If I Were Commish...

This idea from an NHL 2Night got me thinking. If you were Commish of the NHL, what rule changes, if any, would you implement? For me, I like the game the way it is, but here are my thoughts to "open it up a little":

1. END TIES NOW. At first, I was against the idea of shootouts, but this four-column system with overtime losses is ridiculous. How do you LOSE and get a point? DUMB. Go four-on-four in the OT, if nobody scores, pick three guys (2 forwards, one defenseman) and have at it. That's what people want to see, so I'm for it. I've seen two penalty shots live, and it was the most exciting moments in the Arena outside of the Cup.

2. MOVE NETS BACK. Too much room behind the net. Move them back and let there be more room in front, where the goals can be scored.

3. FULL POWERPLAYS. Forget coming back on when the team scores. If it's two minutes, it should be two minutes.

4. SMALLER GOALIE EQUIPMENT. Giguere, Snow, etc.

5. MAKE ICE SURFACE BIGGER. Go international. Increase the ice surface. Bigger ice will allow guys to get more creative and should open up scoring.

Those are my main beefs. I don't want to see the elimination of the red line, because guys would just goal hang all day and forget about defense. Plus, the icing "no-touch" rule would be okay, but I like the hustle when someone beats it out, so I'm technically still undecided. Also, I liked the four-on-four of the Young Stars game, so that could be something worth watching.

I agree on most of your points. I don't thnk ice surface size is going to happen. Takes out some luxury seating...not gonna happen. I agree on..

1. Full 2 minute power play
2. Net going back to where it was

Don't agree on penalty shots after OT

1. 4 on 4 for OT is enough

My biggest complaint in the NHL is the lack of calls on hooking, obstruction, and holding. This is the biggest problem in the NHL. Call the game the way it was intended to be called and it will open up naturally.
People who say "eliminate the trap" don't have any idea what they are talking about. The system has been played since the 70's and is not the "root of all evil"....Call the game properly and the 1-2-2 will have to be played legally...Unfortunately for devil haters...they do not hook and hold much so they will still win.

I love the full powerplays idea and moving the nets back is great too. I like the idea of shootouts as well but as the guys on TSN say repeatedly, how long will it take for shootouts to become boring? If 25% of games end in ties, you're going to see a lot of shootouts. It'll be wicked for a while but the novelty would wear off just like 4 on 4 did.

I don't know that eliminating the red line would cause guys to goal hang. It might lead some teams to set their trap even deeper. Some say it wouldn't but for teams without offensive power, they would just trap deeper.

What do people think about touch up offsides?

4. SMALLER GOALIE EQUIPMENT. Giguere, Snow, etc.



*Cough* Luongo *Cough*

1.) Owners will never make the ice surface bigger, they will lose seats all around the rink meaning loss of revenue.

2.) Goaltenders should not be able to handle the puck behind the goal line, like I said in past this allows defensemen to stand up forwards at the blueline while the goaltender handle the puck. A traping team like NJ does it to perfection.

3.) Instigator....good by, If some offensive player high sticks someone then I agree Skrlac can go beat the snot out of him, you want to play careless then you will pay the price.

4.) The Scotty Bowman line, add a line at the top of the top of the circle, from there you can pass the the opposing teams blueline. Same goes on the other side of the rink.

5.) Make nets bigger 6 inches wider and 3 inches higher.

1.) Owners will never make the ice surface bigger, they will lose seats all around the rink meaning loss of revenue.

2.) Goaltenders should not be able to handle the puck behind the goal line, like I said in past this allows defensemen to stand up forwards at the blueline while the goaltender handle the puck. A traping team like NJ does it to perfection.

3.) Instigator....good by, If some offensive player high sticks someone then I agree Skrlac can go beat the snot out of him, you want to play careless then you will pay the price.

4.) The Scotty Bowman line, add a line at the top of the top of the circle, from there you can pass the the opposing teams blueline. Same goes on the other side of the rink.

