Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
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.
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I'll be honest. I felt a little guilt there when the Flames went all those games in the regular season without committing a single penalty. Sure they were playing disciplined but you can't tell me they didn't commit any forms of obstruction. Combine that with the insane amount of shot blocking and goaltenders continuing to get bigger and better and I don't see any cure for this outside of going back to 06 officiating. Personally I would like the see goaltender pads, trappers and blockers reduced in size as the original reason for pads was to protect goaltenders but over the past 25 years they have gone from protection to increasing the amount of surface area to take away from shooters.