How would you “fix” the NHL

[SpinningEdge]

Hockey has been a pretty privileged sport for awhile. You need money to play at all levels. Go to a game it’s 90%+ white too.

Best way to grow the game is starting at the youth level and allowing/having programs for young people in more urban areas and other less rich countries.

Similar to golf it’s a predominantly white fan sport. Just the way it is as it has been that way for awhile.

nba has huge European, Asian, and American support. Nhl is basically upper class European areas, United States, ans canada.

By doing this more diverse groups will get involved in hockey, thus growing the game, thus making nhl bigger/better.

 

[Philadelphia Ducks]

Remove shootout and the stupid overtimes. Have 1 period of 5on5 thats 10 minutes long. No more loser points.

 

[txpd]

Remove shootout and the stupid overtimes. Have 1 period of 5on5 thats 10 minutes long. No more loser points.

You get that most customers of the league want a winner. You get that in a salary cap/parity league that we have now that 30% or more of the games would end in ties. Right? That would be FIXING the league?

 

[Dexter Colt]

"Fix" as in go back to legal head hunting hits and staged fights?

Nostalgia is a heck of a thing. I also grew up with late 80's and 90's hockey and sometimes miss it. There was toughness but also beautiful, smart plays amidst all of it. It was blissful back in the day to watch it with zero understanding of the consequences. Even today, I'd love the product but not its consequences.

 

[Deleted member 23124]

I'd like to see the NHL refs call the game as written in the rule book.

 

[joepeps]

I'd like to see the NHL refs call the game as written in the rule book.

Even in the playoffs... because the teams that make the playoffs then have to play by different rules from the regular season and they suck... then you need a tough team who can fight and punch every whistle and cause shit. Hold, clutch grab.... its stupid

 

[MNRube]

Call more cross checks in front of the net.

Can only win lottery once in a 7 year period.

Regulate goalie equipment size.

Do more to promote women's hockey.

 

[Deleted member 23124]

Even in the playoffs... because the teams that make the playoffs then have to play by different rules from the regular season and they suck... then you need a tough team who can fight and punch every whistle and cause shit. Hold, clutch grab.... its stupid

Agreed....I've always felt (and I've heard a few NYR announcers say this over the decades) that if you call the game as written, a lot of the chippy/dirty stuff would eventually go away.

 

[CraigsList]

Going to the 3-2-1-0 point system.

 

[cowboy82nd]

Call more cross checks in front of the net.

Can only win lottery once in a 7 year period.

Regulate goalie equipment size.

Do more to promote women's hockey.

How is that “fixing” the NHL?

And goalie equipment is regulated.

 

[Harvey Birdman]

- Market all of the leagues stars.

- Stop the playoffs from being called differently than the regular season.

- Change the offside review that after X amount of passes, or X amount of time. A offside can no longer be reviewed.

 

[joepeps]

How is that “fixing” the NHL?

And goalie equipment is regulated.

the problem with women's hockey is women don't care or watch it. not enough eyes on it.. and the competition isn't really there

 

[Shark Finn]

By bringing back 1-8 playoff seeding and doing something about the reffing.

 

[Butch 19]

Remove shootout and the stupid overtimes. Have 1 period of 5on5 thats 10 minutes long. No more loser points.

The shootout is awesome and so is OT (I thought I wouldn't like 3 on 3, but it is a surprising success.)

Get rid of the loser point? This was done years ago - hey!!!

 

[PROGFAN66]

Hockey has been a pretty privileged sport for awhile. You need money to play at all levels. Go to a game it’s 90%+ white too.

Best way to grow the game is starting at the youth level and allowing/having programs for young people in more urban areas and other less rich countries.

Similar to golf it’s a predominantly white fan sport. Just the way it is as it has been that way for awhile.

nba has huge European, Asian, and American support. Nhl is basically upper class European areas, United States, ans canada.

By doing this more diverse groups will get involved in hockey, thus growing the game, thus making nhl bigger/better.

I won’t reiterate my earlier points regarding improving the officiating, goal net and expanding the rink in Hockey. I have read some of the comments many I feel are trying to put the old and stale opinion about the sport being privileged.

