So once again those amongst college hockey's deciders find themselves in a position where there isn't anything really broken and so naturally they've got to try to do something about it.
"3/4" Shields Instead of Full ...
There is no empirical justification for this move. Sure, all the coaches are advocating it ... mostly because if you ask a player they'd rather play wearing the so-called "3/4" shield (a misnomer i.e... marketing ploy to make it seem like half the face isn't exposed) they say yes. Players want to wear them because when they wore full face shields their whole playing lives and now they think they are big responsible adults who should make some safety choices for themselves. Well they are wrong.
The rules deciders are clearly going to present whatever data they can manipulate in an attempt to "prove" that removing this protection will lessen concussions. Yeah ok ... whatever they come up with is BS. You want to wear half-shields then wear them ... don't pretend they are something they aren't. Making this rule change won't affect the game. If you want to do it then suck up the dental bills and make sure someone with good suturing skills is on hand at every game and wait for the probable mega-lawsuit to come from some kid that gets his face seriously mangled. And you **** well better allow any player who wants to wear the full cage to continue to do so.
Overtime and Shootouts ...
Nothing wrong with a tie. If you think otherwise then you have a serious cognitive dysfunction which should be evaluated by the best neuroscience available. They have this thing called FMRI now which can pinpoint the area of your stupidity and of course robot-doctors that can excise whatever foreign mass is creating your problem.
Here's my deal with the college hockey world (queue the "let there be shootouts" comments)... if the NCAA "mandates" shootouts for regular season games, I'm done with following the last sport that I regularly follow. I love the game but it's enough reason for me to quit watching it. I simply cannot be associated with something that effing stupid.
Neutral Zone Faceoffs ...
No more face-offs at the off-sides dots? Ridiculous. Pointless. Another one of the endless attempted tweaks to fix something that isn't broken. Let's just reinvent the whole game shall we? I think on power plays that a 3ft barrier should automatically rise out of the ice whenever the fifth player on the team with the extra man enters the zone. This is as effing stupid as the effing stupid trapezoid they put behind the nets in the NHL.
Replay on critical plays ...
Enough already. Both teams have the same idiot referee or the same infallible referee. Referee's have been integral parts of sporting contests since humans started having contests. This rule will create long delays ... ever see Don Adam trying to run the replay machine??? The NCAA isn't the NHL and trying to do this with the mish-mash of available technology across 59 different arenas is just stupid. Drop it. Give the ref's an extra 50 bucks a game if they don't eff up. End of problem.
Automatic Suspensions in the last 5 minutes ...
EFF this. Call the game the same way from the opening faceoff until the horn sounds at the end of the game. A penalty committed at 3:09 of the 2nd period is no different from one committed at 18:35 of the 3rd. This is the same stupid argument as idiot fans make when a player is hurt. They think that because their precious glory-boy got hurt when someone brutally smashed them from behind deserves more penalty. A brutal smash from behind is a brutal smash from behind and the injury doesn't come into it. When a penalty is committed is irrelevant. If the referee determines their is context (i.e... team A is behind by 7 goals and has been amping up the goonery) then he already has the authority to respond as needed.
Penalties for Delaying tactics ...
Again, the referees can already do this. If you want to codify it then so be it. I got no real issues with it. Perhaps giving the refs an extra $50 for not effing up a game would be better though.
Blocking Shots by leaving the feet to become a penalty ...
Stop with this deranged nonsense. The fake problem is ... "We need more scoring!!!!!" -- then let's solve this fake problem with a ludicrous solution ... um let's disallow forwards from entering their defensive zone. Wait wut?
Increasing space between players on faceoffs ...
Years ago the NCAA had no throw-ins in it's soccer games. They used kick-ins every time the ball went over the sideline. This rule change is just about as stupid. Leave it alone. What is the deal here? Referees can't control the restarts? Send to problem players off the ice for two minutes. End of problem. Again, pay the refs an extra fiddy bucks for not screwing up the game as an incentive and you'll solve half of these fake "problems".
Standardizing the nets ...
Yes. Standardize everything. Use the IIHF standards. Oh wait, can't adhere to international standards in America!!!! Eff the metric system!!! We got inches and feet and yards and miles and tablespoons and cups and pints and quarts and gallons why would we want anything that is easily divisible in tens!!!! We're America!!1!!!1!!
Of course the rule change makes sense, why and how some venues were allowed to use NHL nets while everyone else was using the same thing boggles the mind. This is pretty much the only rule change that I can fully support. Seriously though, pull your head out America and join the world in measuring stuff.
