What happened after the 2009-10 season? Only 1 player w/ 100+ points every season

[thegongshow]

Haven't the rules of the NHL been changed enough so that scoring is supposed to increase? Why has there only been 1 player in the entire league that finishes the season with 100 or more points or more for going on the past 7 years? The number of 50 or more goal scorers has also been steadily decreasing.

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[Man Bear Pig]

Coaching/systems. It's no longer a league where you try and simply outscore everyone if you have the talent to do so, it's about maintaining puck possession. With that comes coaching and collapsing around the high percentage areas. It's far more complicated than this but that's the best explanation I have. In ten years, it'll be different whether it's more or even less scoring.

 

[mintmint]

There just hasn't been a Matthews until now.

 

[Wild-Sabres]

Goalie equipment?

 

[smackdaddy]

Nah not coaching at all. It's the obstruction that's the reason for lower scoring. Holding, slashing, grabbing sticks, picks, etc

Remove that and we're back to 2006 levels of scoring.

 

[Senor Catface]

Nah not coaching at all. It's the obstruction that's the reason for lower scoring. Holding, slashing, grabbing sticks, picks, etc

Remove that and we're back to 2006 levels of scoring.

Yep.

As soon as the league decided that the way they could cut down on head injuries and concussions, which was getting serious media play, was by reinstating the pre-lockout mandate for penalties, that was that.

 

[Man Bear Pig]

Goalie equipment?

I don't think there's been anything more exaggerated over the years than goalie equipment tbh. Teams employ monsters in net now, I honestly don't think a 1/4 inch less o n a 6'5 goalies pads will drive scoring up. If they want real results then they'd have the balls to make significant changes to goalie equipment. I'm as sick of the non-athletic butterfly goalie as anyone. The league needs more Tim Thomas', Quicks,Lundqvists etc.

 

[StatisticsAddict99]

Skill of today's hockey Players and the system they work in. In another Forum(not to far off from this one atm), a Poster asks how would Orr do in today's hockey and many people don't think he'd even crack the roster. Gretzky said it in an interview before that Today's Hockey kids(that intend on turning pro one day) don't attend school and base they're lives around hockey.. So today's players had less time to live outside the rink rather than in do to dedication and such. Goalies are better, Defensemen are better and the Defensive play from forwards are significantly better. In 50 years the League might be headed into a state where all players are basically clones in skill... But that's just my opinion

 

[Laineux]

Mainly explained by less powerplay opportunities.

 

[voxel]

Power plays should be full 2 minutes. Yes we've allowed more obstruction since 2009 but let's make the violations hurt more.

 

[JAS 39 Gripen]

Power plays should be full 2 minutes. Yes we've allowed more obstruction since 2009 but let's make the violations hurt more.

"No! Hockey is a rough-n-tuff sport! Players with high PIM totals should be raved about in every segment on every show on every channel all the time!!!!" - Don Cherry

 

[CorgisPer60]

Yep.

As soon as the league decided that the way they could cut down on head injuries and concussions, which was getting serious media play, was by reinstating the pre-lockout mandate for penalties, that was that.

I remember when the Jets reentered the league in 2011. They were getting interference calls left and right because any attempt at impeding a forward's progress into the offensive zone after a dump in was considered interference. Now, almost nobody gets called for that.

This ties into the second point, that someone else touched on in this topic already - the fact that powerplays are down by half since 2006.

The third one, and probably the most relevant one, is that the distribution of ice time has changed since 2006. Your 4th Line is no longer getting only 3 minutes a night, with your top line getting 24 to 27 minutes tonight. Coaches are spreading the ice time around to keep players fresher longer. That means your stars aren't going to be on the ice as often, so they won't have as many opportunities to score goals.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Mainly explained by less powerplay opportunities.

This is the key difference. Late-2000's scoring was driven by PP opportunities that no longer exist.

 

[hatterson]

This is the key difference. Late-2000's scoring was driven by PP opportunities that no longer exist.

It's also worth noting that although PPOs in 05-06 were much higher than historical norms, 06-07 was much closer (ranking 8th since 63-64) and 07-08/08-09 were basically right in the mid range.

The 3 lowest recorded years (hockey-reference goes back to 63-64) were the last 3 years, and the year before that is the 5th lowest.

 

[Beukeboom Fan]

Goalie equipment?

Actually shrunk over the time frame we are talking about.

Agree on the coaching and would also add decrease in PP opportunities and change in player deployment. Expectation now is everyone is playing good D while being a very good skater to, and is making the low risk play. The reduction in PP's and having icetime much more evenly distributed, which reduces the top guys opportunities.

 

[Fugazy]

Obstruction on the ice has a good amount to do with it.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Actually shrunk over the time frame we are talking about.

