2008 Woodie Awards
Believe It or Not: NHL Season is Back
Greg Mole
Issue date: 9/30/05 Section: Sports
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It is the end of September and hockey fans everywhere are counting down until the start of the NHL season. Much has changed since teams last stepped onto the ice, as rules have been altered, a cap has been introduced and a number of players have switched teams in a frantic offseason.
Hockey has long generated the lowest ratings of the four major sports. Part of this is due to a recent defense-oriented trend that has resulted in low-scoring games. In response, the NHL is placing a new emphasis on interference penalties. Players are no longer allowed to grab at opponents with their gloves or sticks. As NHL Director of Officiating Steven Walkom puts it, the new rules are designed to emphasize "speed, quickness, skill, intelligence and hard work." In short, the league hopes to inject some much-needed offensive adrenaline into the sport.
In addition to offensive-minded enforcement, the NHL has made some fundamental changes to the game. Although hockey rinks are still the same size, the offensive zone has been expanded by moving the net two feet closer to the backboards and the blue line two feet towards center ice. This extra space should prove especially important on power plays: it gives the offense more room to cycle the puck around and makes it that much more difficult for the defending team to clear the puck out of its zone.
The ability of the goalie to stickhandle out of the net has also been restricted. The netminder is now only allowed to touch the puck in front of the net and in a newly-added trapezoidal zone directly behind it. Although the prohibited space is small, it takes away the zones where the goalie is most likely to try to stop pucks circling around the backboard. This will make it easier for forwards to dump the puck into the offensive zone and retrieve it.
Icing the puck will also carry a heavier punishment now. Teams often ice the puck to bring about a stoppage of play that can be used to switch lines, and the only penalty used to be a face-off in the offending team's offensive zone. Now, the team that ices the puck can no longer perform a line change. This gives its opponents the advantage of sending out a fresh line against one that is fatigued
Hockey has long generated the lowest ratings of the four major sports. Part of this is due to a recent defense-oriented trend that has resulted in low-scoring games. In response, the NHL is placing a new emphasis on interference penalties. Players are no longer allowed to grab at opponents with their gloves or sticks. As NHL Director of Officiating Steven Walkom puts it, the new rules are designed to emphasize "speed, quickness, skill, intelligence and hard work." In short, the league hopes to inject some much-needed offensive adrenaline into the sport.
In addition to offensive-minded enforcement, the NHL has made some fundamental changes to the game. Although hockey rinks are still the same size, the offensive zone has been expanded by moving the net two feet closer to the backboards and the blue line two feet towards center ice. This extra space should prove especially important on power plays: it gives the offense more room to cycle the puck around and makes it that much more difficult for the defending team to clear the puck out of its zone.
The ability of the goalie to stickhandle out of the net has also been restricted. The netminder is now only allowed to touch the puck in front of the net and in a newly-added trapezoidal zone directly behind it. Although the prohibited space is small, it takes away the zones where the goalie is most likely to try to stop pucks circling around the backboard. This will make it easier for forwards to dump the puck into the offensive zone and retrieve it.
Icing the puck will also carry a heavier punishment now. Teams often ice the puck to bring about a stoppage of play that can be used to switch lines, and the only penalty used to be a face-off in the offending team's offensive zone. Now, the team that ices the puck can no longer perform a line change. This gives its opponents the advantage of sending out a fresh line against one that is fatigued