WordsOfWisdom Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I know this idea will get **** canned immediately, but should the NHL take steps to slow the game down? Hear me out. The pace of the game today is such that every shift is played at 100%. It's like a race car at full throttle for the entire race, or a jet with afterburners full on for an entire mission. I actually miss the "conservation of energy" and the longer shifts that players used to take. I enjoy watching the game when players develop plays and work their way up the ice rather than flying around at max speed, approaching the line, and then dumping the puck in to go on a line change. I don't see much offensive zone pressure anymore (other than on power plays) because the players aren't usually on the ice long enough to make anything happen. They zoom in, fire off a shot, and then it's a mad skate back to the bench. I wonder if fans today could appreciate a game where players didn't always go 100%. A game where a typical shift might mean skating at 50-60% and then ramping it up to 100% when an opportunity presented itself, rather than moving around quickly without a purpose, just to be moving around quickly. A radical solution might be to get rid of line changes on-the-fly, thereby forcing teams to change lines during a play stoppage. That means longer and more meaningful line match-ups. That means sustained offence. That means careful use of energy to avoid getting fatigued. ie: Pick your spots wisely, don't go 100% all the time because the shift might be 30 seconds or it might be 3 minutes. What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Are you a soccer fan or something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idahophilly Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I know this idea will get **** canned immediately, .... clank! Can is full. anyone got another hefty bag? (seriously?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idahophilly Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Pick your spots wisely, don't go 100% all the time because the shift might be 30 seconds or it might be 3 minutes. What do you think? I think your trying to kill the players! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 @WordsOfWisdom Um, pushing the pace and speed of the game, gives the elite skating teams a huge advantage...that is how things are supposed to be. The more elite skaters you have....and the better shape they are in to push that pace....well, that is directly correlated to winning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I think your trying to kill the players! He's been watching Kessel too much and thinks 3 min shifts are normal. Or he's never played hockey. That's crazy talk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyercanuck Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 I know this idea will get **** canned immediately, but should the NHL take steps to slow the game down? Hear me out. The pace of the game today is such that every shift is played at 100%. It's like a race car at full throttle for the entire race, or a jet with afterburners full on for an entire mission. I actually miss the "conservation of energy" and the longer shifts that players used to take. I enjoy watching the game when players develop plays and work their way up the ice rather than flying around at max speed, approaching the line, and then dumping the puck in to go on a line change. I don't see much offensive zone pressure anymore (other than on power plays) because the players aren't usually on the ice long enough to make anything happen. They zoom in, fire off a shot, and then it's a mad skate back to the bench. I wonder if fans today could appreciate a game where players didn't always go 100%. A game where a typical shift might mean skating at 50-60% and then ramping it up to 100% when an opportunity presented itself, rather than moving around quickly without a purpose, just to be moving around quickly. A radical solution might be to get rid of line changes on-the-fly, thereby forcing teams to change lines during a play stoppage. That means longer and more meaningful line match-ups. That means sustained offence. That means careful use of energy to avoid getting fatigued. ie: Pick your spots wisely, don't go 100% all the time because the shift might be 30 seconds or it might be 3 minutes. What do you think? You've been watching way too much Phil the thrill....he needs to step it up, not the rest of the league to slack off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radoran Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Instead of changing the league to make the Leafs competitive, try changing the Leafs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WordsOfWisdom Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 Are you a soccer fan or something? I find soccer to be dreadfully boring. That's what an NHL game would look like if there were NO line changes in the entire game. But I do think there's a balance to be struck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WordsOfWisdom Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 .... clank! Can is full. anyone got another hefty bag? (seriously?) Double bag it! Seriously though, I think it warrants consideration. The frequency of line changes in today's game is far too high IMHO. It really takes away from the game now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WordsOfWisdom Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 He's been watching Kessel too much and thinks 3 min shifts are normal. Or he's never played hockey. That's crazy talk. Keep in mind the goalie can still freeze the puck. If a shift is getting too long and one team needs a change, their goalie can hold the puck and get a faceoff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 @WordsOfWisdom I was referring to your desire to see players take 3 min shifts at half speed. If I wanted to watch that, I'd become a Leafs fan. Kidding. A game where a typical shift might mean skating at 50-60% and then ramping it up to 100% when an opportunity presented itself, rather than moving around quickly without a purpose, just to be moving around quickly. Don't take this the wrong way, but this sentence suggests that you've never played hockey. That's ok, I just think that hockey cannot be played that way. It would become soccer on ice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radoran Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Keep in mind the goalie can still freeze the puck. If a shift is getting too long and one team needs a change, their goalie can hold the puck and get a faceoff. Maybe they could make the nets round with a hole in the bottom and play with round, orange balls instead of pucks. Then the last two minutes of a game could take half an hour! Bliss! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Keep in mind the goalie can still freeze the puck. If a shift is getting too long and one team needs a change, their goalie can hold the puck and get a faceoff. Oh joy. I'd like to see the game move in the very opposite direction, with the goalie more involved in the play, even skating it up the ice, making passes, shooting, hitting people etc. You know, like Hextall. He was a visionary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idahophilly Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Well, I don't mind throwing any idea on the table to be considered, this one included. But this is a no starter. Overall, this has been a thrilling playoffs with the pace and makes me see just how slow the Flyers were this last season. There is even an argument to made the Timo looks SO bad on the Blackhawks because we had nothing to compare him to except playing on the Flyers. Clearly not the entire issue there but at least partially. Anyway, you better buckle up because your team is about to start a big change with Babs and jettisoning dead weight (all most literally). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AJgoal Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 No. We see a lot of 3, 4, 5 minute or more periods of play between whistles. Who wants to see that with the 4th lines stuck on the ice? Not I, and certainly not the NHL or NBC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 We see a lot of 3, 4, 5 minute or more periods of play between whistles. Who wants to see that with the 4th lines stuck on the ice? That's easy to solve. Just do what they do for 5 year olds: a loud horn goes at, say the 3 min mark, and everyone has to change. You just leave the puck where it is. Total chaos ensues as the fresh players scramble to get to the puck. That's some fine sporting drama right there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WordsOfWisdom Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 @WordsOfWisdom I was referring to your desire to see players take 3 min shifts at half speed. If I wanted to watch that, I'd become a Leafs fan. Kidding. Don't take this the wrong way, but this sentence suggests that you've never played hockey. That's ok, I just think that hockey cannot be played that way. It would become soccer on ice. LOL at all the Leafs jokes. I've played a lot of different sports, including hockey, and I know how the human body works. It's a lot like a car: The harder you drive it, the more fuel it burns. I can walk all day, jog for only a few hours, or sprint for less than a minute before I'm gassed. Fighters experience this in combat sports as well (which I've also done). If you throw punches from time to time (and with a purpose), you don't get fatigued as quickly as the fighter that throws about ten wild, full power punches in rapid succession. "Fuel consumption" increases exponentially as performance reaches peak output. To relate it to hockey, if players were coasting and skating more casually, they could skate around for an hour. (I've done it.) But they're doing the equivalent of a 100m dash when they do a shift in the NHL. It's 100% output. They flame out quickly because that pace is unsustainable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 To relate it to hockey, if players were coasting and skating more casually, they could skate around for an hour. (I've done it.) But they're doing the equivalent of a 100m dash when they do a shift in the NHL. It's 100% output. They flame out quickly because that pace is unsustainable. No it's not. You get off the ice when you've reached your limit. You rest up and do it again. Or, in the case of Phil Kessel you saunter around in the manner that you suggest and watch the puck go in your net. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murraycraven Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 A radical solution might be to get rid of line changes on-the-fly, thereby forcing teams to change lines during a play stoppage. HUH?!?!?!!??? Pods, take away his Canadian membership card! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Podein25 Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Pods, take away his Canadian membership card! No problem. You just get them at Tim Horton's, so I will go downstairs to the Tim's, which is in my building (of course) and ask. I'm sure they will be willing to help - they're big on customer service (except in Bridgewater, NS apparently). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murraycraven Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 No problem. You just get them at Tim Horton's, so I will go downstairs to the Tim's, which is in my building (of course) and ask. I'm sure they will be willing to help - they're big on customer service (except in Bridgewater, NS apparently). LOL! priceless 80) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackStraw Posted June 10, 2015 Share Posted June 10, 2015 Banning on the fly line changes will never happen. If you want to slow the game down a bit (and maybe make it safer at the same time) put the red line back in. Personally I would favor that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WordsOfWisdom Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 HUH?!?!?!!??? Pods, take away his Canadian membership card! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WordsOfWisdom Posted June 10, 2015 Author Share Posted June 10, 2015 No it's not. You get off the ice when you've reached your limit. You rest up and do it again. Or, in the case of Phil Kessel you saunter around in the manner that you suggest and watch the puck go in your net. LOL. Okay I should have been clearer: That pace isn't sustainable for more than 30 seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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