Rate These Radical Rule Changes - Revised

[GirlySports]

Three years ago we discuss some rule changes
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=115685

Some have been implemented (hybrid icing, change ends in overtime) and some have been tosses away (ringette line)

With no player poised to reach 90 point this season (first time since Stan Mikita's 87 points in 66-67), here is my revised list. Again rate each of these (moderate to radical) rule changes from 1 to 5. With 1 being "This is absolutely ######ed" to 5 being "I want to see this tomorrow". And maybe a little explanation why.


1. Put back the red line

2. Remove or inverse the trapezoid.

3. 3 on 3 overtime

4. Unlimited 4 on 4 overtime (full intermission after 3rd period)

5. Eliminate shootout (and replace with what? ties?)

6. 5 shooters instead of 3 in the shootout

7. 3 points for regulation win

8. Eliminate fighting (game misconduct)

9. Larger nets

10. Must serve full two minutes when penalized (regardless of # of goals scored)

11. Shorthanded team cannot ice the puck.

12. Penalty ends when shorthanded goal is scored.

13. Delayed penalty, offending team must exit zone in possession of the puck to stop play.

14. Abolish over the glass penalty.

15. Team gets extra point for scoring 5 goals or more.

16. Eliminate blue lines, must bring puck across red line but once it's across, passes can go anywhere.

17. Players can ONLY change on the fly not allowed at whistles.

18. Eliminate faceoffs after offsides, just clear the zone and allow the defending to bring puck across their own blue line.

[Enoch Root]

yes to: 3, 7, 10,11 and 13

[tknez16]

I still say that they shouldn't allow a change on the stoppage to call a penalty. Subsequent whistles during the penalty would be ok to change.

[drewtastic]

Thoughts in Flames Red below...

Originally Posted by GirlySports

Three years ago we discuss some rule changes
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=115685

With 1 being "This is absolutely ######ed" to 5 being "I want to see this tomorrow". And maybe a little explanation why.


1. Put back the red line
Rating: 1 Reason: no red line has worked well.

2. Remove or inverse the trapezoid.
No opinion.

3. 3 on 3 overtime
5. Love it.

4. Unlimited 4 on 4 overtime (full intermission after 3rd period)
1. Unnecessary in regular season.

5. Eliminate shootout (and replace with what? ties?)
5. Yes. With ties. Back to the old system. Unless #7 below gets implemented.

6. 5 shooters instead of 3 in the shootout
No Opinion.

7. 3 points for regulation win
5. Either this or #5 above.

8. Eliminate fighting (game misconduct)
No opinion. I think it's unnecessary, but it seems to be going the way of the dodo anyhow...

9. Larger nets
1. Do not want.

10. Must serve full two minutes when penalized (regardless of # of goals scored)
3. Intriguing idea. But did it not used to be this way 'back in the day' and it changed because some teams (i.e. Habs) were scoring way too frequently?

11. Shorthanded team cannot ice the puck.
1. Interesting idea, but I think the current rule is good.

12. Penalty ends when shorthanded goal is scored.
3. I quite like this concept. Almost like the "Gold" system for the draft

13. Delayed penalty, offending team must exit zone in possession of the puck to stop play.
1. Not really necessary--they've really softened the definition of "having control of the puck" to favour the team anticipating the powerplay, so, probably okay as it for now.

14. Abolish over the glass penalty.
5. Hate this rule. One time, Regehr got a penalty for shooting it from OUR zone out over the glass behind the OPPOSING net. Stupid.

15. Team gets extra point for scoring 5 goals or more.
1. Again, interesting, but not needed if either #5 or #7 occur.

16. Eliminate blue lines, must bring puck across red line but once it's across, passes can go anywhere.
1. Cool concept, but, without widening the ice surface, this would be terrible to watch. Imagine Calgary's 3rd period against Dallas in terms of clearing the blue line, and then imagine that period played in this system...we'd never have left our zone!

17. Players can ONLY change on the fly not allowed at whistles.
1. Do not like.

18. Eliminate faceoffs after offsides, just clear the zone and allow the defending to bring puck across their own blue line.

1. Since they reimplemented the 'tag-up' rule, the flow of the game has been a lot better. Just keep the tag-up rule going!

