BalticWarrior
Registered User
Would KHL benefit if it made rink sizes smaller? do you think it would make the game more enjoyable?
Would KHL benefit if it made rink sizes smaller? do you think it would make the game more enjoyable?
Would KHL benefit if it made rink sizes smaller? do you think it would make the game more enjoyable?
less enjoyable
Would KHL benefit if it made rink sizes smaller? do you think it would make the game more enjoyable?
I think it is good idea, especially "finnish size rink", but it is not so easy. You would have to change all rinks, since kids to juniors, not only for KHL teams.
If they went with the sizes evident in some Finnish arenas, the difference would most definitely NOT be for the worse.
Would KHL benefit if it made rink sizes smaller? do you think it would make the game more enjoyable?
Is it time that KHL starts to consider a finnish size rink?
As we can see in the case of Medvescak most russian teams are unable to adapt to small size ice rink and more physical game.
KHL goalies and defence is not even worth mentioning on the small size ice rink where they seem completly lost and disoriented and can't adapt to more ruthless style of physical game.
With "finnish size rink" you can still have russian pass game but it can greatly boost quality of defence and goalies.
You are missing the point completely. The same Medvescak is pretty useless on big ice. shouldn't we force them to adapt to bigger rinks? why exactly should russian teams adpat ot Zagreb rink? There are teams assembled for a certain kind of play, they are used to certain kind of play. Then one time in a season they have to play in Zagreb. Little wonder they can't adjust. But that doesn't mean they are in any way bad or useless teams and players. And let them play a couple of games on the small rink and they will adapt. But for what? Some unenterteining "physical" game? I've seen a bunch of games in Zagreb by now. Not impressed as a neutral fan looking for just some entertaining hockey.
Please check the NHL boards for ppl calling for a bigger rink in the NHL. The whole idea of smaller rinks in the KHL is ill advised and disregards the recent developments in hockey.
Soviet hockey was great on the big ice. And it was great on the small ice. We need better players not smaller rinks.
You are missing the point completely. The same Medvescak is pretty useless on big ice. shouldn't we force them to adapt to bigger rinks? why exactly should russian teams adpat ot Zagreb rink? There are teams assembled for a certain kind of play, they are used to certain kind of play. Then one time in a season they have to play in Zagreb. Little wonder they can't adjust. But that doesn't mean they are in any way bad or useless teams and players. And let them play a couple of games on the small rink and they will adapt. But for what? Some unenterteining "physical" game? I've seen a bunch of games in Zagreb by now. Not impressed as a neutral fan looking for just some entertaining hockey.
Please check the NHL boards for ppl calling for a bigger rink in the NHL. The whole idea of smaller rinks in the KHL is ill advised and disregards the recent developments in hockey.
The Sports Illustrated (US sports magazine) NHL Preview issue focused its main article on the problems resulting from goal scoring disappearing in the NHL. NHL teams are scoring so few goals that the fans are starting to get bored with watching the puck bouncing around a small rink. Adjustments that the NHL has tried to make to produce more goal scoring, such as eliminating the Center Red Line, just hasn't worked. Because players in the NHL are so big and the rinks are so small, goals are getting to be more and more scarce. Be careful about wishing for smaller ice.
The Sports Illustrated (US sports magazine) NHL Preview issue focused its main article on the problems resulting from goal scoring disappearing in the NHL. NHL teams are scoring so few goals that the fans are starting to get bored with watching the puck bouncing around a small rink. Adjustments that the NHL has tried to make to produce more goal scoring, such as eliminating the Center Red Line, just hasn't worked. Because players in the NHL are so big and the rinks are so small, goals are getting to be more and more scarce. Be careful about wishing for smaller ice.
Soviet hockey was great on the big ice. And it was great on the small ice. We need better players not smaller rinks.
False logic. They were better in an era where players were poorly trained, slower. Now with advancements in research which has been applied to sport training has increased the speed and physicality of the game on the smaller rink. Gary Roberts one of the world renown hockey trainers says players weren't even close to being properly trained in the NHL until the late 90s and even now still increasing speed, strength of players. The small ice has been outgrown by the evolution of NHL athletes years ago... NHL doesn't handle change well, too much of old boys club.
Go back and watch those Soviet-NHL exhibition games, some of those Canadian defensemen could barely skate. They wouldn't have the same effect today. Conclusion: NHL size ice = too small even for Soviet era players.
Changes begin after 2005-06, and it's been hovering that mark since. The NHL surface is a more entertaining product whichever league is playing on it, the pace of the game is electrifying and much more rapid if played between two proper teams. On big ice, it's very easy to slow your opponents down especially on the breakout while at the same time also almost eliminating what makes Hockey unique, it's physical play. You have more room and more time, but that time buys you nothing too much because your still further away from the net. The benefits of the surface is with the width you have more movement east and west creating more plays like you said and using passing options which aren't as recognizable on the smaller surface. There's an elegance to Hockey on the bigger surface, you have to work in a different way to produce which I think is very enjoyable in it's self. It's more skating but the game is slower which is one of the issues since Hockey should never become like Football. The Finnish surface is an amusing option which would be interesting to see in the KHL. But I mean as witnessed during the 2010 Olympics and we can compare after Sochi 2014, if proper teams are playing such as international teams, the product and speed and entertainment value of the game are best suited for the 200' by 85' especially nowadays where all the top players in the World from no matter which country, have the ability and talent and strength to adapt to the small rink style, whereas back then it wasn't the case.
Well, I prefer to watch Canada Cup 87. And've never seen bad scaters amongst Canadians there. And I can't say the pace was slow as well. Those guys just knew the puck was faster than any player - you just gotta think fast as well.
So that's the problem - when the best are playing, any rinks are ok. And we still haven't seen all the best players on the big ice. I mean if we had NHL on big rinks it could be a real joy to watch, who knows. But on the small ice it's just run&gun festivity. It's easier to get big guys and teach them to scate fast and hit everything than to teach them to actually play hockey. That's the main problem of the small ice.
And as to KHL, its main problem is just there's no enough good players there. Just imagine if KHL was like Soviet The Highest League - only 12 teams. I bet it would look different.