Last week, the Florida Panthers defeated the Washington Capitals 2-1 in a record-setting 20 round shootout that illustrates the problem that will not go away. The crisis are goaltenders that are nearly as big as the nets with bulky equipment that takes away from what little net is left to shoot at.
As we mentioned last week, the NHL is averaging just a little over five goals per game which is not much more than during the Dead Puck era before the lost season of 2004-05. Yes, the game is faster and more wide open, but the size of goaltenders and their extra-large equipment is becoming a crisis that is well past due for being addressed. The NHL will never maximize its full potential for growth until it makes up for the lack of goal scoring.
Unfortunately, NHL leadership continues to stick its head into the sand and ignore the problem. Let’s look at revolutionary solutions that would ignite passion for the sport, but perhaps make too much sense for those in charge.
Acknowledge Evolution with Bigger Nets to Compensate for Bigger Goalies
NHL teams draft size as much, or more, than anything else when it comes to goaltenders. Small netminders, no matter how skilled, need not apply. If you watch a game from the 1970s or 1980s, you will be stunned at the much smaller size of the goaltenders and the increased amount of open net that players had to shoot at. Since there is no turning back as far as the size of goaltenders, the NHL must address the evolution and get past its boorish attitude of “the net has always been this size.” A four foot by six foot cage may have been right decades ago but it’s been outgrown by extra large goalies.
Wooden Sticks
If Major League Baseball can still use wood bats, there is absolutely no reason in the world why the NHL cannot go back to wood sticks. The “Goaltenders Union” often cries that the extra bulky equipment is necessary due to the extra speed of the puck that is fired by today’s composite sticks. With wooden sticks the speed of the puck would decrease and goalies would not need to wear as much bulk. Beyond that players such as Brett Hull have stated that today’s composite sticks make shooters less accurate.
A Serious Equipment Crackdown
Getting real about the equipment bulk and sweater size is a must. With modern technology there is no excuse for the tiny tweaks of an inch or two shaved off pads that the NHL has gone with in recent years. You can still keep the goaltenders safe with newly engineered protective padding that is less bulky and would offer more net to shoot at as a result.
Full Time Four on Four
Goaltenders are not the only players that are significantly bigger than a generation ago. All players are much taller and have greater reach for poke checks than in the past. Hockey is now played in a congested phone booth. There is little time for creativity and skilled play compared to the past. If you watch a four on four overtime you will notice the extra room on the ice and the greater play making opportunity as a result. Full time four on four hockey with no cuts to roster sizes to appease the player’s union is the answer. The fact that the NHL goes to four on four during overtime is the ultimate indictment against five on five hockey and how it holds goal scoring down.
The NHL’s Insular Attitude Holds Greatest Sport Down
No sport on earth is as insular and tone deaf as the NHL. You would have thought that commissioner Gary Bettman, coming from the NBA, would recognize this and aggressively push for more scoring. Yet all we get are tweaks. But, they’re obviously not enough, as the scoreboard indicates.
A 3-2 Shutdown League or a Wide Open 5-4 League?
Time and again you hear brass and coaches call the NHL a “3-2 shutdown league.”
Does that really sound like something that is appealing to fans of other sports that are hesitant to try watching hockey? Does the guy watching basketball on TV looking at 1-0 third period NHL scores on the bottom screen crawl feel the need to switch over to pucks? The ratings indicate not.
College Football Went on the Offensive
No sport in North America has seen a more rapid growth than college football. And a big reason for its growth is wide open attack offenses that are aggressive and exciting. The NHL should learn from that business model and adapt. You cannot keep doing business the same way and grow. Paying customers and TV viewers want more goals. Give the customer what they want and count the extra cash for doing so.