[lazypucker]

My Score:

1. Put back the red line 1 - you want more offsides and 2-line passes to kill off potential scoring chances?

2. Remove or inverse the trapezoid. 3 - I don't think the trapezoid matters that much in terms of increase/decrease scoring

3. 3 on 3 overtime 4 - 3on3 overtime may increase scoring chances?

4. Unlimited 4 on 4 overtime (full intermission after 3rd period) 3 - unlimited overtime is good, but no intermission in between please - it drags out too long

5. Eliminate shootout (and replace with what? ties?) 2 - doesn't matter, as long as the point distribution is even

6. 5 shooters instead of 3 in the shootout 5 - if you want to do a shootout, do it right!

7. 3 points for regulation win 5 - Yes, Yes, Yes - 3-2-1 system, keep the point distribution even

8. Eliminate fighting (game misconduct) 1 - No, fighting is part of the game, as we see nowadays fighting seems to eliminate themselves

9. Larger nets 5 - And smaller pads too

10. Must serve full two minutes when penalized (regardless of # of goals scored) 3 - realistically how many PP goals can a team score during a 2-minute span? Maybe if it is 5-on-3...

11. Shorthanded team cannot ice the puck. 5 - Yep, the SH teams cannot just shoot the puck out blindly

12. Penalty ends when shorthanded goal is scored. 3 - It is difficult to score a shortie, so this doesn't matter much

13. Delayed penalty, offending team must exit zone in possession of the puck to stop play. 5 - simply touching the puck shouldn't count as having possession, so it is a good idea.

14. Abolish over the glass penalty. 3 - I think these are just BS penalties anyways, Maybe if a team does it 3 times in a row then give a penalty

15. Team gets extra point for scoring 5 goals or more. 0 - what? Are you playing rugby? That totally screws the even point distribution

16. Eliminate blue lines, must bring puck across red line but once it's across, passes can go anywhere. 3 - so you mean just expanding the attacking zone from the center red line up? So are you going to take out icings as well?

17. Players can ONLY change on the fly not allowed at whistles. 2 - how about modify the rule a little bit so that teams can only change at the whistles every 2 minutes of play or something like that. It's like partially banning changes at whistles...

18. Eliminate faceoffs after offsides, just clear the zone and allow the defending to bring puck across their own blue line. 3 - doesn't matter, isn't the tag-up rule takes care of it already?

[Enoch Root]

10. Must serve full two minutes when penalized (regardless of # of goals scored)
3. Intriguing idea. But did it not used to be this way 'back in the day' and it changed because some teams (i.e. Habs) were scoring way too frequently?

Yes, which is precisely why, if you want more goal scoring - which I believe the league does - this makes a lot of sense

[Bill Bumface]

1. Put back the red line No

2. Remove or inverse the trapezoid. Inverse would be fun.

3. 3 on 3 overtime After some 4 on 4, yes.

4. Unlimited 4 on 4 overtime (full intermission after 3rd period) Not feasible

5. Eliminate shootout (and replace with what? ties?) No, keep it after 3 on 3. Slowly move away from real hockey until you have a winner. (5 on 5, 4 on 4, 3 on 3, SO)

6. 5 shooters instead of 3 in the shootout No, prefer using that time for longer OT

7. 3 points for regulation win Yes. Arguments of the record book are out the window with 3 point games already.

8. Eliminate fighting (game misconduct) Yes. How many fighters have committed suicide? Too many.

9. Larger nets No. I'd rather goalie equipment take the hit.

10. Must serve full two minutes when penalized (regardless of # of goals scored) No. A bad call becomes 2 goals in some instances.

11. Shorthanded team cannot ice the puck. They would anyway. It would be a whistle fest.

12. Penalty ends when shorthanded goal is scored. Gimmick, but why not.

13. Delayed penalty, offending team must exit zone in possession of the puck to stop play. Yes. Love it.

14. Abolish over the glass penalty. Guys would start clearing the glass on purpose. Slows the game down and dangerous for fans.

15. Team gets extra point for scoring 5 goals or more. Gimmick. No.

16. Eliminate blue lines, must bring puck across red line but once it's across, passes can go anywhere. I think you end up with more defensive hockey, or slower hockey as teams retreat to the redline to maintain possession instead of being forced into quick decisions/passes. Breakaways and 2 on 1s would be drastically reduced. No.

