Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic
There were 3,358 goals scored in the NHL this season, and 3,370 scored last year. 2005–06 is the high-water mark for scoring since the lockout, with 3,788 goals scored. That sounds like a lot, but is actually less than +1 goals/game. Scoring in the league this last season was actually pretty close to the average over the past five years.
Increasing the size of the nets is a terrible idea, as are most ideas to encourage increased scoring in the NHL. I don't understand why some find this to be such a problem. The reason scoring is down from the eighties and nineties is a product of all sorts of factors, not least of which have to do with the dramatically increased parity between teams in the league, dramatic general increase in individual players' skill, strength, and speed, and the increased importance of coaching which is directly tied to the explosion of information and available data.
In short, the game is better now than it ever has been. The players are all faster, stronger and more skilled than they have ever been. The drop in scoring from +20 years ago has mostly to do with how much closer the gap is between top players and average NHL players now than it was in the past. Checking players are better. Defensemen are MUCH better. Goalies are MUCH better.
This can be a frustrating rule, but it is far from stupid. The intent behind the rule was to eliminate the especially more aggravating tendency of teams to hit the puck out of play whenever players were in trouble in their own zone. Before the rule was introduced, it was not uncommon to endure four, five, six, defensive zone face-offs in very short succession because the defending team would intentionally lift the puck over the glass at every opportunity. The resulting situation is the less of two evils. Do you have a better solution?
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Why? Not that I advocate it, as I don't mind goal totals as is. I'm just curious as why it would be so terrible.
I think the delay of game over glass penalty should be a half penalty and only serve 60 seconds. I would also like to see half penalties be introduced for regular season infractions during overtime.
On an other note in this direction, stats on penalty kill should be kept on a per time killed, rather than per infraction killed.
Yup I am way off topic. Ummm I still have high optimism for Janko. Glad we got him. Happy some are not happy though as this is one of the more interesting threads to read right now