Quote:
Originally Posted by PepsiFree
I always thought passing and shooting occurred in hockey but what do I know? Based on your description, this might be a rare case where you actually have accidentally been watching figure skating this entire time.
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When you pass the puck, it can be intercepted. If you can stickhandle for your whole shift and nobody is allowed to check you because they might hit your head (which you are using as a meat shield for that very reason), why take risks?
(There was a time, you know, when passing in hockey was actually quite rare. Before forward passing was legalized, end-to-end rushes were the
usual way of scoring goals, and most goals were unassisted.)
Combine this with the Connor McDavid Right-Of-Way™ rule, and even shooting could be eliminated from the game. Just get the puck, skate up the ice, carry it right into the net, since the goalie isn't allowed to impede you either.
At this point, I am being facetious – I hope.
The point is that if you give players a guaranteed way to make themselves exempt from physical contact while carrying the puck, you are going to change the entire game beyond recognition – and for the worse. There would be a strong incentive for every team that gets a 1-0 lead to simply play keep-away for the rest of the game, just as they too often do in 3-on-3 OT at present.
Beware of creating perverse incentives.