majority of these games are going to spent on the power play/penalty kill...I dont really want that. There's no 5 on 5 anymore, I hope things change once the regular season starts (in just over a week!!!!) |
| 1 | Dr. Doom
ID: 7113048
Mon, Sep 26, 2005, 11:07
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Players HAVE to re-learn how to play. They are going to be like kids, when a parent says no, they may keep doing it, they will either get punished, or the parent will tire of enforcing there newly emposed restrictions.
The NHL has tried this to a lesser extent in the past number of seasons only to tire of enforcement, both parties need to stay on this.
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| 2 | The Beezer
Leader
ID: 191202817
Mon, Sep 26, 2005, 22:13
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J, you have to excuse the Atlanta team as they aren't used to being watched. :)
The NHL needs to stick to their guns here. Make the penalty boxes as big as luxury suites if they need to, these changes are long overdue and will make the game much better once the players internalize the new rules. It'll also likely filter its way down into the lower ranks and make them better entertainment as well.
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| 3 | Horne_Dawg
ID: 1011111620
Wed, Sep 28, 2005, 14:20
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A penalty is a penalty, there is no difference if its the 20th penalty or the 1st. Referees can't stop calling them just because their quota has been reached. I for one hope to see the Referees call everything, then maybe in the next year or 2 we will have some watch able hockey.
I haven’t watch NHL hockey in years. Because of the fact the players got away with too much. This is the year that the players will learn how to play hockey, or they will simple be out of a job next year, because they spend to much time in the box’s and their team is down a man too much. If you cant skate hard and keep up, then you should be playing in the ECHL not the NHL.
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| 4 | R9
Leader
ID: 02624472
Wed, Sep 28, 2005, 20:27
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I was watching the Habs game last night and I'm already starting to see a difference. When Souray made an almost-breakaway pass from his zone to Ribeiro on the Bruins' blue line, Ribeiro wasn't harrassed by a stick until he fell. What did happen was the defense skated faster and was able to catch Ribeiro and use his body to push him. Mike only got a half-decent shot away.
The point though is that the D-man made a great play. He played real hockey. And if he hadn't been able to, Ribeiro would've gotten the chance he deserved after such a great pass from Souray. In 03/04 Ribs would've been mugged by stickwork, never having had a shot at a play. Furthermore a sub-par defenseman would have stopped a play he should never have been able to stop, and thus:
sub-par d-man > skilled forward
And that just sucked. Now we get to see:
skilled d-man > average forward
average d-man < skilled forward
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| 5 | KrazyKoalaBears
Leader
ID: 517553018
Thu, Sep 29, 2005, 08:51
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It's preseason. Relax.
:)
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| 6 | walk
ID: 236779
Mon, Oct 03, 2005, 15:21
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Yeah, I watched 10 minutes of the rangers (ugh) vs. devils preseason game yesterday, and there was clearly more PP time than even strength time. Booooring. I want to see open ice, end to end offensive skilled hockey, and that's likely more feasible with wider rinks, a la Europe and the olympics. Of course, that cuts into prized expensive seats, so no-go there. I don't think 6-4 games due to more PP goals will make the game better. If, however, as is implied above, the game actually changes when they are 5-5 due the punitive nature of being shorthanded, and there's corresponding less clutching and hooking, then maybe we get the open ice skilled play that folks like me have been wanting...(for years).
It'll be interesting. I want to see this change, but don't want to see two-thirds of the game in odd-man situations.
- walk
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| 7 | caribou
ID: 138512912
Mon, Oct 03, 2005, 15:31
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players are scared of getting called when checking !
Aren't we loosing the energy of hockey...? It will come back, when players will be ajusted.
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| 8 | walk
ID: 236779
Mon, Oct 03, 2005, 15:35
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I like energy, and like it with skating, passing, and shooting and hitting. I mean, there are plenty of 1-0 type games in the Olympics that are sooooooo exciting. While these games are confounded by virtual all-star laden talent playing against each other, I want something resembling that style of hockey in the NHL. Room to skate, pass and shoot with plenty of skating. I don't know if there's literally physically enough space in the rink for 5 huge guys anymore...
- walk
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| 9 | KrazyKoalaBears
Leader
ID: 517553018
Mon, Oct 03, 2005, 16:02
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I don't know if there's literally physically enough space in the rink for 5 huge guys anymore...
There is as long as they're not all clutching and grabbing each other all game long. I wouldn't mind seeing rinks expanded, but we know that's not going to happen. So the only other thing to do is prevent the "Hold Them Until They Lose the Puck" defense from being the norm. Ever watch a Minnesota Wild game? Now THAT's boring. It'll Neutral Zone Trap you to sleep in the first period.
The fact is that there will be an adjustment period. I doubt we'll see a 2/3 PP time game become the norm in the long-term. We're looking at very short-term results right now and preseason at that.
To compare it to NASCAR, I remember when a bunch of people I know were up in arms when the Chase for the Cup was instituted last year. They were complaining that it wasn't what racing was about and that their favorite driver wasn't going to make it and on and on and on. Well, this year those same people love the excitement the Chase creates, even without their favorite drivers involved. Go figure.
Whenever something new comes along in sports, there will be an adjustment period; a time when players, coaches, and refs all figure out what's going on. That is NOT the time to scrutinize the change. The time to really scrutinize the change is after all parties involved have had a chance to become adjusted and the game is being played as it would continue to be played with no other rules adjustments. I don't think we've seen that yet and I don't know that we'll see it before January is upon us. We may have to endure the short-term for a better long-term... kind of like the lockout.
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| 10 | R9
Leader
ID: 02624472
Mon, Oct 03, 2005, 16:21
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I went to the Habs/Sens game last night, and I realized that the ref's are getting used to the new rules as well. They missed a couple hooking/obstruction calls imho (and called far lesser ones later in the game) and called some questionable 'roughing' penalties when the defense used their body instead of their stick. Poor Chara was practically getting called for a penalty before he stepped on the ice!
However, there were a ton of breakout passes by both teams that lead to some solid chances. I don't know if anyone else has been to the rink yet, but you have to go to realize what moving the blue lines towards center ice has done. The neutral zone barely exists. The offensive zones are HUGE. It was common to see a defensman pick up the puck in his zone, and send a pass up to a winger cruising on the opponent blue line. Time in the neutral zone was = to the time the puck took to cross the zone... thats it. The end result of this is no more trapping and clogging up the middle of the ice. Its pretty easy to get into the opponent's zone now.
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| 11 | walk
ID: 236779
Tue, Oct 04, 2005, 08:32
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Understood KKB. I hope it pans out nicely. And I know, they won't be widening the rinks.
R9: good karma. I hope that kinda hockey is pervasive this year.
- walk
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