OT: Rule changes

I'm sure many of us are aligned in our thoughts about the rule changes...the excessive penalties suck and decide too many games now. I know many "puritans" hate the shootout. I don't know the general consensus but I was happy the two-liner was taken out of the game because it was retarded. And lastly, I think not letting teams change on icings was a pretty good change too.

However, I was pondering something I wanted to run past you guys to see what you think. Lets say you come into the zone off-side on a PP. I know the idea of more PP's was more scoring, but it's clearly not working out. Guys like Marty thought about rules to not let the SH teams ice the puck, but I think that's a "punishment doesn't fit the crime" type of situation.

But what about, either on PP's or in general, if the team with the advantage is called offside for any reason, instead of having the face-off right outside the zone, the face-off is pushed to the circles at the opposite blue-line instead?

I think it affords both teams an opportunity...it gives the PP team more space to generate a rush up ice, and at the same time, gives the SH team a chance to win a face off and control the play.

It's just a thought, I didn't think it through completely, just wondering what some other people think.

I'm not against any minor change that experiments with a little part of the game. I wouldn't mind to see it tryed out on the AHL level first.

As for the rule changes instituted after the lockout, I honestly like most of them. I loved getting rid of the two line pass and being able to change after icing the puck. But I don't love the trapezoid. As for the penalties, I honestly don't mind it that much. For the creative players like AO, Crosby, Kovy to be effective some sort of crackdown had to be put in place. At times it seems too extreme, but that's where the NHL has to find the balance betwee prelockout officiating and now.

While we're on the subject of bettering the game, if the points system ever changed I'd just like to go to W-L. For the average sports fan, W-L are much more identifiable than points, which is soccerish. I don't mind the system now, I'm totally agasint the 3/2/1/0 point model. But if the league ever went to just W-L, I'd like to see the OT go to 10 minutes 5 on 5 and instead of a 3 person shootout, change it to 5 players.

I'm not against any minor change that experiments with a little part of the game. I wouldn't mind to see it tryed out on the AHL level first.

As for the rule changes instituted after the lockout, I honestly like most of them. I loved getting rid of the two line pass and being able to change after icing the puck. But I don't love the trapezoid. As for the penalties, I honestly don't mind it that much. For the creative players like AO, Crosby, Kovy to be effective some sort of crackdown had to be put in place. At times it seems too extreme, but that's where the NHL has to find the balance betwee prelockout officiating and now.

While we're on the subject of bettering the game, if the points system ever changed I'd just like to go to W-L. For the average sports fan, W-L are much more identifiable than points, which is soccerish. I don't mind the system now, I'm totally agasint the 3/2/1/0 point model. But if the league ever went to just W-L, I'd like to see the OT go to 10 minutes 5 on 5 and instead of a 3 person shootout, change it to 5 players.

Yeah I agree with most everything you said. But as I brought up in another thread about the subject, the ONE thing about a 10 minute OT is basically playing 30 minutes on one surface. For teams with 7:30 games that could push them to 11:30 at night for a simple regular season game. However, I would also argue that if they did add another 5 onto OT they should shorten the season by a few games just to balance out the schedule from too many back-to-backs.

I mean these guys go through punishment for about 6 1/2 months just to make the playoffs, which everyone knows the intensity cannot be matched in any other sport when it comes to the playoffs. I think if the regular season takes its toll too much, it'll affect everything else.

and my biggest problem with the new penalty rules is that none of the calls are ever consistent. We experienced that against NY with the call on white and then the no-calls the other way. It's just become far too subjective and I feel like there has unquestionably been a rise in horrible, horrible, game changing calls. I think the implementation needs to be changed drastically because it's really frustrating.

Also, I want the wood sticks back...i'm sick and ****ing tired of broken sticks automatically becoming penalties. Plus composites are ****. I know they're "better" in a lot of ways, but I still hate them. haha

I think taking the red line out of play was the worst decision they could have made and it should have been experimented with for a few years, at another level, to see what the results would be.

Most of that rule change package was badly thought out garbage. Tag-up is great, but most of the players seem to still not understand it.

Things like Julienball would not exist if the red line was still in play, and the change killed turnover transition play.

Yeah I agree with most everything you said. But as I brought up in another thread about the subject, the ONE thing about a 10 minute OT is basically playing 30 minutes on one surface. For teams with 7:30 games that could push them to 11:30 at night for a simple regular season game. However, I would also argue that if they did add another 5 onto OT they should shorten the season by a few games just to balance out the schedule from too many back-to-backs.

I mean these guys go through punishment for about 6 1/2 months just to make the playoffs, which everyone knows the intensity cannot be matched in any other sport when it comes to the playoffs. I think if the regular season takes its toll too much, it'll affect everything else.

and my biggest problem with the new penalty rules is that none of the calls are ever consistent. We experienced that against NY with the call on white and then the no-calls the other way. It's just become far too subjective and I feel like there has unquestionably been a rise in horrible, horrible, game changing calls. I think the implementation needs to be changed drastically because it's really frustrating.

Also, I want the wood sticks back...i'm sick and ****ing tired of broken sticks automatically becoming penalties. Plus composites are ****. I know they're "better" in a lot of ways, but I still hate them. haha

Yeah obviously a 10 minute OT creates alot of problems. The ice is obviously an issue, and with the ice around the leauge being as bad as it is, it's even more of an issue than before. So perhaps 10 minute OT isn't totally foolproof, but it solves alot of problems---such as the amount of games decided by a shootout. As for the point system the NHL should just stick to the way it is now or just go to straight W-L. Changing around to much, to me, drives many borderline fans away.

As for the officiating, I don't know if it will ever be totally consistent. There's just too much human error. Same thing goes in every sport. A strike to one umpire may be a ball to another. One ref may call pass interference, but anothermay just let the play go. A foul to one NBA guy may not be a foul to another. I'm just glad that the NHL is not bumper cars anymore with all the clutching and grabbing. The NHL made the game much more exciting by getting rid of it, but they do need to lighten up the calls though, I definetly agree.

I don't think there are excessive penalties right now. There's been much fewer this year than last year and obviously much much fewer than 05-06.

Yeah I agree with most everything you said. But as I brought up in another thread about the subject, the ONE thing about a 10 minute OT is basically playing 30 minutes on one surface. For teams with 7:30 games that could push them to 11:30 at night for a simple regular season game. However, I would also argue that if they did add another 5 onto OT they should shorten the season by a few games just to balance out the schedule from too many back-to-backs.

How do you figure game will be pushed back to 11:30. Games as takes about two and half hours to play. That means currently a 7:30 games ends at about 10pm. Considering OT currently adds about 15 extra minutes game I don't see how extending OT by 5 extra game time minutes will add 45 minutes to the game. At most it will extend the game by an extra 10 minutes on top of what a normal OT game takes. That means the games will end at about 10:30. Given what other sports take thats reasonable.

AS for it being a basically a 30 minute period it's doable but it's the max. However most games won't go that far.

The only stupid rule change was the goalie trapezoid. Why? It's just ridiculous. Makes no sense to limit a player's play within their position's area. Just seemed targeted to only one or two goalies in the league...