[Article] Brian Burke - Lobbying for wider ice surfaces

[calgaryboy]

Originally Posted by T@T

You might be able to answer this. Has there been discussions to shrink the ice over there?

Yeah, many times. Some teams in Czech extraleague have rinks similar to NHL size. For example rink in O2 arena /Sparta Prague/, always better game when played on smaller rink. Really, big ice, no fun.....most of the times.......at least for me.......

[Tsawwassen]

Originally Posted by HOWITZER

If I remember correctly, the Saddledome can be configured for both existing NHL and IIHF surfaces right? Or did that change with the install of the additional change rooms a couple of years back for the World Juniors?

The Saddledome can still have the configuration for the IIHF width. Rogers Arena (GM Place) in Vancouver has the IIHF dimensions built into the rink but wasn't used for the Olympics.

[Tsawwassen]

Originally Posted by bob-loblaw

Think of all the revenue they'd lose by taking out one row of seats. It won't happen.

I don't think rows of seats would be taken out, new rinks being built with a wider surface would happen.

[Tsawwassen]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I am fine with wider so players have more room to move laterally, but I don't want to see longer. There is nothing exciting about watching more missed passes and icing.

Don't worry about seeing longer rinks, the length of 200 feet is not being debated. That measurement is the same in the NHL and IIHF. Here are the dimensions of the old rinks that 4 NHL teams used to play in.

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium - 196' x 85'
BostonGarden - 191' x 83'
Chicago Stadium - 188' x 85'
Detroit Olympia - 200' x 83'

http://www.frozenfaceoff.net/2015/01/nhl-history-of-rinks.html

[FireGilbert]

Keep the ice size the same. Big ice leads to less turnovers and less scorning.

Remember:

Wider isn't always better, it's what you do with it that counts!

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by HOWITZER

If I remember correctly, the Saddledome can be configured for both existing NHL and IIHF surfaces right? Or did that change with the install of the additional change rooms a couple of years back for the World Juniors?

The dressing rooms they built for the WJHC prevents the entire lower bowl from retracting, which is why Monster Jam is now held on the rodeo grounds. They should still be able to convert to 200x100, but it would require removing the seats entirely in the first two rows, I think. When the dome was originally built, those seats just folded down and under. But since our asses are getting bigger and since the club seats are particularly large, those seats don't fold down.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Let's just fix icing. Too many barely missed passes are technically icing. The intent of the rule, I assume, is to discourage the defending team from simply firing the puck out of harm's way to alleviate pressure, not to stifle legitimate stretch passes.

Too many perfectly good opportunities are blown down on a technicality when the league says they want to increase scoring

Easy and logical rule change supporting the league's theory with no capital investment

This, along with smaller goalie gear are the only legitimate steps for increasing pace of play/scoring. The NHL thinks so backwards. They punish the missed stretch pass thinking a defensive zone f/o will lead to chances instead of keeping the play flowing and allowing players to chase it. If a defender blatantly ices it, they absolutely blow it down.

They prevent goalies from handling pucks in the corners, thinking it stifles scoring. Yet how many times have we seen a goalie flub a puck under pressure and lead to a chance/goal?

Sometimes I think I could run the NHL in my spare time.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by calgaryboy

Larger ice rink? No, thanks. That is why I like NHL so much. Intense, fast play. I don ´t like European hockey at all, stopped watching Czech extraleague and other European leagues few seasons ago. Trust me, all of you, who are for wider rinks, all of you would regret that. Wider rink brings most of the time boring, slow hockey, where is time for everything, no need to hurry. Forget about hard, fast forechecking etc. Remember when Nakladal was so suprised with fast and furious play in NHL in preseason games? Like he said in one interview that he was used to have time in his own zone for everything and in NA he doesn ´t have any time? And he played KHL, SM-Liiga, so one of the best leagues in here. Why? Because of wiiiiiide, huuuuuuuge, awful rink like the airport! So no, thanks, as an European, I say NO! And I know what I am talking about, watched tons of European hockey in my life :-) GO FLAMES!!!! Greetings from Czech republic!

This guy is right. And again, the NHL thinks so backwards. Bigger rinks won't lead to more scoring or increased pace of play.

Look at what happens with soccer when they go from full sized pitches to futsal. The game is way faster, arguably more entertaining with the back and forth. I am certainly no advocate for basketball, but scoring is a free for all on those tiny surfaces. Could you imagine if the courts were twice as big? Scoring would be down without a doubt in my mind.

