Let em' Go
The NHL is currently battling the whole fighting issue. However, they seem to be headed in the wrong direction. Any avid hockey fan should know well that fighters have long been part of the game, and should not be left jobless. What the easy, and quick, solution? To completely remove the instigator rule which has plagued both fighters and star players alike. How does this affect the stars you might ask? Simply in the fact that star players will be better protected. Imagine if you will, Matt Cooke laying out a big hit (maybe a little elbow), on Alex Kovalev. With the current rules as they are, George Laraque must sit idle and watch, because everyone knows that Matt Cooke would never willingly drop the mitts with someone twice his size. However, with the eradication of the instigator rule, would send George Laraque out there with one mission: to beat some sense into Matt Cooke. Would Matt Cooke nail Kovalev again? If he values his NHL career, probably not. Instead of removing fighters from the game, the NHL should be more concerned with removing the cheap shot artists and head hunters. (thus the reduction on head shots as well)
Overtime Crunch
Currently in the NHL when two teams go into overtime, both teams are automatically given a point. WRONG! Don't give them a point for being tied! Let them battle it out a little more for those two points! My proposition? If a team wins in the 5 minute overtime period, they get two points, and the loser team? NOTHING! The only way the loser gets the "loser" point, is if they survive it to the shootout (the shootout is all a show anyways).
Sticks Down!
Ball Hockey Edmonton has something going with their idea of 4 minute penalties for high stick infractions. Not only does it give longer powerplay's (more goals),
but it also decreases the amount of high stick related injuries. If a high stick draws blood, it should be 4 and 2. Yes a 6 minute powerplay, no one wants to be down a man for 6 whole minutes. This will heavily reduce the amount of stick related injuries. Players will be much more responsible with their sticks, and the NHL ice surface will be a safer place.And the Winner Is......
The draft lottery is a joke, its not a lottery at all. There are only 5 teams involved, and only the 2 worst teams have a chance of drafting 1st overall. Any of the other teams can only move up one spot in the draft. Lame. When Sidney Crosby was drafted, it
was by the Pittsburgh Penguins, and how were they able to draft him after a season without hockey? With an all out lottery. The lottery formula was as follows - each team started with three balls in the lottery drum. For every playoff appearance in the last three years or No. 1 overall pick (a previous draft lottery win) over the last four years, a team lost one ball. But each team was guaranteed to have at least one ball in the lottery. So you cant do the same exact thing, but why not give the bottom 5 teams 5 balls each, the next five teams get 4 balls, the next ten get 3 balls each, the next 5 get 2, and the top five teams that year get 1 ball each. Detroit goes all the way and wins the cup....and yet still has a chance at John Tavares! The league becomes much more competitive, with no teams completely bombing (NYI).Take the Hit
As Brian Burke has been so adamant on, teams need to be allowed to hold on to part of players contracts in trades. For example, if the Oilers were to trade Dustin Penner to Atlanta they would be able to hold onto $2 million of it themselves, and the Thrashers would only have to pay Dustin the other $2 million. Surely there would be some parameters for this, but the idea itself is golden. The contract being held back would still go towards a teams cap, but would help them alleviate themselves of players with large contracts and make it easier for other teams to take them on.
Keep Getting Smaller
Goalies have had their pad sizes reduced already, but why stop? Keep reducing their size. You don't have to get back to the Billy Smith days or anything such as that, but smaller pads mean more goals, and the goalies are more skill full. It takes a lot more skill to be a goaltender when your pads are small then when you look like a blimp (J-S Giguere circa 02-03). Currently these are the restrictions: (as per the NHL rulebook)
11.2 Leg Guards – The leg guards worn by goalkeepers shall not exceed eleven inches (11'') in extreme width when on the leg of the player. The maximum length from bottom mid-point to top mid-point of the pad is not to exceed thirty-eight inches (38''). The minimum length of the boot of the pad is to be no less than seven inches (7''). The boot channel of the goal pad must be flat or concave in appearance. No attachments such as plastic puck foils are permitted.
So maybe cut down the pads a few inches? This should all be based on the size of the goaltender as well. for example; a goalie who is 6'2" should get to wear bigger pads, and a 5'8" goalie can wear slightly smaller pads. The NHL is even currently looking into "form fitting" pads. The future of goaltending in the NHL could get very interesting. Watch out J-S Giguere....
-Sporer
-P.S.
So I was thinking the other day how much I love Robyn Geisler. Come this July I will marry her in Cancun Mexico with our family and friends. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me she makes me a better person. I try to remember what life was like before her but I can't. It was empty and I was not nearly this happy. I love her with all my heart.
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