17. Players can ONLY change on the fly not allowed at whistles. Would reduce game times, like it for that. Indifferent overall.

18. Eliminate faceoffs after offsides, just clear the zone and allow the defending to bring puck across their own blue line. Love it. Do it today.

[Bill Bumface]

Double Post

[MisterJoji]

1. Put back the red line
No thanks. I do not miss 2 line pass whistles at all.

2. Remove or inverse the trapezoid.
Meh. Probably wouldn't make a huge amount of difference either way. There's not a lot of goalies with Turco or Brodeur-esque passing abilities nowadays. Mike Smith maybe.

3. 3 on 3 overtime
Yes!! Anything that helps games end before the shootout. It would likely be constant, back and forth, 2 on 1's. Would be exciting and we have a team built perfectly for it.

4. Unlimited 4 on 4 overtime (full intermission after 3rd period)
Not feasible. You can't have a potential game to go past midnight if they the teams are in back to backs or 3 in 4 nights. NHLPA would never allow it.

5. Eliminate shootout (and replace with what? ties?)
I don't like shootouts, but hate ties even more. I think 3 on 3 OT would greatly reduce the number of shootouts while still having a clear winner. But a SO win should be worth less than an ROW (more than just as a tie-breaker).

6. 5 shooters instead of 3 in the shootout
Sure.

7. 3 points for regulation win
God yes!! 3 for ROW, 2 for SOW, 1 for OT/SOL, 0 for RL. I hate the argument that it would mess with the history of the game. Times are changing evolve with it. Or introduce 1/2 points. 2 for ROW, 1.5 for SOW, 1 for OT/SOL, 0 for RL. Would heat up the playoff races too, if you can catch a team 6 points ahead of you with 2 ROW's.

8. Eliminate fighting (game misconduct)
I still believe there's a time and place for fighting, i.e. intense playoff battles, dirty hits. But staged fights and fighting merely because one of your teammates took a punishing but clean hit, are dumb.

9. Larger nets
No.

10. Must serve full two minutes when penalized (regardless of # of goals scored)
I like it. One worry would be if penalties become that much more critical, would we see a regression to clutch and grab era with refs being much more lenient?

11. Shorthanded team cannot ice the puck.
Interesting. Would likely give the PP teams almost the whole penalty time in the offensive zone. But I can't see it happening, just gives too much advantage to the PP team.

12. Penalty ends when shorthanded goal is scored.
Love it.

13. Delayed penalty, offending team must exit zone in possession of the puck to stop play
Nah. It would decrease the importance of the PP as more goals would be scores 6 on 5.

14. Abolish over the glass penalty.
I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but I like this rule. It's your best chance at getting 5 on 3.

15. Team gets extra point for scoring 5 goals or more.
No way. Would make lots of EN goals more valuable and you can still have a thrilling, wide-open game, that ends in a 2-1 score.

16. Eliminate blue lines, must bring puck across red line but once it's across, passes can go anywhere.
Don't see any advantage that this change would bring.

17. Players can ONLY change on the fly not allowed at whistles.
No. It would completely eliminate the last change advantage for home teams.

18. Eliminate faceoffs after offsides, just clear the zone and allow the defending to bring puck across their own blue line.[/QUOTE]

[undercoverbrother]

OK here we go:

1. Put back the red line nope I like it as is

2. Remove or inverse the trapezoid. meh

3. 3 on 3 overtime start at 4 on 4, then 3 on 3

4. Unlimited 4 on 4 overtime (full intermission after 3rd period) no to unlimited, you are likely to see some 4-5 hr games if that is the case.

5. Eliminate shootout (and replace with what? ties?) I have no issues with ties to be honest

6. 5 shooters instead of 3 in the shootout get rid of the shootout

7. 3 points for regulation win 2pt for win, maybe a bonus pt (total of 3 pts) for a win greater than 4 goals, you want to increase scoring, hell you could do a bonus pt of the losing team if they score more than 4 goals but still lose.

8. Eliminate fighting (game misconduct) I think fighting needs to get you tossed and then perhaps after two fights you get an automatic 2 games?

