The New NHL Is A Better NHL

One year ago, the future of the National Hockey League was in serious question. The two sides (the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Player’s Association) were in a serious deadlock, and there was not a lot of progress made. Finally, after losing the entire 2004-2005 season due to the lockout, it was announced on July 13 that hockey would make its long-awaited return this season with major changes in order to make the game more enjoyable. Hockey fans rejoiced. Of the major changes made to the game, the salary cap, crackdown on obstruction penalties, removal of the centre-ice red line, and changes to the icing rule have all sped up the game and are responsible for the higher quality of play.

 For years, many critics of the league have been lobbying for a salary cap, which is essentially a limit that a team has to spend on contracts for their players. Several other professional sports leagues such as the NBA and the NFL use this system, and it has resulted in a popular product. The NHL finally responded this year when both sides agreed to the salary cap system. Basically what this move did was spread talent throughout the league. It is now difficult for rich teams to load up on high-priced, talented stars, which would give a disadvantage to some of the poorer teams. The salary cap also gives younger, cheaper players a chance to play more because owners are now more aware of their spending and would rather give the nod to young players rather than sign a veteran who will essentially cost more and take up more cap space.

Undoubtedly, the biggest change made to the actual game of hockey is the crackdown on obstruction penalties. In the past decade, hockey had been steadily moving towards a slower product. The cause for this was a disgusting increase in the amount of slashing, hooking and holding in the game. Players found it difficult to drive toward the net because of this, and it resulted in fewer chances to score; fewer chances to score results in a not-so-exciting game. Star players have been speaking out over this issue for years, and the NHL finally answered back this season with improved officiating. Penalty calls are now being made instantly when a player’s stick touches another player. Competitors can now make a push for the opponent’s net without having to worry about getting a stick in the side. The change has also yielded another trend in the NHL. Bigger, tougher players are no longer seen as an integral part of the team. In the “Old NHL”, teams set out to acquire larger players that could use their physical ability to stop the opponent. Now that players are free from obstruction however, the trend seems to be heading towards smaller, faster, more talented players. This increased quality of refereeing has made for a much more exciting game to watch, and it has made the game better as a whole.

 Although on paper it doesn’t seem like it would be a major alteration, the removal of the centre-ice red line has opened up the game to an exciting new pace. In the “Old NHL”, players were not able to pass the puck from their end to a teammate that was past the centre-ice line, or it would be called as a two-line pass and play would stop. This restricted the options for a team. Now, with the line taken out, players are now permitted to send long passes out to a teammate at the far blue-line, making for exciting breakaways, and more chances to score. Although the centre-line has been “taken out” for the purpose of eliminating the two-line offside rule, it has not eliminated the icing rule.

 As mentioned earlier, the trend in past years in the NHL has been a slower paced game. One of the biggest reasons for the slower games was the icing rule. An icing is called when a team shoots the puck from their own half of the rink to the far end of the other team’s side; the whistle is blown, the puck is brought back to other end of the ice, and is then dropped in a faceoff. Defending teams use this to their advantage when they are desperate or tired. Rather than working hard to get the puck out of their end, and away from their goalie, players would shoot the puck down as hard as they could, knowing the whistle would be blown and they would be able to change lines and get fresh players on the ice; however, this is no longer the case. The league introduced a new rule this year stating that any team that ices the puck, whether intentional or not, cannot switch lines during the time the whistle is blown until the puck is dropped again. This rule has made a significant impact on the game, and it is clearly apparent that teams now think twice about icing the puck.

 There is no denying that the game has improved. It is quicker and it allows for players’ real talent to shine through. The changes made to the game have created a final product that, so far, has proved to be far more exciting than it has ever been in the past 10 years. It is unfortunate that it took a year for hockey to return, but it is obvious that these changes never would have been made had the agreement between the two sides been short and sweet. As a longtime fan of the game, I see the rule changes as the best thing to happen to the league, at least of my time and I find myself tuning into every game I can just to experience the high tempo play. Goals have increased substantially, and, of course, that is why we all tune into the sport in the first place. Canadian songwriter Stompin’ Tom Connors once famously claimed that hockey was “the best game you can name”. Well, it is now that much better.