wazzy said:
Made the game better for fantasy but there are only 3 things that really bring down the game
1. The contact has really died down it looks more like European Hockey a lot of the time
2. The goalies are getting killed because anybody can stand out in front of the net and you can't hit them. So the odd occasion people run the goalie and its just happening more and more
3. The shootout was originally brought out to take away the OTL points and all that crap but now that its here they still give points for losses iin shootouts and stuff.
I think if they can clean up these problems the game can be at its best.
Good points.
I love the FLOW of the game now. Hockey always was a game of speed, skill and grace. That was taken away in the mid-90's with teams clogging up the neutral zone, not fore-checking, holding, dumping the puck out of the zone constantly, oversized goaltending equipment and doing whatever it took to hold onto a one goal second period lead.
The "new" rules (rules that have always been there but are mercifully being enforced) have brought back some of the skill and speed.
I do agree with the "contact has died down" comment, to a point. Watch teams like Calgary. They hit you all night. Their defenseman do something a lot of other teams are still failing to grasp, they move their feet. When they are always moving they can hit you clean and not grab, hold and take a penalty.
The players will figure out the hitting soon enough though. It took a decade for the game to sink to the depthit was at, it will take longer then 2 months for the players to unlearn what they have been doing their whole lives.
The goalies are getting run at an alarming rate. The NHL hes to sort out this situation. The issue is the defenseman have not figured out how to slow players down or move them from in front of the net without taking a penalty. In my opnion the NHL has to examine it's "goaltender interference" rule. Start enforcing it and let the defenseman take some liberties in front of the net. If a player is going to stand in front of the goalie then he should have to pay the price.
One thing that might change that is expanding the crease slightly. If you venture into that area and touch the goalie it is interference. You could also make this area unpleasent for opposing forwards by letting defenseman take more liberties in the expanded crease.
The shootout is ok, as long as it is ONLY in the regular season. People don't want to leave a game after spending a bunch of money without seeing a winner. I think they should expand the 4 on 4 time to 10 minutes though.
They have to keep giving a point for an OTL though. If not teams would NEVER try to win the game in OT and that would make for boring hockey. At least when a team gets a point after regulation they know they have something.
The rules are good though.
Tag up off sides have increased flow and made for FAR less whistles.
The expanded offensive zone has made it tougher to defend a team when they establish the offensive zone.
Moving the nets back has moved the play in front of the net as opposed to the endless cycleing we saw for the last 10 years.
Making the goaltending equipment smaller has made atheltic goalies a premium again. Now goalies have to be quick and use reflexes and positioning to stop the puck. For too long it was more about the goalies having oversized equipment and the puck hitting them as opposed to stopping the puck.
Removing the red line has increased flow as well. I think the biggest effect it had though is vastly decreasing the stopages in play. It is not all about the long breakaway pass but it is about the pass that used to be BARELY over two lines but now is on side and lets a team attack with speed.
The game is'nt there yet but it is a WHOLE lot better then what hockey fans have had to watch since the mid-90's. Give it some more time and I'm sure it will only get better.
:tongue: - j/k great post unified - i'll keep this short because i know the leafs game just came on and i know you're sitting in front of the tv with your girl... well you better be bro, she's a hottie for sure! the game is definitely more exciting but i do miss the rough stuff - watching tie domi skate and try and be an offensive threat just doesn't seem right to me... :wink: