NobodyBeatsTheWiz
Happy now?
I don't see where the erosion in skill has happened in the last 10 years. The decrease in scoring has been in lock-step with the decrease in PP opportunities.
I don't see where the erosion in skill has happened in the last 10 years. The decrease in scoring has been in lock-step with the decrease in PP opportunities.
I don't think anything can really increase goal-scoring except:
a) Ratio of goalie size (in pads) to goal size.
b) Amount of 4 on 4 in the game.
Personally, I'd welcome any incremental changes in those directions. I don't think increasing goal size is any more artificial than the increase in goalie padding over the years.
But I'm kind of skeptical that the NHL establishment is really capable of reversing the trend of decreasing creativity in the game.
edit: I'm not saying players are less skilled, but just it seems that the skill is shining through a lot less -- teams have more success than ever cancelling out each other's stars.
I was thinking just last night what if it was 4 on 4 after matching fighting majors?
International rink size isn't happening. It takes a monetary investment by each team and takes away paying seats. They've gotta work within the confines of the current ice surface.
Billy Smith had a proposal years ago that involved making the bluelines 6 feet wide, thereby shrinking or enlarging the neutral zone depending on the context of play and enlarging the offensive zone. That's definitely worth consideration, IMO.
I was thinking just last night what if it was 4 on 4 after matching fighting majors?
I have some thoughts on how to make the NHL better and more popular.
One: Get rid of the shootout. I'm okay with getting an extra point for teams that make it to overtime - but not via the shootout. Make a team really fight for the extra point. 5v5 and as many OT's as it takes.
Two: No more back to back games. With how much bigger/stronger/etc the players are these days, there's no reason to schedule back to back days for games. The scheduling can be better. The team not playing the second day in a row has a big advantage. Plus, it will make continuous OT's and a game not ending until a team scores okay since they'll have a off day the following day. From Oct til April of the regular season it is a full 6 months - so a little over 180 days. You can schedule 82 games this way without back to backs. The scheduling can be better.
Three: Coaches challenge. There needs to be a way to argue over a call as officiating isn't good in a lot of NHL games. A coach gets 1 challenge per game unless he wins his first challenge, then he gets another. Officials can also review a call under 5 minutes left in the third period so the game ends being called the right way without any BS. Also, if a team loses its challenge they lose their timeout too. If they burn a timeout - they lose their challenge. This will add more strategy to coaches wanting to burn a time out after a few icings/etc since they may need to use the challenge later in the game.
Four: Less playoff teams. How about only the top 2 of each division make the playoffs - and then 2 wild card teams. That's 6 teams in each conference. Each divisional winner gets a bye. In the West 8 out of 14 teams make the playoffs right now. That's kind of ridiculous. You can be one of the bottom half teams and still the only disadvantage of that is a first rd matchup of one more game on the road. I don't like it. I like how the NFL does their playoffs. The NHL should do the two best teams in the conference (both divisional winners) get a bye, and the other four teams all play a round with the two wild card teams playing on the road. This allows for the very best teams in the NHL to be in the playoffs.
Going from 16 to 12 playoff teams (12 playoff teams is still 40% of the teams in the league) allows for teams to be more aggressive with trades/etc too. No longer will teams just be okay being in the middle of the pack and hoping they get lucky in the playoffs/etc. Teams will have to make sure they are GOOD to really be in the playoffs as only 12 make it. This will result in more teams buying at the deadline (making the 12 teams in the playoffs really good teams with a lot of talent), and will have a lot more teams selling since more teams will be out of the playoffs. More big trades/excitement in the NHL = more love and hype around the NHL.
The players got bigger, faster, and more athletic at every position. Goalies now have a hard time getting a sniff if they are under 6'02". The pad size is an issue, but you just don't have many 5'09" goalies anymore. You can't shrink them. Same thing with the skaters...they are fast and big. There is just less room. The coaches and systems are also better today.
To increase scoring, You have to look at adopting International ice size and going to a point system that rewards scoring and not conservative play. Something like 3pts for a regulation win, 2pts for an overtime win, and 1pt for the shootout win. No points to the loser. Have the playoffs be the six teams with most points and next two others with most goals for during the season.
Scoring will go up.
It seems most teams cannot fill their top 6 with skill players. We cannot even complete our top line or a top pair with PP worthy guys. I don't recall these problems in the 80's and 90's. Look at the Oilers teams. Skill all over the place. Islanders.
I randomly picked our 87 team. Look at the skill
http://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/WSH/1988.html
Christian Stevens Murphy Hatcher Gus Gartner Hunter Pivo, Ridley. 2nd Tier guys like Locker, Spinorama Miller. All seasoned vets.
Now we have Ovi, Nick, Green. Carlson. Beagle. Kuz and Bura can be in the discussion have barely earned regular spots.
I see a big difference.
I will venture a guess and also say that NHL development programs leave a lot to be desired. Sending players to the A seems their only real plan.
I don't buy the "can't make the rinks bigger" argument. Very few teams sell out, and when they do its infrequent. So they aren't losing hardly any tickets. Its a minimal investment for a better product, and I'm sure the NHL can help subsidize the expense.
To me its the best option to open the game up and allow for more skill and back and forth play.
I believe the term you are looking for is 'salary cap'.