JV said:Uh, this is the same reaction fans had to the cooperall pant of the early 80s(?). That was a hideous departure from hockey tradition and it was quickly reversed precisely because of the reaction you describe as ignorant, reactionary and idiotic. Hockey uniforms and equipment have certainly evolved, to use your term, but they have done so through a process of intelligent design (ID) that was informed by the game's traditions. ID is not something that should be brushed aside by evolutionary hockey biologists such as yourself. If you do, you risk getting struck by a lightning bolt in the face, or a horde of locusts ruining every picnic you ever have, for eternity.
Metallian said:best post in the thread.
Sure, the Cooperall idea was a flop, and likely never should have gone into the game on a large scale (what ever happened to focus groups, surveys, pilot projects, etc?). However, I applaud their willingness to try something new in an effort to push the game forward. 99% of the people in this thread are willing to quash RBK's effort to improve the game, before they can even see the product, or the benefits of the changes. It's absolutely ridiculous. Sure, the decisions to add, then remove the red line, remove the "rover" position, change offside rules, add the icing rule, etc, were made in accordance with "the game's traditions," but they were also made to improve the game, especially improving its appeal to fans. What better way to address the tradition of the game than to raise the game's profile? Perhaps new, higher performance uniforms will contribute to a better product.
Also, which tradition are we obligated to "be informed by?" If I chose to be painfully argumentative, I could say that your notion of "intelligent design" was grossly violated when people decided to put blades on their feet and play hurley on ice. I'm certainly happy with the 200+ year old product of that idea though.
Lastly, in a universal context, I sincerely hope that you don't refute the evolutionary model in favour of "intelligent design", as they certainly don't conflict in any way.