All-purpose hockey thread...

[hockeybeat]

So, the NHL has been back for a month, and I wanted to get SportsJournalists.com's take on the best sport on earth.

How do you like the rules changes? Do you like the flow of the game now? Or do you miss goonery and center-ice molestation?

I have really enjoyed the rules changes, simply because it allows the players to skate and be creative. There aren't any Eric Godards, Eric Cairns, Dale Purintons, Krystof Oliwas pinning down good players at center ice for 40 minutes.

 

[sportsed]

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

Love the new game, but the NHL itself (meaning the office) is a bit of a fraud. In their "we're so great, look at how much scoring's up" stories they're counting shootout goals in the overall total.

Mother****er, if shootouts decided games in 2003-04 then the increase wouldn't be as substantial, would it?

 

[Game of Shadoes Stevens]

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

Love the new game, but the NHL itself (meaning the office) is a bit of a fraud. In their "we're so great, look at how much scoring's up" stories they're counting shootout goals in the overall total.

Mother****er, if shootouts decided games in 2003-04 then the increase wouldn't be as substantial, would it?

I think a shootout win counts as one team goal.

 

[hockeybeat]

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

Love the new game, but the NHL itself (meaning the office) is a bit of a fraud. In their "we're so great, look at how much scoring's up" stories they're counting shootout goals in the overall total.

Mother****er, if shootouts decided games in 2003-04 then the increase wouldn't be as substantial, would it?

The NHL offices are more than a bit fraudulent.
That said, I think we would be seeing a dramatic increase in goals, simply because of the restrictions on goalie pads and the enforcement of the rules. Two years ago, Jaromir Jagr doesn't score 11 goals in a month. Now, he's on pace for a 70 goal season.

 

[Game of Shadoes Stevens]

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

Love the new game, but the NHL itself (meaning the office) is a bit of a fraud. In their "we're so great, look at how much scoring's up" stories they're counting shootout goals in the overall total.

Mother****er, if shootouts decided games in 2003-04 then the increase wouldn't be as substantial, would it?

The NHL offices are more than a bit fraudulent.
That said, I think we would be seeing a dramatic increase in goals, simply because of the restrictions on goalie pads and the enforcement of the rules. Two years ago, Jaromir Jagr doesn't score 11 goals in a month. Now, he's on pace for a 70 goal season.

Numbers are definitely getting back to normal. There should be plenty of 50-goal and 100-point players. None of this bull**** where 25 goals and 65 points leads a team.

 

[hockeybeat]

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

Love the new game, but the NHL itself (meaning the office) is a bit of a fraud. In their "we're so great, look at how much scoring's up" stories they're counting shootout goals in the overall total.

Mother****er, if shootouts decided games in 2003-04 then the increase wouldn't be as substantial, would it?

The NHL offices are more than a bit fraudulent.
That said, I think we would be seeing a dramatic increase in goals, simply because of the restrictions on goalie pads and the enforcement of the rules. Two years ago, Jaromir Jagr doesn't score 11 goals in a month. Now, he's on pace for a 70 goal season.

Numbers are definitely getting back to normal. There should be plenty of 50-goal and 100-point players. None of this bull**** where 25 goals and 65 points leads a team.

And that's a good thing. People pay to see Rick Nash, Iginla, Jagr, Forsberg, Ovechkin, Crosby, Lemieux, et al score goals. No one wants to see Eric Godard and Eric Cairns getting 20 minutes of ice time.

 

[Dude]

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

I was at the 7-5 Atlanta-Pittsburgh last week. Was perhaps the most exciting game I've ever been too.

Pens were down 4-0 10 minutes into it and hadn't registered a shot. They got two garbage goals late in the first to get back into it. In second period, they scored four more.

Both teams exchanged goals in the third.

Watching Sidney Crosby chase Illya Kovalchuk up and down the ice was amazing to see in person.

The new NHL isn't perfect, but it's pretty damn good.

That said, the NHL still has some issues up top. For instance, the Penguins and Sabres were exclusively broadcast on OLN the same night as the Steelers-Chargers MNF game. Why would the NHL or OLN schedule a game where one of the markets would almost exclusively have its attention on an NFL game?

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

Where's the "I like what I've seen so far but I'm not sure if I love it yet" option on that poll?

 

[sportsed]

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

Love the new game, but the NHL itself (meaning the office) is a bit of a fraud. In their "we're so great, look at how much scoring's up" stories they're counting shootout goals in the overall total.

Mother****er, if shootouts decided games in 2003-04 then the increase wouldn't be as substantial, would it?

I think a shootout win counts as one team goal.

I'm not counting it. That's bull****. Anyways, I think they gave the Blue Jackets two goals over their "real" goal total because in their only shootout Hartigan tied it then Letowski won it. That's not even the "one team goal" mandate that you're talking about. Only real goals for me.

There have been three games with a team scoring 8 goals in October. No reason to count the shootout goals.

 

[Game of Shadoes Stevens]

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

I was at the 7-5 Atlanta-Pittsburgh last week. Was perhaps the most exciting game I've ever been too.

Pens were down 4-0 10 minutes into it and hadn't registered a shot. They got two garbage goals late in the first to get back into it. In second period, they scored four more.

Both teams exchanged goals in the third.

