Tweaks to the game

[goalie13]

I was just reading an article on TSN about tweaks that are up for debate at the upcoming NHL GM's meeting:

 

https://www.tsn.ca/ten-tweaks-up-for-debate-at-nhl-gms-meeting-1.1267550 

 

Clocks in the corner boards: The Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings played an exhibition game this year with clocks placed in the corner boards. The response from coaches seemed to be positive. They could prevent players from having to look up. The questions now: How many to implement (two or four?) and how to not obstruct dasher advertising?

 

 

Roster/cap status of suspended players: When Tom Wilson was suspended for 14 games in October the Capitals received relief from Wilson’s roster spot and were able to list him as non-roster, but the team was forced to carry his salary cap hit. One proposed idea is to treat lengthy suspensions (at least 10 games) with the same roster and cap benefit of long-term injured reserve (LTIR) players. Some GMs may be opposed to this because it removes the punishment from the team.

 

Goalie skate blades: Remember when Tukka Rask lost his mind in the playoffs last spring when the Tampa Bay Lightning scored on a play in which his skate blade fell out? Rask was so incensed he winged his blade across the ice. The rule book did not allow for the referee to stop play in that instance. Now there is an idea to treat a lost skate blade the same as a goaltender whose helmet comes off – with an immediate stoppage.

 

ROW Tiebreaker: The first tiebreaker in the standings is number of regulation and overtime wins. There is a proposed idea to now only include regulation wins, removing overtime wins from the formula. For two teams tied entering Sunday night’s action, the Penguins (30 regulation wins) would have slight edge over Montreal (29), compared to their current ROWs, which are tied 33-33.

 

Pick your poison faceoff: Should a team on the power play be able to decide which side of the ice a faceoff is on?

 

No bucket warm-ups: One of the most cherished NHL pre-game traditions may be in jeopardy. Should players be allowed to take the warm-up without a helmet? We figure this might have been asked in 2012 after Taylor Hall’s gruesome injury, but it’s up for discussion again. Also, GMs will look at the AHL’s helmet rules, which require a skater to exit the ice immediately if his helmet comes off during play.

 

The Leggio Rule: Goaltender David Leggio never made it to the NHL, but he may impact a rule change. In both the AHL and in Germany, he purposely knocked the net off on clear breakaways. Those both resulted in penalty shots. In this case, the proposal is to change the wording for when a goaltender does that, automatically awarding a goal instead of a penalty shot.

 

No slamming: In light of Vancouver’s Elias Pettersson being slammed to the ice, there is a proposal to specifically add the word “slamming” to the definition of roughing in the rule book. Florida’s  Mike Matheson was suspended for two games for that incident on Oct. 13, but it was penalized as interference and unsportsmanlike conduct.

 

Outdated Fines: Did you know that the NHL rule book calls for automatic fines for certain infractions? The problem is that they were seemingly written based on a 1970s-era pay scale. For instance, a player receiving any misconduct penalty (Rule 22.5) will be fined $100. That’s tip money for today’s player. Those could be updated, but probably not without discussion from the NHL Players’ Association. Fines for Department of Player Safety violations, while still minimal, were collectively bargained.

 

Foul language: Swearing and hockey go together like horse and carriage. It’s as old as the day is long. But with cameras capturing so much of the chatter, there is an appetite to try and curb foul language and trash talking on the ice and on the benches. Good luck.

 

Personally, I think some of these are a good idea.  Fines definitely need to be updated.  Slamming should be included in roughing.  I don't mind the clocks in the corner idea.  Even being able to pick which side of the ice for a power-play faceoff, but only if it's just applied to the first faceoff.

 

Now I know there's all sorts of other ideas to tweak the game out there, but that thread has happened several times before.  What are people's thoughts on just the above proposed ideas?

[xereau]

Two things I want changed:

 

1. Go back to 1 ref on the ice.  Twice the raw error, and then there is the on ice competitive oneupmanships between the two, to the power of game management = REFFING IN THE NHL IS BROKEN.  Everyone knows it.  Fans.  Media, who has their arses so completely owned by the upper league power brokers, rarely if ever break rank and call these crooks for what they are.    The second ref can be off ice, and is in charge of getting calls right, especially dishing out DIVING and high sticks.  It is time that NHL refs move from the 19th to the 21st century.

 

2. Call interference at the blue line.  Like you used to.  That '2 second OOPS 'SCUSE ME' pick that ALL defense get to run as opposition chip the puck past them is an abomination to the game.  It USED to be interference.  If you really want more goals in the NHL, this SINGLE change will produce more goals per game.  No more stepping in front of a guy that chipped the puck past you.  Worse yet, no more shadowing the guy into the zone between him and puck.. That is INTERFERENCE.  Either get out of the way, or, time your hit right, or get this.... GO GET THE PUCK.

[Shift-4]

Suspensions should affect the cap

If you want to sign a douchenozzle accept the consequences

[DADDYROCK]

What I would like to see is a fair game,not certain teams(that's you Boston&Vegas) being able to get away with obvious penalties.

The video review of plays that show a blatant penalty that for some reason the REFS missed CAN BE SHOWED AND A PENALTY CALLED AFTER THE REVIEW.

Nothing I hate worse than to see a B.MARCHAND or R.REAVES (and players like them) get away with dirty ,vicious plays and NO CALL!

