Minor Changes At Best

While the fans often ask and discuss ways in which to improve the game, so have exceptional ideas that could just work and make the NHL game much better than what we are currently watching.

Some leagues quite often “get it right” when they address the state of the game for it to survive, given the expense of the Families that they are forced to shell out just to play the game.

Concern arises in the NHL as to how to improve it for the fan’s and each year the NHL GM’s meet in various locations to discuss this exact topic.

This year they are holding the meeting’s in Florida with numerous topics on the table for them to discuss, one of which is three on three overtime.

Apparently it was rejected, but they did come up with some novel ideas for centres that cheat during any face-off regardless of the location on the ice.

Face-offs might look much different from what we are seeing today, with all the jockeying we are seeing between the two, then having the linesman separate them, only to have them move back, with no real consequence to it.

With the approval of all the GMs in the league, any centre who violate the rules will be forced to move 12-to-18 inches back, rather than being ejected from the face-off and kicked out of the circle.

Should a second violation of this infraction occur it would (depending on the ref) would incur a two-minute minor penalty for possibly delay of game.

Another recommendation on face-offs involves players on the outside of the circle being separated by roughly one metre instead of right next to each other.

The idea was originally proposed by Doug Armstrong of the St. Louis Blues, and it quickly gained support from other league GM’s.

Armstrong also stated regarding this rule “is the increased separation of players before face-offs allows the quicker player to get to the puck and generate scoring chances.”

As for the recommendation to move players back on faceoff violations, that’s presumably intended to stop teams from sending wingers into face-offs to intentionally get kicked out, which typically occurs after icing calls when a team is tired and wants as long a delay as possible to rest.

Once again the onus is placed on the officials rather than have the league take ownership the manner in which other leagues do.

Other rules discussed by the league is three on three overtime, which I think will die on the table, not gathering support from anyone.

Yet another is the topic of the puck being kicked or directed off the skate which directly enters the net, allowing time for yet another unnecessary delay in getting the game re-started.

So how can this get fixed and what idea would you have if you would implement a “new rule” for the game?

One such rule that comes to mind is changing the icing rule to be in place if the puck is shot down the ice from inside the blue line, thus moving it back from the red center line.

This would add more playing time for the players and probably be more entertaining for the paying fans.

So icing would still be in effect, but only if the puck is shot down the ice from inside the blue-line, given the face we have eliminated the centre line off-side pass.

Yet another rule I would implement is that of a coaches challenge or review on only a specific number of rules, such as a goal being scored on an off-side to name only one.

Do you have other ideas for possible rule changes not only to the game in the NHL, but also at the minor level?

If you do, send them over to me and see what happens and remember – think outside the box for the betterment of the game!!