Quote:
Originally Posted by powderjunkie
Sorry if it's already been brought up as I only skimmed the thread, but I have two simple (albeit drastic) rule changes that I think would make the game safer and more entertaining:
1. 4 on 4.
2. The stick can only be used for the purpose of attempting to play the puck. Anything else is a penalty. No grey area.
Throwing a body check after the puck is gone is a lot less smart when it leaves the rest of the ice at 3 on 3. Missing an open ice body check would be damn near disastrous.
A third change that I haven't given a ton of thought to is to increase the flow of the game and reduce stoppages (thereby perhaps justifying keeping rosters a bit bigger than necessary w/ 4 on 4): on an offside whistle, the offending team has to leave the puck alone (or gently dump it in behind the goal line - firing it too hard would be a delay of game penalty) - offending team has to race back and circle their own face-off dot before defending outside of their zone (ie. if the team now possessing the puck acts fast enough, they have free entrance into the attacking zone - once the puck enters the zone it's all fair game). Both teams are allowed to change.
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Love these ideas. 4on4 is a pipe dream since the NHL doesn't want to eliminate jobs, but it would make hockey so much more enjoyable. I've also always wanted a way to award a team puck possession; your 3rd change tries to address that.