9. Larger nets hmmm, I am torn, it would be a last resort.

10. Must serve full two minutes when penalized (regardless of # of goals scored) YES YES YES

11. Shorthanded team cannot ice the puck. yeah, or maybe thay can't do it in the last 10 mins of the game (but as I type that it seems to over complicate the game).

12. Penalty ends when shorthanded goal is scored. NOPE

13. Delayed penalty, offending team must exit zone in possession of the puck to stop play. No, can lead to the argument of did he have possesion

14. Abolish over the glass penalty. Nah, if we bring in full 2mins penalty then I could get behind this.

15. Team gets extra point for scoring 5 goals or more. Hey see my point #7, ps I like

16. Eliminate blue lines, must bring puck across red line but once it's across, passes can go anywhere. nope, I like the neutral zone.

17. Players can ONLY change on the fly not allowed at whistles. no, could be a player saftey issue (my inner NHLPA talking), if you have a dog tired player or a player that blocked a shot needs to change.

18. Eliminate faceoffs after offsides, just clear the zone and allow the defending to bring puck across their own blue line. Maybe, kind of like 3 on 3,

[Vulcan]

With no player poised to reach 90 point this season (first time since Stan Mikita's 87 points in 66-67), here is my revised list.

Some rule changes would help but the main thing IMO is that the skill level has increased causing scoring to go down. What happened shortly after expansion is that in 68/69 Esposito lead the league with a phenomenal 126 points. The next year Orr, a defenceman of all things lead the league with 120 points.

The answer is expansion. I'd say to QC, Seattle, LV and Toronto.

[getbak]

1. Put back the red line -- 1. I like the long pass that can lead to breakaways and odd-man rushes.

2. Remove or inverse the trapezoid. -- 5. Yeah, get rid of it.

3. 3 on 3 overtime -- 5. Yes, but only after some length of 4-on-4. I'd try 4 minutes of each, but with the AHL rule where the switch doesn't happen until after the first whistle.

4. Unlimited 4 on 4 overtime (full intermission after 3rd period) -- 1. Not practical in the regular season, especially with a full intermission.

5. Eliminate shootout (and replace with what? ties?) -- 3. I'd keep it. I wouldn't mind if both teams got 1 point and the SO win was only used as a tie-breaker at the end of the season. That way, the people who want to see a win, get to see a win, but it doesn't mess with the standings like the phantom 3rd point does.

6. 5 shooters instead of 3 in the shootout -- 2. I used to be in favour of this, but have changed my mind. I'd like to see teams be able to re-use shooters at some point earlier than going through all 18 skaters because other than The Schlemko, most bottom line guys and d-men are awful in the SO.

7. 3 points for regulation win -- 5. Yes. Should have been done when the OTL point was first introduced.

8. Eliminate fighting (game misconduct) -- 3. Yes, on staged fights. No, on spur-of-the-moment fights. Should call the instigator if a player starts a fight on a player who threw a clean hit, but no instigator if the hit gets a penalty.

9. Larger nets -- 1. No.

10. Must serve full two minutes when penalized (regardless of # of goals scored) -- 4. I've always been interested to see how this would change things. Also, wouldn't mind seeing the offending player have to serve a penalty if a penalty shot is unsuccessful.

11. Shorthanded team cannot ice the puck. -- 1. No. Hate this idea.

12. Penalty ends when shorthanded goal is scored. -- 3. Interesting. Wouldn't mind this.

13. Delayed penalty, offending team must exit zone in possession of the puck to stop play. -- 1. No.

14. Abolish over the glass penalty. -- 2. I've never been as opposed to it as most people are. I don't mind the suggested revision of making it work the same as an icing with no change permitted.

15. Team gets extra point for scoring 5 goals or more. -- 1. No.

16. Eliminate blue lines, must bring puck across red line but once it's across, passes can go anywhere. -- 3. I've long been in favour of loosening the offside rule. I'd like to see them try something similar to the soccer offside rule, where it's based on the position of the puck and/or the players on the other team. Back when the trap was a big problem, I thought that one way to break it would be to make the red line the offside line for the puck, but the blue line would be offside for players. So, as long as the puck was on the offensive side of centre, the players would be able to enter the zone.

