rmp said:
I think the dead puck era started in 95-96. Just look at the scoring leaders that year and each year after. The 95-96 scoring leaders were high, but a lot of that scoring came in the first half of the year. I read an article (can't find it now) that it was in that season when refs started to put away the whistles a lot more, and that continued after that year, and it shows. Only two guys over 100 points in 96-97, and one the next year. In addition to that, more and more teams started employing the trap, probably spurred by the Devils cup win in 95.
As for Gretzky, the Rangers were one of the worst places he could have gone as a free agent. That overrated bum Messier convinces Gretzky to sign there for less money than he could have had (Canucks were offering Gretzky 7 mil) and then takes off the next year in a flash for the same deal the Canucks made Gretzky the previous year. Part of it was greed, part of it was that Gretzky overshadowed him in the regular season and especially the playoffs and he just couldn't take it. And Neil Smith is an idiot who decided to write the blank checks for free agents after Gretzky left and gave him no one to work with in his last year. He practically forced him into retirement. Why would Gretzky hang around with no hope of making the playoffs and bums for linemates.
Actually, the clutch and grab was slowly starting to creep into the game as early as 1991. At the start of the 1992-93 season, the league made its first serious attempt at an obstruction crackdown, and it worked. Scoring eclipsed seven goals per game for the only time since 1988-89. (Although there were many other reasons than the obstruction crackdown).
The Habs won the Cup in 1993, playing a mostly defensive system. Many teams copied that style the following year. The neutral zone trap was trendy among coaches, although teams were executing it more with positioning than clutching and grabbing. In the 1995 season, the clutching and grabbing was really bad, as teams played very conservative with the shortened slate.
The league implemented a very serious obstruction crackdown in 1995-96. Goal scoring soared past seven goals per game for the first month. But it didn't last. Numbers looked great, a lot of guys had career years. But the clutch and grab slowly returned, and was a fixture in the playoffs. (Note: one of the reasons that goal scoring was low in 1995-96, IMO, is the diluted talent pool from expansion. In the 1980s, many teams had three lines and two PP units that could score. In 1996, you were lucky to have two, and many teams have only one dangerous PP unit).
The NHL had short-term obstruction crackdowns in the 1998 playoffs and at the start of the 2002-03 season. They lasted less time than the 1995-96 crackdown. I think next year is a very important one for the league, and will prove how serious they are about a long-term crackdown.