Article on Fedotov + More!

[Bones45]

Good bathroom reading...

https://www.npr.org/2024/04/03/1242347937/ivan-fedotov-nhl-philadelphia-flyers-russia

But it sure seems that the art of making a save is nearly gone. So much for stacking the pads, kick saves and a snapping glove hand, those days seem to be in the rear view mirror. I miss Hasek and Brodeur and Roy and Barrasso and Fuhr and Smitty.. you know.. Goaltenders, making saves.

Not massive bodies with mega oversized equipment who basically butterfly as soon as a shot is taken, under the assumption that the shot will either be blocked by D or hit them. No skills needed other that some basic Geometry. So goalies are now just really big shot blockers who hang out in the crease.

Fedotov is listed at 6'7" -- add 3" on skates, which is now 6'10" -- and I'm sure he has on the biggest pads allowed. Why not just draft failed NBA stars, teach them to skate and give them a compass and protractor? I remember a bad joke back in the day when someone said that Wang was gunna bring a Sumo wrestler to play net. Hardly a big jump from what we have today.

And yes, I know that glove saves happen, and that G steals goals and some saves are amazing. Got it. I see the highlights. But between the shot blocking, clogged shooting lanes, and massive goaltenders and their dumb, crazy effective butterflying, the game has changed. And its certainly not more exciting to the casual fan.


But what to do? Or do nothing and let the game evolve/devolve? I dunno.

Certainly can't tell teams not to play effective D. Shot blocking will continue I guess until maybe a forward gets a 90mph puck to the face and Malarchuks all over the ice. Maybe something like a basketball "key" where defenders are limited for a certain time? Or maybe 7'5' net instead of 6'4'?

Or maybe just remove Bones' ability to post cuz he rambles too much.

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[Glory Days]

 

[islesmb]

Maybe the easiest thing is to make the nets bigger, instead of all the stupid rules nowadays like not being able to change after icing or a stick on stick called as hooks Shooters used to have so much more net to look at.

 

[IslesNorway]

Charles Wang was ridiculed when he asked what if they put sumo wrestlers in goal. In hindsight, he may have been ahead of his time...

 

[Throttle]

Maybe the easiest thing is to make the nets bigger, instead of all the stupid rules nowadays like not being able to change after icing or a stick on stick called as hooks Shooters used to have so much more net to look at.

Scoring was down, up, flat for the past 30 years with the nets the same size. Scoring is up again for a variety of reasons, the main one is that the composition of the players has changed: the under 25 set now just doesn’t play defense, they would rather go goal for goal until the time runs out vs minimizing chances and maximizing chances to win.

The NHL wants more scoring to appease their tv partners (espn’s forever frowning of hockey). There was a time when the game was slow and the 400x a game freezing the puck along the boards was tedious. Now, there’s talented players, but some of these games are euro trash or AHL fodder level of play.

 

[steveat]

The solution is anyone over 6 feet should be re-directed towards BBall and or vollyball. Stay out of hockey! 8)

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

Maybe the easiest thing is to make the nets bigger

My guess is that it would further specialize the position, since it would all but eliminate goalies that aren't huge.

 

[doublechili]

My guess is that it would further specialize the position, since it would all but eliminate goalies that aren't huge.

Maybe just have different sized nets for different sized goaltenders. For that matter, if a goalie has a really good glove hand, make that corner of the net a bit bigger. Equity.

 

[PK Cronin]

Goalies in the past would be wrecked in today's NHL, it's probably the most improved position and it isn't just because they have larger pads. I do think if the NHL wanted to do something it would need to focus on that aspect. Complaints a few years ago was that scoring was way down and the NHL needed to do something, but they didn't do much and now the scoring is going up every year. I'm a fan of just leaving it alone and taking in the ebbs and flows of the game.

Nothing can be done to bring goaltending backwards, we'll never see the styles and saves of the past again. The best you can hope for is the next evolution of the game offensively that forces the goalies to do something different.

Maybe the easiest thing is to make the nets bigger, instead of all the stupid rules nowadays like not being able to change after icing or a stick on stick called as hooks Shooters used to have so much more net to look at.

Why is that goalie on the goal line?

 

[Richie Daggers Crime]

Scoring was down, up, flat for the past 30 years with the nets the same size. Scoring is up again for a variety of reasons, the main one is that the composition of the players has changed: the under 25 set now just doesn’t play defense, they would rather go goal for goal until the time runs out vs minimizing chances and maximizing chances to win.

I tend to think that the game really has homogenized, and conservatively so, in the cap era. Teams basically all play the same way, and you couldn't really say that before. Systems are air tight thanks to analytics and advanced coaching tactics. Goals at even strength mostly come from system breakdowns based on chance (falling down, broken sticks, puck luck, mental errors), or from net front chaos. It's why you see these rules that have been mentioned (icing, delay of game, etc) because it increases the odds of these breakdowns.

I don't think it has much to do with younger players not playing defense. I think it's more that they're in tune with the contemporary game, which is to play conservatively and then be opportunistic when breakdowns happen. They just don't have the experience at the top levels of the game to do this with a high degree of discernment.