Each year the game is slightly different, the constant tinkering with the game makes us forget if there ever was a base line when the game was perfect.
Yes we are all nostalgic for the 80’s when Isles and Oilers dominated. The hockey was cruel, vicious and fun. But the players were the poor cousins of the Pro athletes from the other Major leagues. Their money was comparatively lousy. With the increased TV coverage, the players got paid much better and the league started tinkering with the rules to make it more appealing to the viewers in the borsht belt. No more tomahawk chops, no more climbing into the stands with your skates on a la Terry O’Reilly. Mandatory helmets for all, then visors for increased safety; all sorts of confusing goal crease rulings to manufacture more goals for the TV viewers and weird “distinct motion skate to the puck” ruling etc. etc. etc.
When you think the rules couldn’t get any sillier, you got the puck over the plexi penalty. Can someone please explain to me what that is all about? Shooting the puck outside the plexi has the same effect as icing it. The game is whistle dead. You drop the puck again. But in the instance of icing there is no penalty and in the instance of shooting the puck over the plexi there is one. To make the matter even more complicated, if the puck is deflected off a player or the boards, or the referee then there is no penalty –if the puck goes out straight from the players stick, there is a penalty. A joke right?
Now the league comes up with the helmet removal penalty before the fights. What is that all about????? As of now you are not allowed to remove helmets before fighting?
What’s next? You won’t be allowed to ditch the stick, gloves, mouth guard or elbow pads????? So in the preseason two players in the most gentlemanly of fashion mutually removed their helmets before their fight in order to avoid the additional 2 minute penalty. Good on them! I would have loved to hear the little discussion between them:
“Hey you ugly mug, you wanna dance? Any time you motherless child! But first can you remove my helmet before I pummel you? I swear I won’t suckerpunch you.
Promise? Ok then, would you do the same for me please? But of course. That’s awfully nice of you!”
So now we will have another rule that will prohibit players removing of each other’s equipment!!!!! Are you serious ??? So no hanky panky on the ice gents!
You certainly won’t be able to remove each other jockstraps….before going toe to toe……and that brings me to the full circle now that Sean Avery has come out of the locker room. You won’t be able to suggestively touch each other on ice either and most importantly, you are no longer able to do the entertaining Avery sabredance to mindfxck the opposing goalkeeper. That loop hole has been also closed –it’s even called the Avery rule!
I kind wish Roger Neilson was still coaching and coming out with new gimmicks how to embarrass the League by out thinking them!
Let’s play hockey!
Yes we are all nostalgic for the 80’s when Isles and Oilers dominated. The hockey was cruel, vicious and fun. But the players were the poor cousins of the Pro athletes from the other Major leagues. Their money was comparatively lousy. With the increased TV coverage, the players got paid much better and the league started tinkering with the rules to make it more appealing to the viewers in the borsht belt. No more tomahawk chops, no more climbing into the stands with your skates on a la Terry O’Reilly. Mandatory helmets for all, then visors for increased safety; all sorts of confusing goal crease rulings to manufacture more goals for the TV viewers and weird “distinct motion skate to the puck” ruling etc. etc. etc.
When you think the rules couldn’t get any sillier, you got the puck over the plexi penalty. Can someone please explain to me what that is all about? Shooting the puck outside the plexi has the same effect as icing it. The game is whistle dead. You drop the puck again. But in the instance of icing there is no penalty and in the instance of shooting the puck over the plexi there is one. To make the matter even more complicated, if the puck is deflected off a player or the boards, or the referee then there is no penalty –if the puck goes out straight from the players stick, there is a penalty. A joke right?
Now the league comes up with the helmet removal penalty before the fights. What is that all about????? As of now you are not allowed to remove helmets before fighting?
What’s next? You won’t be allowed to ditch the stick, gloves, mouth guard or elbow pads????? So in the preseason two players in the most gentlemanly of fashion mutually removed their helmets before their fight in order to avoid the additional 2 minute penalty. Good on them! I would have loved to hear the little discussion between them:
“Hey you ugly mug, you wanna dance? Any time you motherless child! But first can you remove my helmet before I pummel you? I swear I won’t suckerpunch you.
Promise? Ok then, would you do the same for me please? But of course. That’s awfully nice of you!”
So now we will have another rule that will prohibit players removing of each other’s equipment!!!!! Are you serious ??? So no hanky panky on the ice gents!
You certainly won’t be able to remove each other jockstraps….before going toe to toe……and that brings me to the full circle now that Sean Avery has come out of the locker room. You won’t be able to suggestively touch each other on ice either and most importantly, you are no longer able to do the entertaining Avery sabredance to mindfxck the opposing goalkeeper. That loop hole has been also closed –it’s even called the Avery rule!
I kind wish Roger Neilson was still coaching and coming out with new gimmicks how to embarrass the League by out thinking them!
Let’s play hockey!