17. Players can ONLY change on the fly not allowed at whistles. -- 1. No.

18. Eliminate faceoffs after offsides, just clear the zone and allow the defending to bring puck across their own blue line. -- 2. Not a fan of this idea. It seems like it would be too easy for a team to kill time with this rule.

[CaptainCrunch]

1. Put back the red line

To what end?

2. Remove or inverse the trapezoid.

I don't know how much of a difference this would make as goalies are still puckhandling and passing with the trapazoid. If you remove it, you give to much advantage to the defense, we saw that with guys like Belfour and Brodeur.

3. 3 on 3 overtime

Yes!

4. Unlimited 4 on 4 overtime (full intermission after 3rd period)

Nope, games are long enough all ready.

5. Eliminate shootout (and replace with what? ties?)

After a 4-4 and a 3-3 call it a tie. I hate the shootout

6. 5 shooters instead of 3 in the shootout

Why not, it seems like teams are going way past 3 shooters anyways.

7. 3 points for regulation win

Sure can't hurt

8. Eliminate fighting (game misconduct)

Nope, nope nope nope nope nope

9. Larger nets

nope, I would vote for a slim net though to increase the play area behind the goal

10. Must serve full two minutes when penalized (regardless of # of goals scored)

This would really increase diving in the game, and agitators in the game who's sole job is to draw penalties.

11. Shorthanded team cannot ice the puck.

No thanks, I've always disliked this idea, you have to give the defending team one kind of avenue you can't overwhelmingly put the advantage on one side or the other.

12. Penalty ends when shorthanded goal is scored.

For some reason I really like this idea.

13. Delayed penalty, offending team must exit zone in possession of the puck to stop play.

Nah, I like the current rule better

14. Abolish over the glass penalty.

I actually like this rule, I guess I remember that games would slow to a crawl when players would kill offensive chances by flinging the puck over the glass. Maybe you need to modify it to be like the icing rule, no line change by the defensive team.

15. Team gets extra point for scoring 5 goals or more.

Nah, I think you need to keep consistant points.

16. Eliminate blue lines, must bring puck across red line but once it's across, passes can go anywhere.

You would actually get a worse style of trapping with this especially if the player has to carry the puck over the line. you'd see teams playing a 2-3 system and stacking the red line to force the carrier to circle back. Even if you allowed shootins, the forecheck probably wouldn't arrive in time.



17. Players can ONLY change on the fly not allowed at whistles.

nope

18. Eliminate faceoffs after offsides, just clear the zone and allow the defending to bring puck across their own blue line.

The current tag up rule works really well.

[handgroen]

my 2 cents

Originally Posted by GirlySports

1. Put back the red line -----2

2. Remove or inverse the trapezoid.---4

3. 3 on 3 overtime----5

4. Unlimited 4 on 4 overtime (full intermission after 3rd period)---2

5. Eliminate shootout (and replace with what? ties?)---5

6. 5 shooters instead of 3 in the shootout----2

7. 3 points for regulation win----5

8. Eliminate fighting (game misconduct)---1

9. Larger nets---4

10. Must serve full two minutes when penalized (regardless of # of goals scored)---2

11. Shorthanded team cannot ice the puck.---1

12. Penalty ends when shorthanded goal is scored.---1

13. Delayed penalty, offending team must exit zone in possession of the puck to stop play.----2

14. Abolish over the glass penalty.---1

15. Team gets extra point for scoring 5 goals or more.---1

16. Eliminate blue lines, must bring puck across red line but once it's across, passes can go anywhere. ---1

17. Players can ONLY change on the fly not allowed at whistles.---2

18. Eliminate faceoffs after offsides, just clear the zone and allow the defending to bring puck across their own blue line.---2

[codynw]

Put back the red line
Not sure what this is referring to? Am I dumb?

Remove or inverse the trapezoid.
Trapezoid is pretty dumb, let the goalie play the puck.

Three on three overtime
Sure, slightly less gimmicky than a shootout.

Unlimited four on four overtime (full intermission after 3rd period)
Not a good idea in the regular season.

Eliminate shootout (and replace with what? ties?)
Yes. I prefer ties over a dumb skills competition.

Five shooters instead of three in the shootout
They should do zero shooters.

Three points for regulation win
I'd prefer they get rid of the loser point. But if they don't, then regulation wins should be 3 points.

