Bigger Nets

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by genetic_phreek

This was probably mentioned in another thread at some point in time but I recall Theo saying that the league doesn't have the same talent as the days of Lemieux, Yzerman, Sakic, Forsberg, etc...

I don't mind Fleury, but every time I hear him speak about the differences in the game between the time he played and the present, it is abundantly clear that the guy has an axe to grind. I'm not the least bit surprised to hear him say that there is less talent in the NHL now than when he played, and I don't believe him for a second.

[Fire of the Phoenix]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I don't mind Fleury, but every time I hear him speak about the differences in the game between the time he played and the present, it is abundantly clear that the guy has an axe to grind. I'm not the least bit surprised to hear him say that there is less talent in the NHL now than when he played, and I don't believe him for a second.

The league is much more talented overall now but you can't match the late 80s to late 90s for sheer star power and personality IMO. The game now is basically a flukey bounce league because it's so overcoached, and the players just aren't as interesting. Back then, the stars were truly stars... even if they had to deal with lumbering brutes draping themselves all over them as they tried to play.

[AcGold]

Imo it's not that they were more talented but that the talent gap between the elite and the average was way more. Now the training techniques that set guys like Lemieux and Gretzky apart are common place.

Take Gaudreau and Crosby thirty years back they'd be putting up 200 point seasons.

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by AcGold

Imo it's not that they were more talented but that the talent gap between the elite and the average was way more. Now the training techniques that set guys like Lemieux and Gretzky apart are common place.

Take Gaudreau and Crosby thirty years back they'd be putting up 200 point seasons.

I don't know about Gretzky but Lemieux used to smoke and certainly wasn't in peak shape. Seems to me Gretzky wasn't exactly a gym rat either.

[WCW Nitro]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

How many more "nice" goals (whatever those are) will be scored on very slightly larger nets?

I maintain that an artificial increase in scoring will not make the game any more exciting. Any increase achieved by larger nets is almost certain to be marginal, and will not improve in any way the quality of play, which is what much more directly corresponds to the excitement of the game.

But if it's easier to score, perhaps teams will shift the focus on trying to score instead of defending.

[driveway]

I don't know if it's been mentioned, but I've had the thought that if they wanted to make the nets larger, why not make them more A-framed?

Instead of making the whole net larger, angle the posts out, widening the bottom part of the net. One of the complaints that is often made about a larger net is that you'll get more pucks up around people's faces and see more injuries that way.

Well, if the larger part of the net is lower, you'll immediately take away that concern. I have no idea what the physics are for pucks bouncing off a pipe that's angled like that, but maybe it might increase pucks going in off the post too?

Personally, I don't think low-scoring is a problem. I like the way hockey is played these days, I think systems are entertaining to watch, but I've been a hockey fan my entire life, I could see the more-scoring=more new fans argument making some sense.

[powderjunkie]

I would have absolutely no problem with bigger nets. Even just 6" wider...not even necessarily higher. To all those saying that goalies will adapt and just find ways to make the saves anyways...good! It would be nice to see goalies make some saves and not just get hit with the puck.

[flamesfever]

It would be interesting to see what affect a small change in net size would have on scoring. It wouldn't have to be large, just enough to statistically make a difference...perhaps enough to bring the average up to 3 goals per team per game.

You can reduce the pad size, but not the size of the goalie. Don't physically bigger goalies have an advantage over smaller ones?

[Chip Hilton]

Count me in the group opposed to larger nets - it would be like baseball moving the pitching mound back a foot or so in order to stimulate more hitting and runs. By all means, reduce the size of the goaltender's equipment.

Another consideration is the runoff effect such a change would have on hockey outside the NHL. Would the international hockey community automatically follow? Possibly, but this would be far from certain. Presumably, minor pro hockey would have to follow but what about major junior and college? Major junior, maybe, but I could see the NCAA telling the NHL to take a hike. I don't like the idea of different leagues having different sizes nets.

[canflip_101]

they have to stop this bigger net debate its going to turn into lacrosse scores


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[Fire]

Originally Posted by Chip Hilton

Count me in the group opposed to larger nets - it would be like baseball moving the pitching mound back a foot or so in order to stimulate more hitting and runs. By all means, reduce the size of the goaltender's equipment.

