Quote:
Originally Posted by cKy
^^ Thats kind of been the whole season though hasnt it? Lowest goal totals in years. Not much of anything happened this year worth talking about.
It's a good thing Flames have been awesome to watch this year as I would agree with you, it's been very meh this year.
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And IMO, the reason is blatantly obvious.
Go back to 05/06, post lockout, and how hard the NHL worked to get obstruction out of the game. If you even stepped in front of a guy (with no contact) it was a penalty.
For a few years, they tried to be consistent about it. But for the last 3 or 4 years, it has been seeping back into the game.
And then this year, it just exploded again. Watch a game from this year and watch a game form 06 or 07. Guys are back to grabbing onto wingers as they attempt to enter the zone to fore-check. Blatant picks aren't just in the way, they are making contact.
In front of the net, defensemen weren't allowed to touch the forward for a few years. Now they are back to tackling them.
Honestly, when they started calling all the penalties in 06 and wouldn't allow defensemen to touch anyone, I didn't like it (being a defenseman).
But now that we have gone full circle, I MUCH prefer them not allowing any obstruction at all.
Let the talented players play.