5.) Make nets bigger 6 inches wider and 3 inches higher.

I think the goaltenders should be allowed to play the puck...but must be treated like any defenseman once they handle the puck.

Call the interference on the defenseman who don't allow forechecking forwards to enter the zone without the puck.

I'm not a fan of making the nets larger.

I have been watching old tapes from the early half of the 1980's for the last couple of weeks and one of the things that really stands out in those games is Hardly anyone put sticks on players bodys then.

Watch a game today and a player is going through a gaulet of hacks, tugs and pulls to advance the puck.

The stick work has gotten out of hand.

A lot of respect has left the game over the last 10 years. The league should institutes a rule that a defending players stick should not make contact with an attacking players body. There is no reason for a defender or back checker to ever have his stick above the attackers waist, ever. That goes for the slight tug on the hands that happen on every shift aswell. Use the body or attack the puck, but the tugs on the hands and waist have to be curbed or even eliminated.

I pretty much agree on everything the only problem with making the rinks bigger is not just losing out on the luxuary seats but some places might have a problem with the logistics on making it happen. I'm defintely not for the nets being bigger, shrink the goalies equipment instead, I love that Bertuzzi commet about Brodeur in that it took him 56 games till he could see the back of the net, if he can wear smaller equipment there is absoultly no reason the rest of the goalies can't do the same.

1. END TIES NOW. At first, I was against the idea of shootouts, but this four-column system with overtime losses is ridiculous. How do you LOSE and get a point? DUMB. Go four-on-four in the OT, if nobody scores, pick three guys (2 forwards, one defenseman) and have at it. That's what people want to see, so I'm for it. I've seen two penalty shots live, and it was the most exciting moments in the Arena outside of the Cup.

2. MOVE NETS BACK. Too much room behind the net. Move them back and let there be more room in front, where the goals can be scored.

3. FULL POWERPLAYS. Forget coming back on when the team scores. If it's two minutes, it should be two minutes.

4. SMALLER GOALIE EQUIPMENT. Giguere, Snow, etc.

5. MAKE ICE SURFACE BIGGER. Go international. Increase the ice surface. Bigger ice will allow guys to get more creative and should open up scoring.

Those are my main beefs. I don't want to see the elimination of the red line, because guys would just goal hang all day and forget about defense. Plus, the icing "no-touch" rule would be okay, but I like the hustle when someone beats it out, so I'm technically still undecided. Also, I liked the four-on-four of the Young Stars game, so that could be something worth watching. 1.) No way do you decide a 65 minute hard contested game with a shootout. Way too disrepesctful to the sport of pro hockey as a whole along with all the greats who played this game never once wanting to trivialize an actual game outcome with a carnival stunt like this. This would be roughly the equivalent of NBA games where folks turn into the last 3 minutes of a tied game every night to see who wins and the rest of it gets thrown out like yesterdays newspaper. So much for putting the best light possible on the product there. I'd rather see the penalty shot once or twice a season then 6 times a tie game myself. You cheapen its beauty when you make it the norm.

2) No problems with that. They shouldn't have been moved in the first place imo.

3) Again no problems with that at all. This is Lou Lamoriello's proposed idea and its a great one.

4) This one is a no brainer. Its not a good thing when everyday joe sixpack fans are comparing modern day goaltenders with the Michelin Man and Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.

5) Never going to happen with the loss of team revenues in addition to what this would do to draw away from the kind of physical contact paying fans want to see every night. You do this and you have a bunch of fearsome stay at home defenders turning in even less bone rattling hits then what we see today. The NHL thrives on big hits as much as it does outstanding saves and goals.

http://graphics7.nytimes.com/images/2004/02/09/sports/09SCORING.jpg

I strongly believe you should just play OT until there is a winner. The NBA does it, the MLB does it, why not hockey? Maybe make the season shorter to accomdate some of these longer games. REGULATE GOALTENDING EQUIPMENT, ESPECIALLY CHEST PROTECTORS. These are what I want to see done.