The "New" NHL - A place to comment/and or Bitch on

[Fraserburn]

Have you noticed anything that warrants comment on during this NHL season in regards to positive/negative points, weird occurances and so on
a chance to vent..........

for starters back up goalies are getting alot of work
more penalties = more time on the PK = more shots on the goalies = more pressure

goalies are being platooned, pulled, rested call it whatever you want, but your starter is seeing less time as he normally would

unless your in minnesota, but they've got that inbred #1 goalie thing going on

[Shugadaddi]

There are PLENTY of things to comment on. Shit...since when does a major sport get this kind of overhaul? I'm just not used to having anyone on this board to discuss those things with. If you haven't noticed, before you came on board I was pretty much on an island with myself.

I get to see the goaltending thing first hand here in Detroit. It's been a bummer too because Manny has been playing his ass off when he's been healthy.....and after watching Osgood get shelled last night by the Stars (a team we usually dominate), I had to wonder a bit about your comments regarding Detroit getting another goaltender. My first response was to disagree..but now I just don't know.

As far as other stuff is concerned....well where do you even start? (I guess right here, eh?) The officiating is about the worst shit I have ever seen. It's extraordinarily inconsistent....not to mention that the players just don't seem to be "getting used to it" like everyone originally suggested.

Actually, I'm trying really hard to enjoy all of the good things about the new season. I like the shoot out (obviously), I like the transition to smaller, faster players. I like the absence of the clutching and grabbing (at least somewhat). I also really don't miss that 2 line pass horse shit.

Maybe this thread should be broken into 2 threads. a pro and a con thread.

[devilmaster]

Call me a purist, but I still think a shootout is a bad idea.

I guess I'm in the minority, but I can enjoy a 0-0 or 1-1 game where both goalies stand on their head - and I think its a shame that one of them is going to lose because we need to have a winner or else.

Oh yeah, if we are going to have shootouts - get rid of the loser's point for overtime. The whole point of the extra point was to ensure people played for the win - well you have to play for a win now. If ties were too confusing for the casual fan, then the point system must boggle their mind.

[Fraserburn]

The Shootout is a gimmick pure and simple
a bone tossed to the fans for having missed an entire season
It was an attraction during international competition, emphasis on international not NHL

that being said its being recieved well by the general public and that NYR shootout with malik finishing it is the definition of what buttman was looking for.

the 2 line pass should have been taken out a long time ago its just a minor rule but it adds alot to the game

the goaltenders not being able to play the puck is a farce and it will be gone in a matter of years

and dont get me started on this wild reffing...its a joke i've taken to calling it basketball on ice for 40 minutes out of a 60 minute game the teams are on the PP/PK which means you take the puck down set up in your formation with 1 D with the big shot at the top 1 D man off to the side on the half boards, 1 winger at the other side boards, C down in the corner for the cycle, 1 W in front of the net holmstromming it
workit around set up picks and take your shot before the PP (shot clock) expires......penalty, repeat, penalty, repeat....

[Shugadaddi]

The two line pass...or lack thereof...is long overdue and the #1 thing I wanted to see changed. I also want the icing rules changed as well becuase sooner or later someone is gonna get REALLY hurt. I love the urgency of trying to negate the icing call, but is it really worth someone losing their career over?

I'm on the fence about the goaltenders playing the puck. I still think that if the goaltender is bold enough to go that far out of the crease...he should be fair game. I don't think it's right for Broduer to change the outcome of the game because he is untouchable even outside of the crease. Don't get me wrong....what he does while out playing the puck is pure art, but I still think it's unfair.

The shootout, on the other hand, is pretty good so far. Sure, it's certainly a concession for the fans. The sport will need more fans to flourish and no-one in The States likes to watch any sporting event end in a tie. Good or not, the bottom line is that the fans go absolutely crazy for it...and I have to admit that it's been pretty fun to watch. C'mon....purist or not: you have to admit that it's pretty exciting.

[Fraserburn]

Honestly im on the fence either way
I like hockey with it, I like hockey without it

things i would change though would be
1)count goals scored by players in a shoot out on their totals
they count shoot out goals towards team totals but not individual, doesnt make sense

2) take away the point for a shootout loss, yes it keeps the standings tight but its artificial......a compromise for that would be to give half points for a shootout loss but that would confuse the shit out of your fringe fan

also they dropped the ball on fighting......Fighting more so than a shootout brings fans to their feet and gets them going
take the damn instigator rule out of the game you pansy ass morons
the instigator rule prevents people from policing themselves...did gretzky ever get cross checked slashed hacked whacked or smashed.......NO because semenko and later mcsorely would pound the living poop out of anybody who took a run at him

and whats this crap about a supsension for fighting in the last 5 minutes??? I just dont see the logic behind these changes

[devilmaster]

C'mon....purist or not: you have to admit that it's pretty exciting.

Honestly, nope.

I don't find it exciting - even when my team is in one. I hate it so much that whenever I see a game where they go to a shootout, I am so bugged about it that I don't enjoy it at all. I believes it wrecks a perfectly good game - 2 teams play for 65 minutes and then settle a game with undeserved penalty shots? To me - what was the point of playing the game in the first place?

It would be like football solving a tie game by throwing footballs through tires.

It would be like basketball solving a tie through free-throws or a 3 point challenge.

It would be like baseball solving a tie through a home run derby.

Those examples probably sound silly, and thats what the NHL has done.

And that brings me to another pet peeve - When they do a shootout, the skater should be forced to start their skate inside the blue line. Even more, they should start their run from a faceoff stance at centre ice. Some of these guys are starting at the top of the circles in their own zone! If the goalie has to start in his crease, then the player should be in the centre faceoff circle at least.

[devilmaster]

also they dropped the ball on fighting......Fighting more so than a shootout brings fans to their feet and gets them going
take the damn instigator rule out of the game you pansy ass morons
the instigator rule prevents people from policing themselves...did gretzky ever get cross checked slashed hacked whacked or smashed.......NO because semenko and later mcsorely would pound the living poop out of anybody who took a run at him

and whats this crap about a supsension for fighting in the last 5 minutes??? I just dont see the logic behind these changes

My name is devilmaster, and I approve this quote.

[Fraserburn]

My name is devilmaster, and I approve this quote.

Thank you for your support, when I become Commissioner of the NHL i'll remember you fondly.

Regards,

Fraserburn, Commissioner

[Vinny]

I can deal with the shootouts in the regular season, but are they going to be inplace for the playoffs too?? If so, that's bullshit. There's nothing quite like a 3 OT thriller in the Stanley Cup Finals.