Interesting article about the new NHL Rules

[Oreo]

The article talks about the 10 minute video the league sent tot he team on obstruction. Also, the rookie camp in Traverse City saw ridiculous numbers of penalties.
http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/hockey/12621085.htm

However, the NHL appears intent on making all games a special-teams fest. I don't know who comes out on top there.

"The power play is huge, huge," Tremblay said.

Walz said that if the officials really do call every little thing, teams might wind up at even strength for just a few minutes each game.

It's important to keep in mind that the NHL has threatened to crack down on obstruction many times in the past, although never to this extent. Experience tells us that the refs eventually stop calling it.

[Telly Savalas]

1. If the refs don't cave in but keep calling these penalties...

eventually teams will adapt and you'll see more 5 on 5 hockey. I'm willing to suffer through a few months of special-teams fests to get that.

Hopefully the existence of the competition committee will help keep the refs making the calls. I'm trying to remain optimistic on this one.

[Ravenseye]

2. Nah That's Not Right

If officials do really call every little thing then there will be tons of power plays for the first few games, but they'll drastically decrease. If they keep calling them, players will stop comiitting them.

Sure it's a change of play style, but it's one that was let in, in the first place.

If you play like an NHL player in a pickup game you'll last 5 minutes before they kick you off the team for playing like a dick.

Can you imagine what would happen to Baskeball if they just stopped calling half the fouls or more? What would happen if the refs started calling it again. Sure for a game or two there'd be alot of free throws and fouls, but it wouldn't be that way a week later. That's the whole point.

If they do this, it's going to be a power play fest for a week, a month tops, and then either a) The refs will stop calling the penalties or b) the players will stop committing them.

It's always been choice a) before. The refs always buckle. What they need to do is have someone overseeing the refs and then start firing the ones that aren't calling things well. That'll get them in line.

[getmeouttahere]

3. I still think that.....

more room in the offensive zone AND the ability to make longer passes will offset some of this.

[kcr]

4. The coaches have to cooperate

If they insist on sticking to the trap and the lock, then wewont see a lot of teams take advantage of the new rules. We need to hope that, unlike every other time they have cracked down on obstruction, the coaches don't almost unanimously whine about the enforcement adn get the refs toe ase off. Hopefully, there are coaches who can see what the new rules offer them and take advantage of it.