I've been very VERY busy between working two jobs in pro-sports (fulltime MLB and parttime ECHL). My apologies.
Jets are out of the playoffs as it stands right now. But that's not what I'm referring to in the title. I'm talking about the new rule talks and a possible player retirement.
The good news first.
Sean Avery told Bravo TV that he has thrown his skates into the Hudson River and he is retiring from hockey.
You can read the full story, but essentially he told Nicole Richie that's he's done. While some speculate its just a joke, Avery is remaining firm in his statement. Avery is currently signed with the Rangers, but sent down to the AHL Connecticut Whale where he was left off the clear list meaning he cannot play the rest of the season. He didn't play a lot anyway, being a healthy scratch even when he was eligiable.
Even if he was joking about actually retiring when his contract expires at the end of this season, he has certainly made himself less appealing with this stunt meaning that he may be forced to retire, even if he is joking at this time.
Now, onto the talk of the rules.
The NHL is debating two things (well, many things but two big ones). Something bad and something horrible horrible from the past. Both are efforts to stop concussions.
The GM’s are considering bringing in an invisible line for icing, or hybrid icing. It is not the same as minor league or international rules (which is a no-touch icing system). Rather, it would be an invisible line drawn as to intersect the two face-off dots in a defensive zone.
Currently, if a puck is shot from a team’s defensive zone past the opposite goal line, a defensive player must skate down the ice and touch it before the opposing team does. You know that. No touch icing stops the play the moment the puck reaches the goal line. No touch by the defense is required.
The hybrid rule would mean a defensive player must reach the “line” at the circles before the opposition. Then, play is whistled dead. Icing.
That’s a good-ish idea in that it goes in the right direction, but really bad in its implimentation. It would not stop players from racing to the puck and possibly ramming into each other on the far boards and it opens up more subjectivity. With the current system, it is arguably easier to see who touches the puck first. With no-touch, there’s no debate whatsoever. It is one of the things I really love in ECHL hockey as compared to the NHL, the no-touch. It keeps the game going.
GM’s are afraid a no-touch icing robs teams of a scoring chance. My argument is that teams wouldn’t invent plays that used such a “dump & race” stradegy. If you know it’s icing, you can’t really call it a scoring chance.
The other interesting tweek is that Linesmen will have discression at calling icing in the hybrid fashion OR being able to "let things play out" and allow play to continue and only whistle icing under today's rules. That still leaves the mad race down the ice in place whilst adding a layer of opinion to the Linesmen and thusly adding more possibilities for controversal calls.
The other idea is one of the worst things the NHL could bring back: the center red line.
Under the old system (and proposed new rules), the red line is back in play. A puck could not be passed from the defensive zone to the far blue line. The puck can’t cross two lines in a pass. Remember the two-line pass? That’s such a bad idea. GM’s want to slow the game down. Really? Slow it down?
I understand the high speeds may lead to more injuries. But it’s breakaways that are the problem, not the two-line pass. Don’t misunderstand me: I love breakaways. But that’s where players get going at the highest speeds making them more likely to be injured.
If the GM’s were serious about slowing down the game, they should have an offsides rule like soccer (football). An offensive player cannot be past the last defender until there is a pass. (At least, I think that’s how the rule works. I’m not a huge soccer fan, so forgive my ignorance).
That center redline, two-line pass mess needs to stay in the past.
Other rules that are on the agenda: hand-passes in the defensive zone (currently legal), curbing fighting, and some tweeking to changing on the fly.
The fighting thing doesn't have a lot of steam. While there are concussions as results of a fight, fights are voluntary. It's not a blind hit. So most GM's don't appear to be going for that.
I'm not terribly familiar with the talks about the line changes. I can't imagine it being a huge change, like completely eliminating it. I'll keep you posted.
The last thing on the table for discussion is the hand pass in the defensive zone. I'm all for getting rid of it for the reason the GM's are thinking: opening up more scoring opportunities. I know it's legal right now, but it still feels like a cheap move.
Given the idea that GM's are considering adding more scoring opportunities by getting rid of the hand pass, it is amazing that the two-line pass is even up for debate. I'm not yet sold on the idea that a pass up the ice creates a situation more prone to concussion-inducing hits any more than a series of passes through the neutral zone, moving at a high speed. The defense is still retreating and building speed.
I could be proven wrong, but not just yet.
More to come.
