Oval nets?

[Shoalzie]

Please don't do it!

Make the goalie pads smaller before you do something crazy like this.

[Smoked Meat]

Were these nets designed by le Cirque du soleil?

Awfull idea.

[MuchoBulls]

There was an interesting article in The Hockey News a few weeks back about chaging the color of the netting to red due to how quickly the eyes focus in on the color. That might not be a bad idea to put in to some pre season, or minor league games.

[Hapday]

After a few beers those nets will straighten right up. :twisted:

[sparks19]

the red netting isn't a bad idea but WTF is the point of bowing the posts and crossbar. If they want to make it bigger than make it bigger lol don't make it look like its something from a cartoon.

[MuchoBulls]

After a few beers those nets will straighten right up. :twisted:

RACK!

[Shoalzie]

After a few beers those nets will straighten right up. :twisted:

[Bizzarofelice]

I think the changed nets are a horrible idea.

Love,
People trying to compare today's stats to those of seasons long ago.

[Shoalzie]

I think the changed nets are a horrible idea.

Love,
People trying to compare today's stats to those of seasons long ago.

You can keep the nets the same size...it's those blimps standing in between the pipes that were the problem. Smaller goalies will lead to more goals. Goaltending isn't nearly as difficult as it used to be because the goalies take up a lot of the area in front of the goal. If you make the goalies gear smaller, they have to work harder and there's more to shoot at. There's your solution...

[JD]

You can keep the nets the same size...it's those blimps standing in between the pipes that were the problem. Smaller goalies will lead to more goals. Goaltending isn't nearly as difficult as it used to be because the goalies take up a lot of the area in front of the goal. If you make the goalies gear smaller, they have to work harder and there's more to shoot at. There's your solution...

I agree with what you're saying Shoalzie. But when you say, "there's your solution", I still wonder what you're trying to "solve". Hockey is a great game!! Why change it?

But I also have to say, goaltending has become a lot more technical since 1985. I would say that even if goalies wore smaller gear, they would be collectively more effective than goalies of the 70's just because of their understanding of positioning and reading plays. Not to mention the recent evolution of the puck-handling goalie. That's something that takes away a lot of forechecking.

[Shoalzie]

To answer your original statement, what they are trying to solve is goal scoring. I'm fairly certain the league wants to increase goal scoring to make the game more entertaining to the casual fan. That's also why it seems more and more likely that shootouts will be included in any potential rule changes the NHL is going to make. The best way to increase scoring is to just give the offensive players more of the net to shoot and to me, the best way is to decrease the size of the goalies.

But I also have to say, goaltending has become a lot more technical since 1985. I would say that even if goalies wore smaller gear, they would be collectively more effective than goalies of the 70's just because of their understanding of positioning and reading plays. Not to mention the recent evolution of the puck-handling goalie. That's something that takes away a lot of forechecking.

I totallly agree with your statement. The game has become more specialized in the way teams scout other teams through technology and how some coaches rely on systems rather than just letting players play. Plus, you have the whole concept of the difference between the stand-up and the butterfly goalie. When it was the days of no masks (Sawchuk, etc.)...it was all about just getting in front of the puck and not getting hit in the face. Right now, the goalies have no fear of the puck with all of their gear and all they need to do is cut off angles and take away as much of the net as possible to prevent goals. They don't really stop pucks as much as they just take up space. The art of actually stopping the puck has gone away. Today's concept of hockey is about taking away space for the offensive team whether it is on the rush up the ice or when you're shooting at the goal. When you have bigger players and bigger goalies, that becomes less of skill and more of a matter of there just being less room to move for the offensive players. You can't really make the players themselves smaller but you can make the goalie's equipment smaller. Also, the idea of making the ice surface bigger has been a long debated issue. I think the quickest fix is going with the smaller gear and making goalies return to having to stop the puck rather than block the net.

[JD]

To answer your original statement, what they are trying to solve is goal scoring. I'm fairly certain the league wants to increase goal scoring to make the game more entertaining to the casual fan.

Obviously!!

And that's kind of my point... why are we catering to people who don't even like hockey? I've argued before that more goals doesn't make hockey more exciting. More competitive games make hockey more exciting. Seeing your team win makes hockey more exciting... I guess when your team doesn't win, you feel dissatisfied with the game, and you think, "If only they scored more, they would have won... WE SHOULD INCREASE GOAL-SCORING!!"...

To me, all these changes to make teams score more seems akin to lowering the hoop in basketball or doubling the size of endzones in football ('sup CFL?).

I don't mind shrinking the goalie gear and moving the nets back closer to the boards and tweaks like that, but new nets and gimmicks like that just seem like we're selling hockey's soul to the devil.

[sparks19]

It seems that is all they are concerned with is bringing in new fans and fuck the old fans they will deal with it. They decreased the size of the pads in the AHL from 12 inches to 10 inches. Didn't make one lick of difference. They can just accomodate the change. Goaltending is still an art. They couldn't continue wearing the pads they used to wear because with the increased power of the average shot they are just an injury waiting to happen. They don't just STAND there and stop the puck. Not that easy

I just don't understand what they are trying to change. They want more exciting games? Than stop the clutching and grabbing and all that cheap bullshit and get back to the way the game was meant to be played. I find a game that ends 1-0 is a far more exciting game than one that ends 8-7.