Someone else mentioned it; MISTAKES are typically what lead to chances. When players have more time and space, you can realistically expect them to make fewer mistakes and therefore your precious goals/game would be down.

Me personally, I'm fine with the rate of scoring in the NHL. Just get rid of the trapezoid and let a goalie handle the puck wherever he damn well pleases.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by CroFlames

This guy is right. And again, the NHL thinks so backwards. Bigger rinks won't lead to more scoring or increased pace of play.

Look at what happens with soccer when they go from full sized pitches to futsal. The game is way faster, arguably more entertaining with the back and forth. I am certainly no advocate for basketball, but scoring is a free for all on those tiny surfaces. Could you imagine if the courts were twice as big? Scoring would be down without a doubt in my mind.

Someone else mentioned it; MISTAKES are typically what lead to chances. When players have more time and space, you can realistically expect them to make fewer mistakes and therefore your precious goals/game would be down.

Me personally, I'm fine with the rate of scoring in the NHL. Just get rid of the trapezoid and let a goalie handle the puck wherever he damn well pleases.

This is all true. Remember Nagano? The Canadians had great offensive players (like Fleury, Sakic, Gretzky, Yzerman, Lindros, Brind'amour) but the big ice didn't help at all. The Czechs essentially forced them to the outside, then played a pretty tight box. Cross-ice passes took forever to get to the other side, allowing the defence to get over and adjust.

[Frequitude]

I'd shrink it before I expanded it. Would rather keep it the same though.

[GreenLantern2814]

Teams should be able to set their own rink dimensions. anything between 85 and 100 feet wide is fair game. Let home ice advantage mean something. Baseball does it this way and they seem to be fine.

Goalies would hate it.

[Coach]

I think people are getting hung up on the widening of it and the comparison the Euro game. 5 feet (2.5 on each side) is not enough to change the way the game is played system-wise IMO. All it will do is give people with speed more room to get around defenders, and people with hands AND speed more room to go outside-in and split defence. I really doubt you'd see any sort of drastic change to a sit-and-wait type of game like the Euro game is. A full 10 feet is enough to do that, but not splitting the difference.

And just no to different sized surfaces. That, IMO, is the stupidest thing about baseball. And I think there are A LOT of stupid things about baseball.

[GirlySports]

i think making the ice wider is ok, just don't make it longer.

[vennegoor of hesselink]

I barely noticed the difference for the World Jrs in Helsinki. Isnt the hybrid ice surface 7.5 feet wider in Finland?

[hwy19man]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

This is all true. Remember Nagano? The Canadians had great offensive players (like Fleury, Sakic, Gretzky, Yzerman, Lindros, Brind'amour) but the big ice didn't help at all. The Czechs essentially forced them to the outside, then played a pretty tight box. Cross-ice passes took forever to get to the other side, allowing the defence to get over and adjust.

Remember Salt Lake City? Most of those players were on that team (minus Gretzky and Brind'amour) along with Lemieux and Iginla and Team Canada had another difficult game against the Czechs.

[hwy19man]

Originally Posted by vennegoor of hesselink

I barely noticed the difference for the World Jrs in Helsinki. Isnt the hybrid ice surface 7.5 feet wider in Finland?

That is correct, the width is 28.2 metres (92.5 feet). It is a compromise between the NHL and IIHF widths.

Here is an article from nearly two years ago and Brian Burke is quoted. http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey...g_feschuk.html

[GirlySports]

how about a wider rink.... like a circle!

[Fire]

Originally Posted by GirlySports

how about a wider rink.... like a circle!

If it was a perfect circle, you could have 4 nets and 4 teams playing off against each other at the same time. Use two pucks and the goal scoring problem will be solved.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Rollin22x

The extra 5 feet will be painted as a warning track.

At the risk of going OT, this is a great idea. Maybe not in the NHL but for all other rinks it is something worth considering from a safety perspective. The 'danger zone' is something we teach kids especially when they are exposed to body checking for the first time. A 'warning track' type marking on the ice surface could serve a great visual reminder to them.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

At the risk of going OT, this is a great idea. Maybe not in the NHL but for all other rinks it is something worth considering from a safety perspective. The 'danger zone' is something we teach kids especially when they are exposed to body checking for the first time. A 'warning track' type marking on the ice surface could serve a great visual reminder to them.

I had to.

Spoiler!