In theory, you could keep goalie equipment the same size while making it less effective. Ex: ban the "landing gear" and pads which rotate around the leg into a butterfly position. That would be the end of the modern butterfly and goals would go up in a hurry.

In practice, goalies would riot and we'd see a lot of guys try and continue playing butterfly only to injure themselves.

 

[BraveCanadian]

More clutching and grabbing being let go and with how the level of play has declined into a constant collapse into the middle, the PP is responsible for more and more offense.

But powerplay opportunities are down.

In theory, you could keep goalie equipment the same size while making it less effective. Ex: ban the "landing gear" and pads which rotate around the leg into a butterfly position. That would be the end of the modern butterfly and goals would go up in a hurry.

In practice, goalies would riot and we'd see a lot of guys try and continue playing butterfly only to injure themselves.

Yeah, as I remember Patrick Roy kind of ruined his hips by playing the butterfly with the equipment as it was being adapted to let goalies play the butterfly.

Goalie equipment enabling them to become blockers rather than savers is a huge factor.

Another example is the cheaters and the risers to cover the five hole when in the butterfly. What a joke. It used to be if you went into the butterfly you risked the five hole to spread out and cover the bottom... not any more.

 

[TheSituation]

Mainly explained by less powerplay opportunities.

Using that graphic, I would say improved goaltending is definitely the reason

 

[rintinw]

Using that graphic, I would say improved goaltending is definitely the reason

Or maybe less PPs meant less time killing your Sv% while being shorthanded.

Here is ES Sv% and special teams (PP+PK together) Sv%:

Season|ES Sv%| (PP+PK) Sv %
2005-06|0.914|0.867
2006-07|0.917|0.872
2007-08|0.920|0.875
2008-09|0.919|0.873
2009-10|0.919|0.880
2010-11|0.921|0.880
2011-12|0.921|0.880
2012-13|0.920|0.872
2013-14|0.921|0.880
2014-15|0.922|0.881
2015-16|0.923|0.876
2016-17|0.921|0.875

 

[rintinw]

In theory, you could keep goalie equipment the same size while making it less effective. Ex: ban the "landing gear" and pads which rotate around the leg into a butterfly position. That would be the end of the modern butterfly and goals would go up in a hurry.

In practice, goalies would riot and we'd see a lot of guys try and continue playing butterfly only to injure themselves.

They can still add minimal weight requirement for those pads

 

[tony d]

As others have said, the lack of power plays have caused scoring totals to go down. I like the idea of having power plays last the full 2 minutes. I think that's how it used to be back in the day.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Or maybe less PPs meant less time killing your Sv% while being shorthanded.

Here is ES Sv% and special teams (PP+PK together) Sv%:

Season|ES Sv%| (PP+PK) Sv %
2005-06|0.914|0.867
2006-07|0.917|0.872
2007-08|0.920|0.875
2008-09|0.919|0.873
2009-10|0.919|0.880
2010-11|0.921|0.880
2011-12|0.921|0.880
2012-13|0.920|0.872
2013-14|0.921|0.880
2014-15|0.922|0.881
2015-16|0.923|0.876
2016-17|0.921|0.875

I mean... that chart pretty clearly shows that save percentage is up across the board.

I agree that PPs are the biggest factor, but .003-.004 is not an insignificant increase at even strength.

 

[jw2]

Skill of players. Talent on the third and 4th lines is up. Less goons and enforcers. Not getting those easy matchups.

 

[Shaftception]

I remember when the Jets reentered the league in 2011. They were getting interference calls left and right because any attempt at impeding a forward's progress into the offensive zone after a dump in was considered interference. Now, almost nobody gets called for that.

This ties into the second point, that someone else touched on in this topic already - the fact that powerplays are down by half since 2006.

The third one, and probably the most relevant one, is that the distribution of ice time has changed since 2006. Your 4th Line is no longer getting only 3 minutes a night, with your top line getting 24 to 27 minutes tonight. Coaches are spreading the ice time around to keep players fresher longer. That means your stars aren't going to be on the ice as often, so they won't have as many opportunities to score goals.

This, I honestly think this has a far bigger effect on declining top point totals than people tend to give credit, even when just compared to say 2010 and onward. I know for at least Crosby and Malkin if memory serves they used to pretty safely average around 22+ minutes a night, where as nowadays they sometimes won't break 18. Part of that is age, but part of that is also coaching leaguewide trending towards speed, which requires rested players, which leads to shorter shifts and rolling all 4 lines to maintain that speed every shift. This naturally leads to lesser ice-time for the stars that normally would be capable of playing more minutes due to the lesser emphasis on rested legs.

Lemieux back in the day used to play almost the entirety of every powerplay and a good chunk of most penalty kills, not because he was good defensively but because he'd score a crap ton of shorthanded goals, while likely totalling over 25 minutes a night (this is before official TOI stats). That'd be impossible nowadays under today's coaching schemes and tactics.