"3/4" Shields Instead of Full ...
There is no empirical justification for this move. Sure, all the coaches are advocating it ... mostly because if you ask a player they'd rather play wearing the so-called "3/4" shield (a misnomer i.e... marketing ploy to make it seem like half the face isn't exposed) they say yes. Players want to wear them because when they wore full face shields their whole playing lives and now they think they are big responsible adults who should make some safety choices for themselves. Well they are wrong.
The rules deciders are clearly going to present whatever data they can manipulate in an attempt to "prove" that removing this protection will lessen concussions. Yeah ok ... whatever they come up with is BS. You want to wear half-shields then wear them ... don't pretend they are something they aren't. Making this rule change won't affect the game. If you want to do it then suck up the dental bills and make sure someone with good suturing skills is on hand at every game and wait for the probable mega-lawsuit to come from some kid that gets his face seriously mangled. And you **** well better allow any player who wants to wear the full cage to continue to do so.
Overtime and Shootouts ...
Nothing wrong with a tie. If you think otherwise then you have a serious cognitive dysfunction which should be evaluated by the best neuroscience available. They have this thing called FMRI now which can pinpoint the area of your stupidity and of course robot-doctors that can excise whatever foreign mass is creating your problem.
Here's my deal with the college hockey world (queue the "let there be shootouts" comments)... if the NCAA "mandates" shootouts for regular season games, I'm done with following the last sport that I regularly follow. I love the game but it's enough reason for me to quit watching it. I simply cannot be associated with something that effing stupid.
Neutral Zone Faceoffs ...
No more face-offs at the off-sides dots? Ridiculous. Pointless. Another one of the endless attempted tweaks to fix something that isn't broken. Let's just reinvent the whole game shall we? I think on power plays that a 3ft barrier should automatically rise out of the ice whenever the fifth player on the team with the extra man enters the zone. This is as effing stupid as the effing stupid trapezoid they put behind the nets in the NHL.
Replay on critical plays ...
Enough already. Both teams have the same idiot referee or the same infallible referee. Referee's have been integral parts of sporting contests since humans started having contests. This rule will create long delays ... ever see Don Adam trying to run the replay machine??? The NCAA isn't the NHL and trying to do this with the mish-mash of available technology across 59 different arenas is just stupid. Drop it. Give the ref's an extra 50 bucks a game if they don't eff up. End of problem.
Automatic Suspensions in the last 5 minutes ...
EFF this. Call the game the same way from the opening faceoff until the horn sounds at the end of the game. A penalty committed at 3:09 of the 2nd period is no different from one committed at 18:35 of the 3rd. This is the same stupid argument as idiot fans make when a player is hurt. They think that because their precious glory-boy got hurt when someone brutally smashed them from behind deserves more penalty. A brutal smash from behind is a brutal smash from behind and the injury doesn't come into it. When a penalty is committed is irrelevant. If the referee determines their is context (i.e... team A is behind by 7 goals and has been amping up the goonery) then he already has the authority to respond as needed.
Penalties for Delaying tactics ...
Again, the referees can already do this. If you want to codify it then so be it. I got no real issues with it. Perhaps giving the refs an extra $50 for not effing up a game would be better though.
Blocking Shots by leaving the feet to become a penalty ...
Stop with this deranged nonsense. The fake problem is ... "We need more scoring!!!!!" -- then let's solve this fake problem with a ludicrous solution ... um let's disallow forwards from entering their defensive zone. Wait wut?
Increasing space between players on faceoffs ...
Years ago the NCAA had no throw-ins in it's soccer games. They used kick-ins every time the ball went over the sideline. This rule change is just about as stupid. Leave it alone. What is the deal here? Referees can't control the restarts? Send to problem players off the ice for two minutes. End of problem. Again, pay the refs an extra fiddy bucks for not screwing up the game as an incentive and you'll solve half of these fake "problems".
Standardizing the nets ...
Yes. Standardize everything. Use the IIHF standards. Oh wait, can't adhere to international standards in America!!!! Eff the metric system!!! We got inches and feet and yards and miles and tablespoons and cups and pints and quarts and gallons why would we want anything that is easily divisible in tens!!!! We're America!!1!!!1!!
Of course the rule change makes sense, why and how some venues were allowed to use NHL nets while everyone else was using the same thing boggles the mind. This is pretty much the only rule change that I can fully support. Seriously though, pull your head out America and join the world in measuring stuff.
Comment