Watching Sidney Crosby chase Illya Kovalchuk up and down the ice was amazing to see in person.

The new NHL isn't perfect, but it's pretty damn good.

That said, the NHL still has some issues up top. For instance, the Penguins and Sabres were exclusively broadcast on OLN the same night as the Steelers-Chargers MNF game. Why would the NHL or OLN schedule a game where one of the markets would almost exclusively have its attention on an NFL game?

The comeback was almost extinct for like the past seven or eight years. Now it's back. Teams would sit on a one-goal lead with a period left. Pathetic.

 

[Beef03]

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

Hands down the game is much better today than itr was the last 8 or 9 years. much more flow many more scoring chances. I think the most underrated rule change is the rule that prevents a defensive line change on an icing. Totally discourages icing the puck, probably cut down 60-70 per cent of the icings.
BTW they only count one goal for a shoot out win. That being said I'm not sold on the shoot out. I think they're kind of anti-climatic. Either go to a five man shootout format or drop it and go to a 3-on-3 OT.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

I'm not counting it. That's bull****. Anyways, I think they gave the Blue Jackets two goals over their "real" goal total because in their only shootout Hartigan tied it then Letowski won it. That's not even the "one team goal" mandate that you're talking about. Only real goals for me.

There have been three games with a team scoring 8 goals in October. No reason to count the shootout goals.

The shootout goals haven't been counted in each individual players goal stats, so I doubt they've been counted in team goals.

 

[auggie_ben_doggie]

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

Shootouts suck. Nothing like taking out passing, defensemen and unpredictability from the game's most important moments.

As for the rest of the "new" NHL, you gotta love the flow of 5-on-5 hockey (when there is 5-on-5 hockey), but there just isn't enough physical play right now. Maybe that changes in the postseason.

 

[Double J]

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

I'm not counting it. That's bull****. Anyways, I think they gave the Blue Jackets two goals over their "real" goal total because in their only shootout Hartigan tied it then Letowski won it. That's not even the "one team goal" mandate that you're talking about. Only real goals for me.

There have been three games with a team scoring 8 goals in October. No reason to count the shootout goals.

The shootout goals haven't been counted in each individual players goal stats, so I doubt they've been counted in team goals.

They're also not counted against the goalie.

 

[Song Seven]

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

shootout victories are lame as ****. i don't care what anyone says: it's equivalent to kicking field goals to determine a football game, home runs for a baseball game, and free throws for a basketball game. end of story.

that being said, shootouts were inevitable because of the fringe american demographic the league is trying to attract. if i'm correct, the new nhl standings are wins -- losses -- shootout losses. although i'm happy for the preds being 8-1-1, in reality, they are 5-1-4 (old standings style) if you don't include OT W/L. we'll see how well that fares for them in the postseason.

 

[MertWindu]

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

shootout victories are lame as ****. i don't care what anyone says: it's equivalent to kicking field goals to determine a football game, home runs for a baseball game, and free throws for a basketball game. end of story.

that being said, shootouts were inevitable because of the fringe american demographic the league is trying to attract. if i'm correct, the new nhl standings are wins -- losses -- shootout losses. although i'm happy for the preds being 8-1-1, in reality, they are 5-1-4 (old standings style) if you don't include OT W/L. we'll see how well that fares for them in the postseason.

I feel mostly the same way about Shootouts, S7, but I was talking to my boss tonight after work about the game, and he brought up a very good point. It's not the idea of winning a shootout that makes shootouts good for the game, it's what happens in overtime. Coaches seem to get very very wary of letting the game go to the shootout, mostly for the reasons you mentioned, so they seem to take a lot more risks, and be willing to take an OT loss over letting it go to a shootout. I think that's a very good thing for the game, even if it means the circus has to end a few games every week.

 

[auggie_ben_doggie]

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

I feel mostly the same way about Shootouts, S7, but I was talking to my boss tonight after work about the game, and he brought up a very good point. It's not the idea of winning a shootout that makes shootouts good for the game, it's what happens in overtime. Coaches seem to get very very wary of letting the game go to the shootout, mostly for the reasons you mentioned, so they seem to take a lot more risks, and be willing to take an OT loss over letting it go to a shootout. I think that's a very good thing for the game, even if it means the circus has to end a few games every week.

I'm on the fence with this theory.

Either shootouts are scaring the bejeeburs out of teams, who are then playing extra hard in the 4-on-4 to win the game and avoid the S.O.

Or...the new rules have opened up the 4-on-4 to the point where the majority of games are being decided there instead of in a S.O.

 

[DocTalk]

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

The fans are votiing thumbs up with their wallets. Attendance for the first month is over 90% capacity. The challenge for the league is, and always has been, transferring the in-person excitement and speed to television and broadening the audience.

 

[Freelance Hack]

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL

We'll see about TV when NBC starts broadcasting games.

Also, on the attendance increase, I'm curious if that's paid attendance. Are teams giving out free/discounted tickets?

 

[goalmouth]

Re: New NHL vs. the old NHL


Can't say I'm crazy about watching so many 5-on-3s, I mean, where's the excitement in that? I know this won't play well here, but we're also seeing more goalies injured from being run by forwards who don't have to worry about being crushed in the slot. Also more goalies with knee injuries since the league banned thigh boards, which I'm sure has helped pushed goals through the roof...</sarcasm>