Thursday, October 06, 2005
The Icemen Cometh...Back...
Now, I want you all to be fully aware that my putting up a "post" doesn't excuse you kids from completing your assignment. Don't forget to go and write up the dialogue for the random (yet spooky) comic strip! There's one of them "prizes" on the line (plus pride and "bragging rights" and everyone knows that those are like...PRICELESS)! Whaddaya waitin' for!?
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So anyway, last night was the opening night of the 2005-2006 NHL season (the first NHL action since June of 2004 because of that whole "lockout" crap). With it's return, the NHL promised us "fans" a faster, more wide-open game, one which would harken back to the free-wheeling glory days of the late '70s and into the '80s...A "Scorer's Paradise," if you will, what with the effective elimination of the red line as it pertains to the two-line offside pass, the expansion of both attacking zones, the limitations placed on the goaltenders as far as where they can handle the puck and also the size of their equipment and, as if all of that weren't enough (and I'm not even going to go INTO the fact that friggin' SHOOTOUTS have been implemented to decide games tied after regulation and one overtime), the officials have been instructed to "crack down" on obstruction-type penalties both as part of, and away from, the play. Add to all of this the fact that, with the new salary cap, players from various teams have been spread around the NHL like so much low-cholesterol buttery spread (on toast), I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I tuned in last night to watch me some NHL hockey...
I was pretty excited about it all, though...You can be sure of that...Anyhow, I am going to share with you a few observations about this "new" NHL, not because you asked me to, but because it's what all the cool kids are doin'...Seriously, ask 'em! They'll tell you!..Anyway...
When I arrived at home last night, the Flyers/Rangers game was already in progress on the new television home for the NHL, the Outdoor Life Network. The acquisition of NHL Hockey was a bold move for OLN, one that should help to establish the network as (slightly more) legitimate and, potentially, open up opportunities for more established and recognizable (read: mainstream) sports programming for them. With that said, OLN still has a lot to learn when it comes to broadcasting hockey games, at least from a technical aspect. The OLN feed of the game in question was extremely hard to watch due to harsh contrast problems (note to OLN: the ice surface is reflective AND white...Get your shit together). The contrast was so bad at times that I felt as if I were watching some crappy, local feed as opposed to a semi-national network broadcast. I'm going to give OLN the benefit of the doubt on this little problem for the time being, though, assuming that they'll fix the problem before too long...Thank God that Altitude, the network which carries the Avalanche games, HAS their shit together...Mostly...
Anyway, on to the "changes..." Let's take them one by one, shall we?
Limitations on the size of Goaltenders' equipment and where and when they can handle the puck:
These were the rules which I was initially most concerned about, being a goaltender myself. Of course, since I'm not going to be breaking into the NHL anytime soon, the puck-handling rules don't exactly affect me in real life, but the equipment limitations WILL, considering that, eventually, I'll have to buy a new piece of equipment here and there and, regardless of MY level of play, the equipment available from retailers will all be tailored to these new NHL specifications...Overall, the new equipment size changes didn't seem too terribly drastic and didn't seem to have a real effect on scoring on their own. Additionally, the restrictions on where the goalies can play the puck wasn't as significant an issue as I assumed it would be due to the fact that, when a puck is fired into the zone, it usually wraps around the boards and gets to the "trapezoidal area" quick enough that there's not much change in how the puck is played. Additionally, if a goalie is a good enough skater, they can cut the puck off BEFORE it crosses the end line as it's "fair game" for the goalie to play the puck anywhere in the attacking zone IN FRONT of the end line. Again, not a significant difference.
