Hockey's Back!!!

[sav]

GO PENS!!!!

Sorry, guys, but I have to represent for PA here...The Pens, however plagued by troubles, will always be my club! Super Mario will be our saviour once again!!!
~Sav

[arrogcow]

Well the Wilkes Barre/ Scranton Penguins are great at least (sorry I don't believe in sports above the minor league level. The players don't strike, and tickets are cheaper, and you never have commercial delays).

Adam

[GMan]

So true Adam.

[Jimmy Carbomb]

With the new rules, and the resumption of another, this should be a GREAT season!

1). No more red line! The offsides passes (two line passes) killed the game and gave birth to the "trap". With that gone... bye, bye defensive juggernauts.

2). No tied games. Bring-on the "shoot out". This is gonna be GREAT! How would you like to be a goalie in contract negotiations NOW?!

3). Resumption of the "off sides touch-up" rule. Keep the daggum game moving! This helps!

The financial side will GREATLY help the Canadian and small-market teams... and it's about time!!!

I can't wait to root for my Flyers , but I sure have a soft spot for the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins.

Whatever the case... bring it on!!!!!!!!

[Colin]

Put the puck in the net already!!!

I got the above pic form http://www.boxjboys.ca/home.html They look like a fun lovin kilt wearin' bunch!!!

Ah, man why is Don Cherry now on a kilt forum. Any credit he had as a hockey announcer has been lost since he became a media whore, doing any commercial they ask him too.

Go Canucks!!!

[Colin]

With the new rules, and the resumption of another, this should be a GREAT season!

1). No more red line! The offsides passes (two line passes) killed the game and gave birth to the "trap". With that gone... bye, bye defensive juggernauts.

2). No tied games. Bring-on the "shoot out". This is gonna be GREAT! How would you like to be a goalie in contract negotiations NOW?!

3). Resumption of the "off sides touch-up" rule. Keep the daggum game moving! This helps!

The financial side will GREATLY help the Canadian and small-market teams... and it's about time!!!

I can't wait to root for my Flyers , but I sure have a soft spot for the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins.

Whatever the case... bring it on!!!!!!!!

Do you think Florida has figured out what they won yet? or has lord Stanley's cup been used for beer funnels during spring break?

[KMacT]

1). No more red line! The offsides passes (two line passes) killed the game and gave birth to the "trap". With that gone... bye, bye defensive juggernauts.

The "trap" has been used for as long as I can remember. The high-flying speedy Montreal Canadiens of the 1970s used the trap all the time. It's just good positional hockey. But the "modern" trap, if you will, succeeds only because the refs refuse to call penalties. It's not the trap that is the problem, it's the hooking and holding. Bobby Orr could beat a trap by outskating his opponents. Today he'd skate past someone only to get hooked and tripped in the neutral zone. It is the refusal to call these penalties that gave birth to the success of the modern trap and has contributed greatly to ruining the game. That and the fact that few player know how to make an open ice hit anymore (when was the last time you saw a hip check?). The trap, itself, is just positional hockey.

As for the elimination of the two-line pass offside, I predict what this will result in is more *attempts* to make long passes, and more long passes missing their mark and going the length of the ice - resulting in, at worst, more icing calls (stoppages in play) or at best, the defensive team skating back to their end to retrieve the puck and start all over again. No actual stoppage in play, but certainly a break in he action.

2). No tied games. Bring-on the "shoot out". This is gonna be GREAT!

I believe that the penalty shot is exciting because it rarely happens. Give us several in a game and over time this will become less and less of an exciting part of the game. And I also have a problem with a team game being decided by individuals with no team aspect whatsoever. In other words, I'm not a big fan of this change. And I also would like to ask, what is wrong with two team playing equally and a tie game resulting?

3). Resumption of the "off sides touch-up" rule. Keep the daggum game moving! This helps!

Agreed. Taking away the touch-up off-side was a stupid idea when it was done several years ago. They changed the rule then to help speed up the game. That didn't make sense then, and allowing touch-up off-sides will help the flow of the game.

Kevin

[jfellrath]

Great representive Red Wings photo you posted. I'd rather see a Steve skatin' with a puck.

Jack

Oh, if you're a Wings fan, that picture is EXACTLY what you want to see!

At least I get to see the Wings a few times a year since they're in the same division as the Blue Jackets...

[Big Paul]

Ah, man why is Don Cherry now on a kilt forum. Any credit he had as a hockey announcer has been lost since he became a media whore, doing any commercial they ask him too.

Go Canucks!!!

He's still a BLAST to watch!

[Jimmy Carbomb]

Kevin, the modern trap (as instituted by the Devils) is one that's a version of the flowing-overload from the 1960's. The big difference is that the talent pool in the NHL is such that there are not the number of breakaway skaters on each team. This means that the modern trap will frustrate teams into breaking it with mis-directed, long passes. Miss one pass, and the trap works. Make the pass, and you may just do some good. By negating the red line, there are opportunities to hit floaters (like the notorious Jaromir Jagr and Sergei Federov) and make the defense pull back.

As for the last time I saw a good open-ice hip check... one guy... Kevin Stevens. No elbows like Chelios, and no knees like Kasparitis. Good, clean, knock you on your mamma's backside checks! He's murder to play against, but REALLY knows how to take a guy out. Before that? Barclay, Bob and Billy Plager.

As for the shoot-out, I have NO PROBLEM with a new idea to bring the casual fans back to the game. With the labour dispute, and subsequent lock-out, they're gonna need whatever they can get. I really don't see it sticking around for more than a couple seasons, but we'll see. This one just seems to be a ploy for drawing fans back... although I'll love to see it while it's here.