Eliminate fighting (game misconduct)
Nope.

Larger nets
Nope.

Must serve full two minutes when penalized (regardless of # of goals scored)
Not a fan of this.

Shorthanded team cannot ice the puck.
Good idea. Not sure why they were ever allowed to ice it.

Penalty ends when shorthanded goal is scored.
Nope.

Delayed penalty, offending team must exit zone in possession of the puck to stop play.
I like this. Or at least have to have 100% clear possession, not just touch the puck (I think this is how it's supposed to be, but it's not always called this way).

Abolish over the glass penalty.
Treat it like an icing call. Defensive zone faceoff with no line change.

Team gets extra point for scoring 5 goals or more.
Awful idea.

Eliminate blue lines, must bring puck across red line but once it's across, passes can go anywhere.
Don't like this.

Players can ONLY change on the fly not allowed at whistles.
Nope.

Eliminate faceoffs after offsides, just clear the zone and allow the defending to bring puck across their own blue line.
The current offside rule is fine.


Honestly, the scoring "problem" would be fixed if the refs would call penalties properly. Especially hooking.

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by codynw

Put back the red line
Not sure what this is referring to? Am I dumb?

.

Not dumb, just young?


At one time in the NHL you could not pass the puck across two lines, IE:

You could not pass the puck from your own zone, across your blue line, to a player on the opposition blue line, across the red line. That was blown up as a two line pass.

The red line was "taken out" to allow for two line passes.


IMO, it was a good thing, it stretched the neutral zone out.

[codynw]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

Not dumb, just young?


At one time in the NHL you could not pass the puck across two lines, IE:

You could not pass the puck from your own zone, across your blue line, to a player on the opposition blue line, across the red line. That was blown up as a two line pass.

The red line was "taken out" to allow for two line passes.


IMO, it was a good thing, it stretched the neutral zone out.

Oh, I knew about the two line pass rule. Nevermind then.

[ben voyonsdonc]

I'm pretty happy with the way things are right now. I feel like an old grumpy man when it comes to many of these suggestions.

1. Put back the red line

I think it is fine the way it is. (1 or 2)

2. Remove or inverse the trapezoid.

Doesn't really matter to me. (2)

3. 3 on 3 overtime

Sure! (5)

4. Unlimited 4 on 4 overtime (full intermission after 3rd period)

Nope. Not worth the additional risk of injuries. (1)

5. Eliminate shootout (and replace with what? ties?)

Keep the shootout. Ties suck. (1)

6. 5 shooters instead of 3 in the shootout

Fine with me. (4)

7. 3 points for regulation win

Sounds good. (5)

8. Eliminate fighting (game misconduct)

Without fighting we are more likely going to lead to worse injuries coming from dirty stick work. (1)

9. Larger nets

Absolutely not. Basketball wouldn't increase the width of the hoop to increase scoring or shrink the size of the ball. (1)

10. Must serve full two minutes when penalized (regardless of # of goals scored)

Interesting idea but I think that it might increase diving to get additional power plays...especially at the end of the game. (3)

11. Shorthanded team cannot ice the puck.

Nope. Too many whistles. Game will go on forever. (1)

12. Penalty ends when shorthanded goal is scored.

I kind of like this one. It emphasizes aggressive PK which can lead to increase in PP and PK goals.

13. Delayed penalty, offending team must exit zone in possession of the puck to stop play.

That sounds interesting. I could handle that one. (4)

14. Abolish over the glass penalty.

I think allowing the ref some discretion when it comes to calling a penalty would be good on this one. I don't like abolishing it entirely because teams will start firing it over the glass when they are tired. (1)

15. Team gets extra point for scoring 5 goals or more.

Nope. What about teams who lose 6-5? Do they get a point? (1)

16. Eliminate blue lines, must bring puck across red line but once it's across, passes can go anywhere.

Cherry picking isn't something that the NHL should be enabling. (1)

17. Players can ONLY change on the fly not allowed at whistles.

In any circumstance? Even if you score a goal? (1)

18. Eliminate faceoffs after offsides, just clear the zone and allow the defending to bring puck across their own blue line.

