Rule Changes: Who got screwed and wants a fix?

[Ralph Baer]

Re: Rule Changes: Who got screwed and wants a fix?

That's exactly what the NHL does and I think there's a better way. Call me bias but I actually like what the B1G does in hockey. 3 points to a winner in regulation, 3 points to a winner in OT, OT ends in a tie then each team gets a point and the winner of the shootout gets the 3rd and final point. OK, I'm not totally thrilled with SO's but the casual fan wants closure so we have to. The SO's of course are not counted in NCAA standings, they only matter for league standings.

IMO every game should be worth the same amount of total points, be it 2, 3, or more. The way the NHL does it, most games are worth two points in total, but some are worth three.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Rule Changes: Who got screwed and wants a fix?

There should not be special consideration because you survived to a point where the rules are changing, and your standing should not be dependent on a completely different game or even a skills contest.

[WeAreNDHockey]

Re: Rule Changes: Who got screwed and wants a fix?

IMO every game should be worth the same amount of total points, be it 2, 3, or more. The way the NHL does it, most games are worth two points in total, but some are worth three.

I can trace the minute I began to lose interest in the NHL to the exact time they adopted the loser point. It makes the standings and the game artificial. Hockey should be like baseball and basketball, just figure the standings on wins and losses. If deciding a winner is so important and the fans love the shootout so much, just give the winner the points and the loser goes home with nothing. If anyone thinks the team that loses in a shootout still needs something to show for their efforts, then they have to admit the shootout is an abomination. What's next? If you manage to outshoot a team in all three periods and you only lose the game by one goal in regulation you get half a point? I mean you almost won and you did do some things better. The real reason for the loser point is it artificially keeps more teams within skating distance of the last playoff spot, because the entire regular season is just a 5 month narrative on the coming playoffs. 82 games are just to seed the Stanley Cup playoffs. Of course the NHL then screws that up, and has the two best teams meet in a second round playoff series. College hockey would do well to copy very little of what the NHL does.

[joecct]

I can trace the minute I began to lose interest in the NHL to the exact time they adopted the loser point. It makes the standings and the game artificial. Hockey should be like baseball and basketball, just figure the standings on wins and losses. If deciding a winner is so important and the fans love the shootout so much, just give the winner the points and the loser goes home with nothing. If anyone thinks the team that loses in a shootout still needs something to show for their efforts, then they have to admit the shootout is an abomination. What's next? If you manage to outshoot a team in all three periods and you only lose the game by one goal in regulation you get half a point? I mean you almost won and you did do some things better. The real reason for the loser point is it artificially keeps more teams within skating distance of the last playoff spot, because the entire regular season is just a 5 month narrative on the coming playoffs. 82 games are just to seed the Stanley Cup playoffs. Of course the NHL then screws that up, and has the two best teams meet in a second round playoff series. College hockey would do well to copy very little of what the NHL does.

You forgot period points

[Split-N]

Re: Rule Changes: Who got screwed and wants a fix?

...the shootout is an abomination...College hockey would do well to copy very little of what the NHL does.

'nuf said

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Rule Changes: Who got screwed and wants a fix?

You forgot period points

Take out the goalies, that way we can give ESPN exactly what they want: more scoring.

[TheRevengeance]

Re: Rule Changes: Who got screwed and wants a fix?

The NHL disallowed calling timeout after an icing a few years back, may as well add that one in. No reason not to

[NCAA watcher]

Re: Rule Changes: Who got screwed and wants a fix?

4 on 4. Showcase skill rather than "heavy" game. It's easier for big players to go for dangerous hits (or even just tie ups) if they have support clogging the rest of the ice. Without the extra free safety even defenders will have to rely on skill.

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Rule Changes: Who got screwed and wants a fix?

The NHL disallowed calling timeout after an icing a few years back, may as well add that one in. No reason not to

I thought you could call timeout after the icing, but not change?

[FlagDUDE08]

Re: Rule Changes: Who got screwed and wants a fix?

4 on 4. Showcase skill rather than "heavy" game. It's easier for big players to go for dangerous hits (or even just tie ups) if they have support clogging the rest of the ice. Without the extra free safety even defenders will have to rely on skill.

The problem with doing that for regular play is that you completely change the game. Yes, an argument could be made that 4v4 happens in the course of regular play, but only when players do the wrong thing. One of the reasons why, when you're 5v4 and have matching minors, you stay at 5v4 instead of going 4v3. And then you have the oddities of subtracting players at a whistle for when a team has 5 (or even 4). Much better to just keep the game as is.

[joecct]

Re: Rule Changes: Who got screwed and wants a fix?

Does anyone know what the coaches voted for?

[Timothy A]

Re: Rule Changes: Who got screwed and wants a fix?

Those pregame, between periods and postgame spots are full as well. What you’re asking is for me to give up the revenue that, over the course of the season, pays for my plane ticket, hotels and meals for that trip to Fairbanks.

I get all that, I just like a game that has flow and minimal stoppages, like you would see at your local rink of even in a D1 women's game, though those are starting to be tainted by the media timeout as well.

Here's a mind blower....no backward pass allowed unless in your attacking zone.

[Timothy A]

Re: Rule Changes: Who got screwed and wants a fix?

I don't like the loser point. Points have to add up. A game is worth 2 points that ends in 60 minutes has less value if it ends before 65 minutes.

I prefer 3-2-1.

Loser points are stupid. I think it's an interesting idea to de-value a win in OT. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

[joecct]

Loser points are stupid. I think it's an interesting idea to de-value a win in OT. I'm not sure how I feel about that.

5x5 ot win. 3 points winner 0 points loser
anything else - 2 points winner, 1 point loser.
tie??? 1 and 1.

[NCAA watcher]

Re: Rule Changes: Who got screwed and wants a fix?

The problem with doing that for regular play is that you completely change the game. Yes, an argument could be made that 4v4 happens in the course of regular play, but only when players do the wrong thing. One of the reasons why, when you're 5v4 and have matching minors, you stay at 5v4 instead of going 4v3. And then you have the oddities of subtracting players at a whistle for when a team has 5 (or even 4). Much better to just keep the game as is.

Oh I understand that this is a dramatic change in the game, but one for the better of the fans and also the player health. The grinding game takes such a physical toll on the players, painkillers and other sort of systemic issues. From hits due to being cornered with less ice space, to blocking shots to clog lanes rather than free skating, the players pay a price.

But for the fans, the excitement of skating and puck skills is the largest benefit. Check the games from the 60s and 70s and you'll see more open ice because the players did not skate hard during the entire time (hence the three lines and two sets of D), and also because they were smaller physically and devoted less to back checking. Add in the goalie equipment size, and it was a totally different game. Changing 4x 4 to account for those 90s changes is just a reaction to the other changes that have occurred.