----
Expansion of the attacking zones, implementation of "tag-up" during offsides and elimination of the red line:
I actually did notice a difference with regard to these changes last night, but I'm not altogether sure that the players are fully ready to take advantage of them, especially when it comes to the ability to make a long, homerun style pass which, until this season, would have been whistled as a two-line offside pass. To be honest, I just assumed that there would be players hanging out near the opposing blue line, waiting for that home-run pass (cherry-picking is what we call it) all night long. Ironically, that was not the case. Granted, I didn't watch all 15 NHL games last night, but in the action that I did see, it appeared that this was not an element of the game which was being taken full advantage of, probably due to the whole "old habits die hard" thing. I imagine that, as this season wears on, we'll see more and more with the cherry-picking as teams get comfortable with the fact that they can, in fact, utilize the long pass to their advantage without penalty of any kind. Additionally, the "tag-up" addition to offsides (if a player is offside, they merely need to return to the blue line and touch, or "tag," it to be considered onsides. Again, I assume that we'll see more advantage taken of this rule with more games played...Regarding the expansion of the attacking zones: I noticed the greatest difference regarding this change on the power play. The extra space between the blue line and the end line certainly allowed more margin of error for the players on the power play and, conversely, made things rough on the penalty killers trying to clear the zone. While this isn't necessarily the case 100% of the time, I can see that, if a team has a strong power play, this change will pay huge dividends. And it's penalties and power plays which bring me to the final new element I wish to share observations about...
----
"Crackdown" by the officials on all manner of penalties, obstruction-type especially:
I have to admit, I wasn't a huge fan of the "let them play" mentality which NHL officials seemed to slip into during the second half of most games before this season. Players could literally get away with just about anything, as long as it wasn't severely injurious, because the unwritten rule was not to decide the game with penalties and their resultant power plays. With that said, I realize that there apparently is no middle ground, as the officials are now calling just about every infraction in the book at the drop of a hat, negatively impacting the flow of the game and creating a significant amount of trouble for defensemen and goaltenders. There were penalties called in the games last night which would have barely drawn a sideways glance from the NHL official of the 2003-2004 season. In essence, players aren't allowed to contact an opposing player in any form or fashion away from the puck without drawing a penalty. Among other things, this new enforcement of the rules creates a significant amount of traffic in front of the net as defensemen are no longer allowed to "clear the crease" as they have done in seasons past. Frankly, this "change" will probably do more to increase scoring in the NHL this season, manufacturing "garbage goals" from the resultant traffic jam in from of the goaltenders.
----
Wrapping this crap up, I AM glad that the NHL has returned. I don't agree with all of the "changes" that are in effect for this season, but I don't have to, nor would it make a difference if I did. Regardless, I'll still be watching the NHL...
And you should be too...
-----
So anyway, last night was the opening night of the 2005-2006 NHL season (the first NHL action since June of 2004 because of that whole "lockout" crap). With it's return, the NHL promised us "fans" a faster, more wide-open game, one which would harken back to the free-wheeling glory days of the late '70s and into the '80s...A "Scorer's Paradise," if you will, what with the effective elimination of the red line as it pertains to the two-line offside pass, the expansion of both attacking zones, the limitations placed on the goaltenders as far as where they can handle the puck and also the size of their equipment and, as if all of that weren't enough (and I'm not even going to go INTO the fact that friggin' SHOOTOUTS have been implemented to decide games tied after regulation and one overtime), the officials have been instructed to "crack down" on obstruction-type penalties both as part of, and away from, the play. Add to all of this the fact that, with the new salary cap, players from various teams have been spread around the NHL like so much low-cholesterol buttery spread (on toast), I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I tuned in last night to watch me some NHL hockey...
I was pretty excited about it all, though...You can be sure of that...Anyhow, I am going to share with you a few observations about this "new" NHL, not because you asked me to, but because it's what all the cool kids are doin'...Seriously, ask 'em! They'll tell you!..Anyway...
When I arrived at home last night, the Flyers/Rangers game was already in progress on the new television home for the NHL, the Outdoor Life Network. The acquisition of NHL Hockey was a bold move for OLN, one that should help to establish the network as (slightly more) legitimate and, potentially, open up opportunities for more established and recognizable (read: mainstream) sports programming for them. With that said, OLN still has a lot to learn when it comes to broadcasting hockey games, at least from a technical aspect. The OLN feed of the game in question was extremely hard to watch due to harsh contrast problems (note to OLN: the ice surface is reflective AND white...Get your shit together). The contrast was so bad at times that I felt as if I were watching some crappy, local feed as opposed to a semi-national network broadcast. I'm going to give OLN the benefit of the doubt on this little problem for the time being, though, assuming that they'll fix the problem before too long...Thank God that Altitude, the network which carries the Avalanche games, HAS their shit together...Mostly...
