Posted on 09/30/2005 6:30:32 AM PDT by airborne
Purely clinical predictions from a Stars fan.
Best teams in order
1)Calgary
2)Philly
3)San Jose
4)Ottawa
5)Boston
6)Nashville
7)Pittsburgh
8)Vancouver
9)Tampa Bay
10)Dallas
It is pretty nice not to wade through igit statements.
I'm liking that #3 Sharks prediction, but I dunno about the Flames being #1. I think Ottawa is probably the best team overall with the new rules.
The Flyers are set-up for the old NHL IMO--clutch and grab d-men. Their offensive players might be able to get them out of some jams but come playoff time, I think they might lose out.
Ovechkin getting 3 goals and an assist against the Pens tonight suggests to me that the young talent are going to have a bigger impact than people think.
If you are talking about Peter Forsberg, I think he is with the Flyers.
Yea, he is. Blew my whole freaking day to find that out I am telling ya. I LOVED watching Joe Sakic and Pete play together. What a team those two made, that and Roy, damn 2001 was the BOMB season for me! Ah... the glory days.... lol :) I have the SC commerative mugs (NEVER used!) and a couple of hockey pucks. I hated to see roy retire, but he was slipping there toward the end, no pun intended!
Hey! Beer me eh!
From what I've seen in exhibition, the new rules are hurting more than helping. It's not unusual to see 15 penalties called in the first period, so that the game has become nothing but power plays.
Naturally, some of this is the result of the learning curve and the sub-quality play of some of the minor leaguers trying to make the team. The argument is that such things will sort themselves out, but I have grave doubts. Some of these rules are so vague in their interpretation and application that it's going to be painful to watch for quite some time.
What's incredible about this is that most of the "rookies" trying to make teams now played with these rules in the AHL and Canadian junior leagues last seasonand they can't get them right, either.
Again, Gary Bettmann is destroying anything he touches.
While we now have more open ice and the chance to see more speed and skill, it's a game in which the European style of play will prevail, which means less phyical play. With obstruction being called in every conceivable form, the players are afraid to hit each other. With the importance now being attached to "position" players are not taking the opportunity to line an opponent up for a big, legal hit.
Once again the goaltenders got picked on with the new restrictions on handling the puck and the increased size of the offensive zone.
The automatic icing rule took away one of the more exciting plays in the game. It was exciting to watch players race to touch the puck first,ocassionally throwing shoulders into each other.
The shootout is lame.
Defensemen are not allowed to push a player away from in front of the net nor tie up their sticks. They are now expected to stand in front and simply get hit with pucks while gaining position on an oppoenent. No more battles in front of the net.
Yes, Bettmann strikes again: first he ruined the game with expansion, then he ruined it with free agency, petty rules changes (instigator rule, goalie equipment nonsense, moving the nets out from the boards, etc) and finally with a strike.
Unfortunately, I'm a hockey freak and will still watch on the remote chance that someone will figure out how to bring old-time hockey back into a Europeanized game. It's going in this direction probably because Europeans work cheaper in the NHL (except Jaromir Jagr, of course).
Sidney Crosby will not rescue it. Mario Lemieux scoring 100 goals this season will not rescue it. Shootouts will not rescue it. Giving teams only capable of scoring 2 goals a night the artificial chance to score 4 will not help at all.
PS- John Davidson has become nothing but the biggest cheerleader for what has become a watered-down product. He should be ashamed of himself.
Considering the fact that the shootout is done on an ice surface, it would have to be cool!
Well, if any wise guys show up, just ignore them!
I watched this progam on NBC today. It was pretty good. If they do this on a regular basis, in addition to showing games, it will help draw in new fans, IMHO.
I share your frustration with Bettmann.
And, in earnest, I haven't been getting a chance to watch much pre-season. Your assessment seems dire, though I'm sure accurate.
I don't like the European style of playing, but I didn't realize the changes was causing a lack of hitting. Truly, one of the things that I agreed with the players on was that they are out there (more than any other sport, perhaps) putting their bodies on the line on every shift. And, hockey players play hurt (very hurt), often. Maybe without the hitting, their careers will last longer? For me, I like the physical part of the game and am sad to hear that the rule changes are affecting that.
Oh well, like you, I'll be watching.
The lack of hitting is based on the fact that the dimensions of the three zones on the ice have changed --- there is now more skating room --- the good skaters will avoid hits.
No more red line means the dimensions of the neutral zone just doubled. More ice means fewer hitting angles. And now since the two line pass is allowed, you cannot take yourself out of a play by throwing a hit that misses. There is more or less the same hitting activity along the boards.
Moving the blue lines back 4 feet means the point man will remain mostly unmolested by checkers while launching shot after shot (most of which, btw, are missing the net, probably because of the extra distance).
Goalies are now restricted to handling the puck only in marked areas. There is a trapezoid that runs from the backboards to the crease, and a goalie can only handle the puck in this area, although they can handle a puck anywhere in front of the goaline. The better passing goalies (like Brodeur, for ex.) will have a field day --- they can now launch two line passes from the crease or the circles, catching teams in line changes. Touch a puck in the corner (outside the trapezoid) though and get a delay of game penalty.
The pace of the game has quickened remarkably. With touch-up offsides (i.e. up can go back outside the blue line if you have not touched the puck or are far enough away from the puck carrier) and fewer icings, the typical 3 hour game is now running about 2 hours or so.
the new rules also penalize a team for icing a puck to take the heat off in your zone. If you do this, you are not allowed to change lines before the subsequent faceoff.
One other pet peeve regarding the shootout:
They stop and re-zamboni a strip down the middle of the ice prior to shootout beginning. They are supposed to get this done in two minutes, and so far, the rink crews have been pretty good about it, but it is a waste of time and effort. Better to let the guys shoot on a roughed up rink, which would be more challenging, IMO.
When your teams wins a game on a shootout, you get two points and a single goal added to your "goals for" stat, regardless of how many goals were actually scored. There is no "goal against" added if the other team loses a shootout, regardless of how many they scored. Each team receives three shooters and they continue to shoot (and cycle through) those players until someone wins.
My peeve about it is this: the player that actually scores a goal in a shootout does not have that goal added to his personal stats. Considering the advantage is with the goaltender, this seems a little unfair.
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