I'm fine with it as is. (1)

[Coach]

1. Put back the red line - No. Game is infinitely better with no red line. Although my 80's NHL dad wants it back in. Not sure why.

2. Remove or inverse the trapezoid. - Remove and make goalies playing the puck behind the line fair game.

3. 3 on 3 overtime - Yes. Wouldn't mind if they did a full 10 min 3v3 vs the staggered version they are coming out with. Skip the 4v4. With 10 min of 3v3 games are almost guaranteed to end during that time.

4. Unlimited 4 on 4 overtime (full intermission after 3rd period) - I'd take it, but they won't go for it. The games have to end.

5. Eliminate shootout (and replace with what? ties?) - Don't mind the shootout. Just don't want points for losing in it (or OT)

6. 5 shooters instead of 3 in the shootout - Meh. Wouldn't change much but make the SO longer.

7. 3 points for regulation win - Only if they continue to give points for losing, and if so, the points add up to 3 regardless (IE if you get a point for losing in OT/SO, the winning team only gets 2 pts)

8. Eliminate fighting (game misconduct) - Don't mind automatic ejections for fighting, but it's pretty well gone already anyways.

9. Larger nets - Absolutely not. Nothing wrong with the amount of scoring in the NHL, plus this is a terrible way to try and increase it.

10. Must serve full two minutes when penalized (regardless of # of goals scored) - This is interesting. Would allow.

11. Shorthanded team cannot ice the puck. - Also interesting. Would allow.

12. Penalty ends when shorthanded goal is scored. - I also don't mind this.

13. Delayed penalty, offending team must exit zone in possession of the puck to stop play. - Kind of weird. What zone? They could be in any zone. In the Ozone, do they have to skate back? This one gets annoying because what "possession" means is different depending on the situation. Sometimes they blow it down when a player one hand pokes the puck. Other times they don't unless the player has full control (which is what it's supposed to be). If the refs call this consistently no changes need to be made.

14. Abolish over the glass penalty. - Nope I like it. They are all accidental now, but it's definitely used as a way to stop the play without the penalty. Purposely throw the puck over the glass? That's definition of "delay of game". We don't give leeway for accidents on other penalties, why should this be different? Having it challengable by the Coach I would be ok with.

15. Team gets extra point for scoring 5 goals or more. - No. That's ridiculous.

16. Eliminate blue lines, must bring puck across red line but once it's across, passes can go anywhere. - Not a fan. It also would bring the red line back in and make what were two line passes into offsides. Makes the Ozone bigger, but I'm not sure that helps offence as much as the stretch pass does.

17. Players can ONLY change on the fly not allowed at whistles. - Interesting, but no.

18. Eliminate faceoffs after offsides, just clear the zone and allow the defending to bring puck across their own blue line. - Also interesting. This is essentially what delayed offside is, but what happens if a player ignores the delay offside? Something has to. Penalty? Maybe take the faceoff all the way down automatically?

[Karl Racki]

Huge no to 9; huge yes to 15.

Re: 15. I constantly read about low scoring and how to solve it here and on Hfboards. I completely agree with those that say that there can be a crazy exciting 1-0 or 2-1 game. But there has to be an openness to those games - crazy good chances at both ends, not a chess match with no chances. To me, more goals does not necessarily mean more exciting. Would hockey be a better game if there were soccer sized nets and the score was 54-53 just because more pucks went in? Does anyone know how coaching changes would adapt to try to prevent goals? And that, to me, is the key. Defense wins games, so coaches almost exclusively coach to prevent goals as the top priority, not to score them.... like they used to in the 80s. And for those of us that were around and watching back then, it was not only 7-6 because the goalies were terrible.... there were WAY more excellent chances to score because the game was played offensively first.

So, seems to me that one and maybe the only way to get coaches to coach offense first, not defense, is to reward them for doing it. Yes, at some point along the tiebreaking system, goals for is a tiebreaker still I think.. but it never comes into play. Make offense really count, by rewarding really high scoring teams with points in the standings, and I guarantee that scoring goes up league wide. With NO other changes to the rules or silliness like larger nets.

Who cares about unbalanced points for games... we already got over that hump with the current OT/Shootout system. Difference is only this system rewards teams who score in game play, not in a skills competition.

No idea why this is always panned (often by those complaining about lack of goals in the game...).