[davetex]

I have a feeling that this is going to be overwellmingly in favor of one option over the rest.....but, lets do this.

Do you think the new NHL rules have improved the game?

[blueandwhite]

I say, yes and no. Sounds wishy washy.
I think overall, it's been an improvement, but there are bad points. I've mentioned this before, I am so tired of the hooking calls. I say, if he's hauled down on his butt and impeded somehow, then call it. if he's hooked and shrugs it off, then forget it. Every hook gets called and there are so many whistles, the flow is gone. I know the scorers need room to make a move and I appreciate that we want to honour that - but it's okay if they have to fight just a little. Sundin's a big guy - he can shrug it off.
i most enjoy watching the goalies work around their new set-up. I love that the pads shrunk. And I like to see Belfour go for a puck and at the last minute, pull back because he realizes, i'm not supposed to touch.
I'd like to see more diving called. I don't get when someone gets hauled down and the hook AND the dive get called. HUH? if he dove, then it's just a dive and call it that. Some days, they act like a bunch of soccer players out there.

[anrobins]

There is definitely an improvement. It is February and players can still move through the neutral zone without a lesser player grabbbing ahold. It's making goalies redfine themselvs, proving who is truly great and who was only good because they blocked every square inch of the goal mouth. Players are beginning to learn about which types of hits are legal, and there have been some good ones recently.

I would like to see a crackdown on diving because there has been too much, but I really look forward to the playoffs and next season when players are far more adjusted.

[xdavidwattsx]

Originally Posted by blueandwhite

I'd like to see more diving called. I don't get when someone gets hauled down and the hook AND the dive get called. HUH? if he dove, then it's just a dive and call it that. Some days, they act like a bunch of soccer players out there.

Absolutely. Of all the calls that are being made, diving is the one they are missing the most. I don't mind the hooking and obstruction. I also don't think they should be selective just because a guy is big enough to take it. They need to be consistent. My beef is one hook is a penalty and the next time down the ice, the exact some hook is not.

If I wanted inconsistent and atrocious refs, I'd watch the NBA.

[pete_b]

If there was one rule that I would say that was long overdue in the NHL besides the enlarging of the crease it would be the shootout. Holy COW i cant wait for the playoffs. I am so sick of kissing my sister and finally the shootout has done away with that. So as far as the new rules are concerned...... YEEE HA!!!

[blueandwhite]

what will happen in the cup playoffs - will they go back to overtime periods, or keep the shootout? does anyone know?

[blueandwhite]

Originally Posted by xdavidwattsx

I don't mind the hooking and obstruction. I also don't think they should be selective just because a guy is big enough to take it.

I didn't mean that so much as, If a hook is a hook that impedes, it should be called. I guess maybe a really big guy can withstand more than a little guy, although not necessarily (yes, I am aware of a player like Martin St. Louis, but being smaller means he's close to the ground, stands firm, plus he skates fast), and most of those guys out there are huge. This is where the diving call can come in.

I also question whether a guy attempting a hook is a lesser player, as stated a few posts back. I don't think the rules of the game are about giving the scorer the advantage. The game is about challenging the scorer as well, and those who challenge are not lesser players, they are players of a different strength.

[anrobins]

They will go back to overtimes in the playoffs.

[anrobins]

What has bothered me most of the criticisms of the new NHL is that there are diehards who refuse to want to acknowledge that hockey is a sport of skill and speed. Those elements belong in the game and the new rules have helped.

As far as I see things, there were lesser players challenging the skill players by grabbing on and holding or wrapping sticks around them. It slowed down the game and made it boring. People want to see scoring in hockey. That's why we don't watch soccer in North America.

The North American teams proved this again in the Olympics. They could not match the skill and speed of the Swedes, Finns, Czechs, and Russians. Didn't we learn anything 26 years ago?

[blueandwhite]

hockey is a lot of things for alot of people. Many different opinions about what is good and bad.

[xdavidwattsx]

Originally Posted by anrobins

The North American teams proved this again in the Olympics. They could not match the skill and speed of the Swedes, Finns, Czechs, and Russians. Didn't we learn anything 26 years ago?

All things being equal, North Americans are equally as fast and skilled as their European counterparts. Mike Modano, in his prime, was one of the fastest skaters on the entire planet. Even at 35 he can fly past most. Team Canada was unquestionably the most skilled team in the Olympics. You know you have depth when Crosby doesn't even make the team and Staal is a bench reserve. No European team had that kind of skill depth.

If the Europeans have any advantage at all, it's that they understand how to play the game on the larger international ice surface. It's what they all grew up playing on. They do it well.

[blueandwhite]

very insightful davidwatts.
ice rink is a biggie, plus as it's been mentioned, the finns, the swedes, the czechs have played together alot.
not making excuses for losing Canadians, just trying to figure out why.