[Cross Traffic]

Harry Sinden's lame idea of having freewheeling passing (no blue or red line, just have to get past the faceoff circles in your defensive zone with the puck) isn't going to increase scoring either.

[Shoalzie]

To answer your original statement, what they are trying to solve is goal scoring. I'm fairly certain the league wants to increase goal scoring to make the game more entertaining to the casual fan.

Obviously!!

And that's kind of my point... why are we catering to people who don't even like hockey? I've argued before that more goals doesn't make hockey more exciting. More competitive games make hockey more exciting. Seeing your team win makes hockey more exciting... I guess when your team doesn't win, you feel dissatisfied with the game, and you think, "If only they scored more, they would have won... WE SHOULD INCREASE GOAL-SCORING!!"...

To me, all these changes to make teams score more seems akin to lowering the hoop in basketball or doubling the size of endzones in football ('sup CFL?).

I don't mind shrinking the goalie gear and moving the nets back closer to the boards and tweaks like that, but new nets and gimmicks like that just seem like we're selling hockey's soul to the devil.

Since they've got a better financial model in place, they might actually be able to survive with their existing fan base. They've pissed on us as it is. If they make changes to game to attract fans and ruin the purity of the sport...they'll lose the diehards but gain the ignorant newbies. I agree that they shouldn't sell out to new fans but if they want to get more revenue, it might have to come down to marketing the game differently. Right now, the NHL is a joke to most people...not a good selling point.

[chowd103]

I like it!

Sincerely,

[Shoalzie]

I like it!

Sincerely,

Wouldn't a shot through the 5-hole hit the rim?

[Smoked Meat]

3 point goal could solve the offensice dilemma

[fix]

To answer your original statement, what they are trying to solve is goal scoring. I'm fairly certain the league wants to increase goal scoring to make the game more entertaining to the casual fan.

Obviously!!

And that's kind of my point... why are we catering to people who don't even like hockey? I've argued before that more goals doesn't make hockey more exciting. More competitive games make hockey more exciting. Seeing your team win makes hockey more exciting... I guess when your team doesn't win, you feel dissatisfied with the game, and you think, "If only they scored more, they would have won... WE SHOULD INCREASE GOAL-SCORING!!"...

To me, all these changes to make teams score more seems akin to lowering the hoop in basketball or doubling the size of endzones in football ('sup CFL?).

I don't mind shrinking the goalie gear and moving the nets back closer to the boards and tweaks like that, but new nets and gimmicks like that just seem like we're selling hockey's soul to the devil.

The only problem with that theory JD is that the NHL missed the boat about 8-10 years ago when they didn't mandate that all new arenas be built to house olympic ice surfaces.
With the players being even larger today and the coaching as good as it is, they need more open ice to move the puck around.
Otherwise we end up with what we have now, the constant endless cycling of the puck down low with the majority of goals being scored by someone banging the net.
Unlike 20 years ago when you could see a Guy Lafluer, Bossy streak down the side and score with some regularity from the top of the faceoff circles.
It's not just the lack of scoring, it's the way goals are being scored.

[JD]

I am absolutely, positively against bigger ice!!

It doesn't seem to create more offense or speed, just more places to direct a puck carrier, more places for loose pucks to flutter to. Soccer on ice is what Olympic-sized ice is.

You want less cycling down low? Maybe making the corners bigger with Olympic sized ice isn't the best thing to do. Try moving the nets back towards the boards, and suddenly there's less room to cycle behind the net, and more opportunity to come out in front to a scoring area.

You don't see Bossy or Lafleur type goals? You should watch Jarome Iginla play more often.

[Cross Traffic]

The solutions are so easy but the league doesn't see them, move the goal line back to its original place, 10 feet from the boards. (Moved to 11 feet in the late 80s as an anti-Gretz/Mario move, then to 13 feet in the mid 90s) Then expand the offensive zones by 5-8 feet, neutralizing the trap.

I am happy with the changes that should be in effect for next season (11 inch goalie pads, 1 inch smaller blocker, touch up offsides, and shootouts in the regular season after 5 minutes of OT)

[JD]

I am happy with the changes that should be in effect for next season (11 inch goalie pads, 1 inch smaller blocker, touch up offsides, and shootouts in the regular season after 5 minutes of OT)

Yeah, me too. I think a few tweaks will help the game. No point in changing too much too quickly... you never know what you'll end up with.

[Mr T]

They should have a plateau on center ice and have hills behind the net.

That would get things going.

[Cueball]

I think the changed nets are a horrible idea.

Love,
People trying to compare today's stats to those of seasons long ago.

There is no comparison when a stat line of today looks like this:

GLS 0
AST 0
PTS 0
+/- 0
PIM 0
TOI 00:00