Seriously than you have not met some of my friends who have to sacrifice time they don’t have and their hard-earned money to support their son’s and daughters dreams in playing the sport.

It’s mostly a combination of many parameters but it’s more having to do with the degree of difficulty ,the pace of the sport and finding areas to actually to play the sport than anything else in my opinion.

In comparison to the so -called mainstream sports of Soccer, Football, Basketball and Baseball you can’t grab or assemble a bunch of people off the street and say let’s play Hockey. You need to master a second sport of skating and you need to find an area where there is ice which is not easy for example for someone who was born and bred in the Bronx, NY like myself.

In addition, it’s much easier to play sports where you can run and or protect the ball with your hands. It’s easier to follow sports were there are huddles football and time between pitches baseball. For the most part sports like Basketball and Soccer are slow and deliberate style of play is much easier to follow than Hockey.

Hockey players don't get that opportunity not even for substitutions. Every play, every attack, formation, sequences, every audible and for the most part is on the go or you need to think quicker analytically. If anything, Hockey is more like Rugby than the major mainstream sports. The sport of Hockey has a lot of potential to be even greater which I agree with your point.

 

[IceKitties]

The NHL is better right now than it has ever been

 

[JasonRoseEh]

Bring back tinted visors.

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

More staged fights
More legal head hunting
Much less scoring
Slash the number of fans by 30%
BRING BACK THE EARLY 2000S..WOHOO

 

[BritainStix]

It's quite simple really.

Stop the refs from managing games. Call penalties as they are committed. If a team has 15 penalties and another has 1, then maybe they shouldn't be playing the game wrong.

Secondly, we have made advancements in technology to the point where we should no longer be allowing goaltenders to look like the marshmallow man. There was a really good breakdown by a former NHL goaltender on just how ridiculous some of the equipment additions are. Reduce their size, open more of the net and make goaltenders rely upon positioning and ability rather than straight up size.

Remove the old boys club and actually employ forward thinking coaches from european and north american junior leagues.

This tired rehtoric of dump the puck, bump and grind, get shots from the point and pick up garbage goals.

 

[psychonaut]

One thing i would like to see is if your player is suspended you can't replace him. Except goalies.

 

[ChuckLefley]

-No loser point. You shouldn’t get rewarded for going to OT.
-See the playoffs 1-16. How great would finals with big rivalries be. Pens-Flyers, Leafs-Habs, Blues-Blackhawks, etc.
-Consistent discipline.
-Call the rules, all the time.
-Smaller goalie equipment.

 

[EazyE1]

This may be crazy but hear me out. Do a 3 man shootout at the beginning of the game. So just in case its a tie its already over.

 

[DingDongCharlie]

I’d remove revenue sharing. If your market can’t support a team relocate to an area that can.

No shootout in the regular season and no overtime. Game ends tied. Fans can deal with it.

Refs are there to call the rules and protect the players. The ref union should have the performance under review yearly by the players union with rule mandate only for the league. The league decides the rules and the players union decides if the refs are properly doing said job.

 

[JianYang]

It's quite simple really.

Stop the refs from managing games. Call penalties as they are committed. If a team has 15 penalties and another has 1, then maybe they shouldn't be playing the game wrong.

Secondly, we have made advancements in technology to the point where we should no longer be allowing goaltenders to look like the marshmallow man. There was a really good breakdown by a former NHL goaltender on just how ridiculous some of the equipment additions are. Reduce their size, open more of the net and make goaltenders rely upon positioning and ability rather than straight up size.

Remove the old boys club and actually employ forward thinking coaches from european and north american junior leagues.

This tired rehtoric of dump the puck, bump and grind, get shots from the point and pick up garbage goals.

They have done a better job over the past few years particularly with the pads, but there are still a couple goalies out there who look like a blend of sumo wrestlers and lacrosse tenders, so there is work to do to cut that down as well.

 

[cowboy82nd]

-No loser point. You shouldn’t get rewarded for going to OT.
-See the playoffs 1-16. How great would finals with big rivalries be. Pens-Flyers, Leafs-Habs, Blues-Blackhawks, etc.
-Consistent discipline.
-Call the rules, all the time.
-Smaller goalie equipment.

How many times has this been stated? It’s not a loser point. Each team gets a point for being tied at the end of regulation.