[King Heffy]

18 minutes ago, Shift-4 said:

Suspensions should affect the cap

If you want to sign a douchenozzle accept the consequences

Yeah.  If anything, I'd go the other way round and force the team to play a man short, but we'd need the DPS to be less corrupt before implementing that.

 

Also no to the AHL helmet rules and cracking down on profanity.  These grown men.  Do implement the breakaway change.

 

More clocks didn't seem to be an issue, and choosing the face-off side won't negatively effect the game.  

[Squamfan]

1) get rid of the trapezoid

 

2) Get rid off the instigator rule

 

3) All coaches to challenge everything but if they lose its a 2min delay of game penalty

 

4) Make the ref do a conference after the game

[King Heffy]

I'd like to add in a veto for refs, so problem officials don't repeatedly get assigned to teams where bias might be a factor.  Would help avoid another Auger incident and would be a good evaluation tool to hold scum like Sutherland accountable.

[JeremyCuddles]

Never was a fan of censoring the players. I get we are trying to push the "this is a family game" mentality but if we are being real the die hard fans that watch the NHL are adults. If parents today are too inept to sit their kids down and explain to them when it is and isn't okay to swear then I think we have bigger issues than grown men that are fighting tooth and nail with blood sweat and tears on their face swearing on the ice. It's not like parents today aren't buying their kids Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty video games. They are likely being exposed to worse things just by playing those games. Hell all it takes is for them to run into that one really angry guy on Fortnite for them to hear excessive swearing and racism.

 

Honestly. Get rid of the trapezoid. And allow the media to roast refs and such after the game. If the players are forced to listen to the scrutiny of media for their actions so should the refs. Is there any legit reason why players get fined for calling out the refs? Why are the refs so immune to criticism? 

[Hairy Kneel]

Forensic audit of all refs.

Just to make sure.

[40Dangles]

Allow coaches to challenge a penalty, one challenge for a penalty and one for a goal per game. Too many bad calls are made at crucial points in games. Sadly the Buttman will never accept this as it calls out his atrocious referees.

[goalie13]

Apparently Torts has proposed to get rid of the shootout.  "Just play three-on-three until a team dies," he told reporters. "I think that’s the way it should be."

 

And Jarmo Kekalainen has proposed one minute penalties in OT.

 

Dreger said there was also discussion of using video reviews for major penalties, so the referees can make sure they get the call right.

 

https://www.tsn.ca/kekalainen-proposes-one-minute-ot-penalties-1.1268070 

[Gurn]

How about going to a 5 minute, 5 on 5 sudden death overtime, winner gets two points loser gets none; if the game is tied after 5 minutes it gets called a tie and each team gets a point?

[City-in-state-of-emergency]

No foul language.. when mothertrucking did Mickey Mouse start to commission the NHL. Whats next instead of Captians each teams needs a disney princess; you know to appeal to the younger girl audience. Then next replace beer with apple juice. Also can't have greasy foods kids these days have fat ass syndrome so gotta replace it with tofu, salads, an saw dust whatever hippies eat. 

[Kragar]

Clocks in the corner boards: great idea. 

Roster/cap status of suspended players: Nope... too bad, suck it up if you hire these people.

Goalie skate blades: Unless it is a safety issue, I say no.  Or, stop the game if any player loses a blade, not just the goalie.

ROW Tiebreaker: Sure

Pick your poison faceoff: Why not. Only question: can the penalized team know what side the faceoff will be before determining which center to send out?

No bucket warm-ups: Don't much care.  Willing to leave it to the players, but I could see coaches/mgmt demanding it at the team level, regardless of a league rule

The Leggio Rule: I'm not against the rule, as I think most clear breakaways favor the shooter more than penalty shots.  That extra time to think and get set helps the goalie more than the player, IMO

No slamming: Not sure it needs to be called out specifically.  Sure, it was called interference, but does it matter if it is identified as roughing instead?  If it limits the suspension calling it interference, then I'm on board with the change

Outdated Fines: Sure, fix em

Foul language: no effing way

 

Some proposals of my own:

- 2 min minor and/or fine for breaking your stick or similar tantrum (Gilmour slamming the penalty box door) after a goal or argued call.  Unsportsmanlike, and potentially unsafe.

- assuming the shootout remains (I agree with proposals to get rid of it), any player serving a penalty when OT expires is prevented from shooting in the first three attempts, similar to penalties carrying over into the next period

[GB5]

My proposals would be:

1. Revamp the instigator - it should not get called during the heat of the play when  the player is clearly responding to an action that happened  immediately prior to a fight

2. Get rid of offside reviews, these are a waste of time

3. Eliminate out of continent pre-season games

4. No shootouts, just have a 20 minute 3 on 3 and some one will score, if not then sure, a shoot out I guess.

5. Have an off ice official who can make calls

6. Get better and more consistent with suspensions

7. Better referee training, maybe hire more referees to allow for in-season training seminars.

 

[Toyotasfan]

I listened to a lengthy debate about getting rid of the trapezoid. 

On one side there was the game is too fast now , goalies won’t roam to the corners anymore because the players are closing too fast. There’s definitely entertainment value to it.

 

The other side of it is the rule was made because it benefited teams who had goalies that were elite puck handlers. Those teams were able to employ defensive systems to clog up the Neutral zone and force dump ins. Meanwhile the goalie flips it back up the ice. It really Slowed down the game.  I Think Brodeur and the Devils was the best example of it.