A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews.

 
New NHL Rules

We're now a month into the 2005-06 NHL season. My impression so far is that the new rules are definitely an improvement. Scoring is up significantly, but not so much that the game is a farce. The awful neutral-zone trap introduced to the NHL by the Devils in the mid-90's is essentially a thing of the past, and the game has a much better flow, with much more skating, giving skill players with speed a chance to demonstrate their talents.

One thing I don't like at all, however, is the shootout. I understand the desire to have a winner and a loser. My plan would have been to have ten minutes of four-on-four play in overtime instead of five minutes, with losing teams getting no points. Now, a tie at the end of regulation earns teams a point, so that teams play conservatively in games that are tied late in the 3rd period.

Especially under the new rules, ten minutes of four-on-four overtime would significantly reduce the number of ties. Some games would remain tied, but that's preferable to the shootout, which I see as a bogus gimmick for the benefit of people who basically don't like hockey.
posted on 11/07/2005