Anyway, on to the "changes..." Let's take them one by one, shall we?
Limitations on the size of Goaltenders' equipment and where and when they can handle the puck:
These were the rules which I was initially most concerned about, being a goaltender myself. Of course, since I'm not going to be breaking into the NHL anytime soon, the puck-handling rules don't exactly affect me in real life, but the equipment limitations WILL, considering that, eventually, I'll have to buy a new piece of equipment here and there and, regardless of MY level of play, the equipment available from retailers will all be tailored to these new NHL specifications...Overall, the new equipment size changes didn't seem too terribly drastic and didn't seem to have a real effect on scoring on their own. Additionally, the restrictions on where the goalies can play the puck wasn't as significant an issue as I assumed it would be due to the fact that, when a puck is fired into the zone, it usually wraps around the boards and gets to the "trapezoidal area" quick enough that there's not much change in how the puck is played. Additionally, if a goalie is a good enough skater, they can cut the puck off BEFORE it crosses the end line as it's "fair game" for the goalie to play the puck anywhere in the attacking zone IN FRONT of the end line. Again, not a significant difference.
----
Expansion of the attacking zones, implementation of "tag-up" during offsides and elimination of the red line:
I actually did notice a difference with regard to these changes last night, but I'm not altogether sure that the players are fully ready to take advantage of them, especially when it comes to the ability to make a long, homerun style pass which, until this season, would have been whistled as a two-line offside pass. To be honest, I just assumed that there would be players hanging out near the opposing blue line, waiting for that home-run pass (cherry-picking is what we call it) all night long. Ironically, that was not the case. Granted, I didn't watch all 15 NHL games last night, but in the action that I did see, it appeared that this was not an element of the game which was being taken full advantage of, probably due to the whole "old habits die hard" thing. I imagine that, as this season wears on, we'll see more and more with the cherry-picking as teams get comfortable with the fact that they can, in fact, utilize the long pass to their advantage without penalty of any kind. Additionally, the "tag-up" addition to offsides (if a player is offside, they merely need to return to the blue line and touch, or "tag," it to be considered onsides. Again, I assume that we'll see more advantage taken of this rule with more games played...Regarding the expansion of the attacking zones: I noticed the greatest difference regarding this change on the power play. The extra space between the blue line and the end line certainly allowed more margin of error for the players on the power play and, conversely, made things rough on the penalty killers trying to clear the zone. While this isn't necessarily the case 100% of the time, I can see that, if a team has a strong power play, this change will pay huge dividends. And it's penalties and power plays which bring me to the final new element I wish to share observations about...
----
"Crackdown" by the officials on all manner of penalties, obstruction-type especially:
I have to admit, I wasn't a huge fan of the "let them play" mentality which NHL officials seemed to slip into during the second half of most games before this season. Players could literally get away with just about anything, as long as it wasn't severely injurious, because the unwritten rule was not to decide the game with penalties and their resultant power plays. With that said, I realize that there apparently is no middle ground, as the officials are now calling just about every infraction in the book at the drop of a hat, negatively impacting the flow of the game and creating a significant amount of trouble for defensemen and goaltenders. There were penalties called in the games last night which would have barely drawn a sideways glance from the NHL official of the 2003-2004 season. In essence, players aren't allowed to contact an opposing player in any form or fashion away from the puck without drawing a penalty. Among other things, this new enforcement of the rules creates a significant amount of traffic in front of the net as defensemen are no longer allowed to "clear the crease" as they have done in seasons past. Frankly, this "change" will probably do more to increase scoring in the NHL this season, manufacturing "garbage goals" from the resultant traffic jam in from of the goaltenders.
----
Wrapping this crap up, I AM glad that the NHL has returned. I don't agree with all of the "changes" that are in effect for this season, but I don't have to, nor would it make a difference if I did. Regardless, I'll still be watching the NHL...
And you should be too...
Labels: hockey stuff, misguided rantings, sports
