Stop ****ing with equipment and talking about net sizes and call obstruction all the ****ing time. Jesus league, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this **** out.
You would think that someone in the league office could figure this out and have a discussion with the powers that be
One off-ice official whose sole responsibility is to call obstruction penalties...done deal.
It makes me think that the league is aware of their issue and that they don't actually want to fix it. I have suspected for some time that Bettman or those whose interests he acts in think that keeping scoring down will somehow keep down salaries (which clearly it hasn't).
I can't recall who but I've also heard some talking heads posit a link between a more open faster game and a greater incidence of concussions and accordingly more potential league liability via the ongoing lawsuit as an incentive to keep things the way they are with obstruction.
I've heard that too, albeit from the perspective of a league that apparently allows teams to violate their own sham concussion rules and make up medical protocols on the fly.
One step closer to Gary's dream of having more faceoff violation penalties than interference calls in an entire regular season.
It makes me think that the league is aware of their issue and that they don't actually want to fix it. I have suspected for some time that Bettman or those whose interests he acts in think that keeping scoring down will somehow keep down salaries (which clearly it hasn't).
Marcus Foligno just gouged up his hand on Brendan Lemieux helmet/skull. Too bad, he had to stop raining the blows down.
Brendan did the Lemieux thing and started it at the end of Foligno's shift, as well.
What is this new faceoff violation? First time I am hearing of it
They making this goalie equipment in the iPhone factories? Going on 24 months of excuses as to why a billion dollar company can't get some plastic parts produced.
What is this new faceoff violation? First time I am hearing of it
Having trouble adjusting to the NHL’s new faceoff violation rule? You’re not alone.
The league decided to implement stricter enforcement of the faceoff procedure over the summer, which can be found under Section 10 (titled “Game Flowâ€) in the official NHL Rulebook.
Four slashing penalties in Buffalo Monday night, along with one faceoff violation.
Five slashing penalties in Ottawa, with three faceoff violations.
Nine slashing penalties in New York, one faceoff violation.
Six slashing penalties in New Jersey, three faceoff violations.
In Edmonton and Calgary, where they played split-squad games, the four teams combined for 13 slashing penalties, one faceoff violation and 32 power plays in total. I was in Edmonton and can attest to this: of seven slashing calls, perhaps two of them would have been a penalty last spring.
The rest were born of the National Hockey League’s shiny new standard on slashing. Of course, we’re skeptical. We’ve seen how the NHL operates. But let’s stay positive here, at least until the regular season starts.
We should all be cheering for this new standard to stick. For the NHL to realize it is not lacrosse, where players wield their stick like a weapon.
Who doesn’t want to see the game’s skilled players able to operate, without having to absorb constant slashes to the hands and legs by players who can’t keep up? And if it’s Sidney Crosby who is slashing Mark Methot’s finger to a bloody pulp, well, he should face supplementary discipline as well.
In the end, putting an end to the habit of slashing the puck carrier’s hands will aid the skilled player, and weed out those who can’t keep up. How can that not be good for the game?
“The way our top end guys can skate?†began Edmonton’s Mark Letestu, who welcomes the change on behalf of his club. “I mean, sticks are always parallel on Connor (McDavid). You can’t get in front of the guy. Hopefull we’re on the power play a lot because of it.â€
The NHL has made it a point to crack down on slashing for the upcoming regular season. With the preseason underway, the foundation for the new standard is being set. Dating back to late June, the NHL had vowed to call slashing more closely after a number of incidents last season, including Marc Methot‘s gruesome finger injury, which was the result of a slash to the hands from Sidney Crosby.
Monday’s game between the Islanders and Rangers featured nine slashing minor penalties. The Devils and Capitals were only 41 seconds into their preseason game Monday when Jimmy Hayes was called for slashing. A total of six slashing minors were called in that game — not to mention three faceoff violations.
According to Mark Spector of Sportsnet, the Senators-Maple Leafs game Monday also featured three faceoff violations. It appears right now there will be quite an adjustment for players across the league to the apparent crackdown on slashing and faceoff violations, especially early on.
However, will this be the standard for the entire season? For the playoffs? “I have a tough time believing that in the playoffs, in Game 7, that kind of call is going to be made,” Mark Letestu told Sportsnet. “Right now, there’s an overemphasis on it, and hopefully it doesn’t go all the way back to where it was.”
We've seen this before. We'll probably get 1 1/2 seasons to 2 seasons worth of crack downed penalties, and then it will go back to where we are from the playoffs and previous years. The only question that remains is what will happen first, teams finding ways around these penalties, or refs becoming relaxed on calls(especially the top tier teams).
Agree but the rules are squirt 101 in terms of lining up, where you're feet are allowed to be,who'se stick touched the ice first, its location (outside the dot), etc.. Then there's the obstruction that goes on after the face off. By the time we get to the SC playoffs, its frickin rugby/tackle football.
EVERY player out there (and coach) knows the face-off rules. They've been subject to them since they were squirts (or atoms). They just do whatever they are allowed to get away with.
And yes, this ""enforcement phase" will pass very quickly.....
Faceoff rule is pretty black and white, but it wont be called consistently. I see foot in the crease like controversies down the road. Can't wait for a goal off a faceoff, then replay shows it was illegal.