Proposal: OutDoor Games And NHL Expansion...

[RayMartyniukTotems]

With the NHL playing outdoor games every season...I wonder about enhancing the experience for the fans? Playing on an Olympic Size rink Dimension of 200 feet by 100 feet would add closeness and excitement with better sight lines! And the beauty would be the game becomes more of a possession game rather a run and chase it can sometimes devolve into. It just occurred me and wouldn't this be a great time for it?
Perhaps in the future the game sees 4 on 4 hockey in the Regular sized rinks,tapering of Goaltending pads and equipment to add to potential goals and excitement? And please get rid of the gimmicky 3 on 3 stuff and Shoot outs they are a bore and half!!! Of course the NHLPA would have to sign off and before anyone gets knickers in a Knot teams would carry 10 or 11 Forwards and 7 or 8 D-men and 2 goaltenders...so no lost jobs...
And lets Expand into Quebec City by 2025 to revive an age old and great Rivalry with Montreal Canadiens and add teams in Salt Lake City(2025)Houston,Milwaukee,Indianapolis,Hamilton,San Diego and Portland before 2035... And if things don't get fixed in a hurry in the Arizona Desert move them to Atlanta and give them one last go round...A 40 team NHL with two Conferences with 16 teams in each making the play-offs and lets handle the Expansion a bit different with a protective list of 5-2-1! And teams should be able Draft players 2 years since the NHL is really a Futures draft with few players being ready at 18...The reasoning being Expansion teams could add depth for later years when the Vets fall off the Map...and so present NHL teams don't get too ruffled for the 1-2 B Expansion fee Bettman has talked about Expansion teams would draft from the 4th round onwards with bonus picks at the end of each round two years before,then 3rd onwards 1 year before with Bonus picks at the end of each round and then First round onwards when they Officially Enter the NHL

PS An while we are at it lets move the goal nets up 3-4 feet to almost eliminate the 'Tenders handling the puck which would have more play around/behind the net by the scorers...and forwards

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[The Marquis]

It’s a bold idea, the rule changes. I think it’s a hard sell, but it seems like it would be worth experimenting with to see if it actually enhances the experience.

As for the outdoor game, I’m not a big fan of changing that since it’s a regular season game that counts and should be consistent. Could be fun for the All-Star game though, which could be fun in a stadium as well.

I’m also all for expansion. Unlike a lot of people, I could care less about more players diminishing the talent pool. I just look at it as an opportunity for more players to get their shot and more opportunities to watch.

 

[RayMartyniukTotems]

It’s a bold idea, the rule changes. I think it’s a hard sell, but it seems like it would be worth experimenting with to see if it actually enhances the experience.

As for the outdoor game, I’m not a big fan of changing that since it’s a regular season game that counts and should be consistent. Could be fun for the All-Star game though, which could be fun in a stadium as well.

I’m also all for expansion. Unlike a lot of people, I could care less about more players diminishing the talent pool. I just look at it as an opportunity for more players to get their shot and more opportunities to watch.

Thanks for your thoughts...and having a team in Portland would be great for Seattle and Vancouver who become geographic rivals instantly! And as far as talent goes the Americans are producing talent at a fever pace nowadays to go with the Canadians and the rest of the hockey playing World

 

[majormajor]

My two cents is that outdoor games in big stadiums kind of suck. They just look bad. It's pure novelty that keeps people going to them. Olympic width isn't going to change much, it's still a big distance to the fans.

What I want to see is a made for tv product in a more intimate setting. Like a valley way up north. The NHL sort of went halfway there with the Lake Tahoe games but it was poorly done in my opinion. The sunny time and location didn't help, as the ice was dangerously melted, and the tv sightlines were shadowy. They can do it with higher sightlines that feel more like watching a normal game.

I’m also all for expansion. Unlike a lot of people, I could care less about more players diminishing the talent pool. I just look at it as an opportunity for more players to get their shot and more opportunities to watch.

The talent is so much better trained than it was in generations past, that it's a non-issue to me. There are AHLers today that would be NHLers thirty years ago.

 

[Hocktopus]

Not sure if this is the right place to post this, but it is certainly Kraken related news for the outdoor game:

Lawsuit alleges Kraken violated Metropolitans trademark with Winter Classic jerseys

A lawsuit filed against the Kraken's ownership in U.S. District Court alleges that the Kraken violated trademark rights in the design of their NHL Winter Classic jerseys.

www.seattletimes.com

 

[The Marquis]

That dude sounds like a dickhead

 

[Hocktopus]

That dude sounds like a dickhead

Yup! He is sure getting lit up for it on social media

 

[gstommylee]

he also doesn't understand trandmarks you can't claim ownership ownership on design aka the stripes no matter what color it is. The S is a different shape and it says kraken not Seattle.

 

[Kevinsane]

Evocative is not identical. I love the Metropolitans “S” logo, but in no way is the Winter Classic logo even remotely a copycat.

 

[The Marquis]

Evocative is not identical. I live the Metropolitans “S” logo, but in no way is the Winter Classic logo even remotely a copycat.

It’s like artistic license or whatever. The law that allows somebody to post clips of copywrited Tv show on YouTube if something is substantially changed. There’s a word for it that I can’t remember.