MLB has lowered the height of the pitcher mound to increase scoring in the past. NLL increased the size of the net to increase scoring. NBA added the 3-point line. NFL/CFL has made many changes that lead to increase scoring. The NHL will increase the size of the nets in the future, it's just a matter of when.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Fire

MLB has lowered the height of the pitcher mound to increase scoring in the past. NLL increased the size of the net to increase scoring. NBA added the 3-point line. NFL/CFL has made many changes that lead to increase scoring. The NHL will increase the size of the nets in the future, it's just a matter of when.

When that day comes I'll be in line to pick up a few of the surplus 'Vintage-Sized' nets. They'll probably be cheap, cheap, cheap like borscht!

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by canflip_101

they have to stop this bigger net debate its going to turn into lacrosse scores


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Try to exaggerate a little bit more - we are actually hoping for basketball scores.

[IgiTang]

I don't think anyone believes that technology in padding hasn't come far enough in 30 years that Goalies can't reduce size because it could reduce protection.

Kevlar material with dense plastic plating in between dense, light weight foam.. Allow longer toungue on the sides to protect the leg from bank shots.. Too easy.

[FNL]

Originally Posted by Chip Hilton

Count me in the group opposed to larger nets - it would be like baseball moving the pitching mound back a foot or so in order to stimulate more hitting and runs. By all means, reduce the size of the goaltender's equipment.

Another consideration is the runoff effect such a change would have on hockey outside the NHL. Would the international hockey community automatically follow? Possibly, but this would be far from certain. Presumably, minor pro hockey would have to follow but what about major junior and college? Major junior, maybe, but I could see the NCAA telling the NHL to take a hike

Well, one benefit, I think, would be that at youth levels, you could still use the old nets and finally have kids playing in a scaled environment relative to adult players. Silly to have a 12 year old goalie trying to cover the same net they put behind a grown man.

As for NCAA, there's a great example of a level of hockey featuring a variety of rink sizes. Some NCAA schools have 100' x 200' rinks, some have 85' x 200'...and the college game survives just fine.



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[White Out 403]

Originally Posted by Igottago

So you would be thrilled with a 9-8 game?

Best game I ever saw in my life was the Jets 9-8 win over Philly the 1st year back in the league. Better yet, I was there.

Not much else to add lol. Just one of the greatest hockey experiences of my life

[sworkhard]

Originally Posted by WCW Nitro

But if it's easier to score, perhaps teams will shift the focus on trying to score instead of defending.

Doubtful, they will place a premium on defensive 2 way forwards that, with the bigger nets, can suddenly score. Good defense will become more important than ever.

Unless they make the nets a lot bigger (like 6x8) I doubt you'll see much difference in scoring in the long term, but I'd bet the game will be more boring as the defensive structure become more rigid to make up for the changes in net size.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by sworkhard

Doubtful, they will place a premium on defensive 2 way forwards that, with the bigger nets, can suddenly score. Good defense will become more important than ever.

Unless they make the nets a lot bigger (like 6x8) I doubt you'll see much difference in scoring in the long term, but I'd bet the game will be more boring as the defensive structure become more rigid to make up for the changes in net size.

I agree with this, thanks for posting. I wasn't able to get that point across.

If you increase the nets an inch or two, you might get an extra goal/game. But I doubt in the long term you would. Coaches would adjust. If you make it drastic, like a 6x8, you may get more goals but is the game going to be much improved? I think coaches would again adjust and focus on defense.

I like hockey the way it is, and I don't need 1 or 2 more goals per game to make it entertaining for me.

Oh, and get rid of the GOD DAMN TRAPEZOID. So stupid.

[CliffFletcher]

Mike Babcock calls for bigger nets:

"It's impossible to score,” Babcock told reporters yesterday. “You go to 1980 when the puck went in the net. You got the average size of the goalies in the NHL and the average size of the net. You keep growing the net bigger, that would make the game the same. We change the game every year because we don't want to change the game.

"The net is too small for the size of the goalies. Period."

These loons just keep coming out of the woodwork, eh? Why can't they get anyone who actually likes hockey to coach or GM in the NHL?

[White Out 403]

Babcock is right. Make the goaltender pads far smaller or nets bigger. It's getting out of hand how huge the goaltenders are in the nets compared 80's and the earliest beginning of hockey