Posts About "NHL Rule Changes"
NHL Centres Say New Faceoff Rule Should Help Scoring
September 25th, 2019 Anze Kopitar takes his craft seriously. Very seriously. And when it comes to faceoffs, it's possible the Los Angeles Kings centre is even more meticulous. Kopitar works tirelessly on his technique, rigorously studies opponents' tendencies&nbs...
15 Crazy Rule Changes the NHL Needs
January 4th, 2018 * originally written in Feb. 2015 In terms of the "big 4" sports in the US, it's no secret that the NHL lags far behind in 4th. The most recent estimates put the NHL's revenue at $3.3 billion, just 36% as much as the NFL's $9.9 billion. Unsurprisingly, the NHL's TV deal is also by far the least lucrative at $600 million with NBC, $330...
Bruins Season Opener: What To Watch For
October 3rd, 2017 It's finally here. The Boston Bruins 2017-18 season is upon us. By the time the puck drops Thursday at the TD Garden 165 days will have transpired since Boston's last meaningful game. In the interim, through the David Pastrnak contract drama, laying-low during free agency and numerous roster battles one thing above all else is...
'Failed Offside Challenge' a Symptom of NHL's Poor Officiating
September 18th, 2017 There have been some rule changes before the start of the 2017-18 NHL season. One of the three changes has stood out from the rest with, the 'failed offside challenge' making headlines. What this means is if a coach challenges whether a player was offside that led to a goal and loses the challenge, his team gets a two-minute penalty for...
NHL's 'Failed Offside Challenge' Penalty Is a Positive Step
September 14th, 2017 Back in May, I proposed four simple rule changes to help "fix" the NHL. Among them, naturally, was a series of tweaks to adjust the league's coach-controlled offside challenge. I hate the offside challenge, and no, I don't think "hate" is too strong a word. I detest the fact that the league enables coaches to wield that degree of...
Can the NHL Schedule a Scoring Increase?
September 1st, 2016 One of the National Hockey League’s top concerns of the past several years has been the steady decline in scoring. Many schemes to reverse the trend have been bandied about, such as smaller goalie equipment, larger nets, applying the icing rule to power plays, and so on. From general managers to fans, it seems everyone has ideas for...
3 Changes the NHL Should Implement
March 16th, 2016 Ask any fan what their favourite part of a hockey game is, they will likely tell you it's goal scoring. The one-timer, the snipe from the top of the circle, or the dazzling deke on a breakaway. These are all goals that get us out of our seats and make the NHL so entertaining. Unfortunately the league is averaging 5.4 of goals...
Sticks at the Height of NHL's Scoring Problem
February 19th, 2016 What is the most entertaining aspect in hockey for the non-traditional fan? Other than fighting, it is goals. For that reason, the National Hockey League is clamoring for more of it. The league has explored -- and is still exploring -- nearly every avenue of the game to alter in order to amount more scoring. The average goals per game...
The NHL Should NOT Increase Net Size
November 17th, 2015 Has the horse been beaten? Yes. But is it a horse worth beating? Absolutely. Several of my colleagues here at The Hockey Writers have already discussed the controversial topic that keeps making its way back into the hockey world for discussion, for various reasons (*cough cough* Mike Babcock). The non-existent issue of scoring in the...
Opinion: Stop Changing the Sport
November 17th, 2015 Early in this season, the NHL has already had plenty of excitement. Teams like Dallas and Washington have emerged as potential contenders, the Central division has playoff-quality hockey on a nightly basis and a coaching job has already been lost prompting the return of always entertaining John Tortorella. Nonetheless, the group of...
Top 10 3-on-3 OT Line Combinations
July 15th, 2015 In late June, the NHL announced rule changes for the upcoming season. Games that go to overtime will still be five minutes long, but it will be a 3-on-3 as opposed to 4-on-4. In an effort to try to limit the number of games that go to a shootout the 3-on-3 OT system will leave plenty of open ice, meaning one mistake could end the game...
3-on-3 Overtime Hockey: Another Gimmick
June 25th, 2015 The NHL 'powers that be' made a decision. They are getting rid of 4-on-4 overtime hockey and replacing it with 3-on-3 overtime hockey to settle games that are tied at the end of regulation. This should hopefully lead to fewer ties at the end of overtime, and therefore fewer shootouts. For many involved in hockey, the shootout is the...
The Simplest Solution: Bringing Back the Tie
March 23rd, 2015 Earlier this month, general managers from across the NHL met for their yearly conference in Boca Raton, Florida to discuss different ways to potentially improve the game. This year they came up with a few, including new faceoff regulations and a potential coach's challenge for certain situations. These rules are not made official until...
