Paul Stewart: The NHL Version of Deflategate

Great story about the Nordiques manipulating the circles. I'll never look at the ice again without thinking of that.

What was wrong with Washington's brand new ice markings?

Also, have you ever heard of or given a penalty for a skater having too wide of a blade?

I heard Datsyuk uses an especially wide one, and he's one of the best with the puck ever. Don't think many players think about the width, or even know the rule.
I'm assuming they have to cap it somewhere so people aren't getting ridiculous.

Nice blog

It is kind of funny, considering the newer rules regarding starting play right away after an icing, how often goalies have "equipment malfunctions" just after their team ices the puck. Some players on the icing team also skate back to the faceoff circle slower than most people could walk back to it. I often think the ref should just drop the puck when teams try to stretch the rule like this.

I think some of the worst cheating in recent years has been at the GM level prior to the latest CBA with GM's giving out heavily front-loaded contracts that last until the player is in his mid-40's.

It is kind of funny, considering the newer rules regarding starting play right away after an icing, how often goalies have "equipment malfunctions" just after their team ices the puck. Some players on the icing team also skate back to the faceoff circle slower than most people could walk back to it. I often think the ref should just drop the puck when teams try to stretch the rule like this.

I think some of the worst cheating in recent years has been at the GM level prior to the latest CBA with GM's giving out heavily front-loaded contracts that last until the player is in his mid-40's.
- PghPens668771

I blame that squarely on the league and the owners. They're the ones (obviously the Union agreed to it) that put in a cap system that a third grader could have told you could be easily manipulated.

Great write up. Love hearing these insider stories. Keep em coming!

I think everyone knows and frankly expects that players will do some of these things that I would consider tactical in nature to try to gain an edge during a course of a game and I'd classify deflate gate on that level. The problem is it's just another episode in a long line of organizational cheating. What the Patriots achieved in spy gate did is a more serious matter is that it represents a long running and systemic attempt at an organizational level to gain a strategic advantage. There is no other sport like the NFL where every play and formation is diagrammed and scripted. Having this kind of knowledge materially alters the game on a strategic level. Filming walkthroughs, stealing play books, and filming signals should be grounds for serious discipline. That Goodell and his cronies basically swept the whole episode and the real extent of what was going on for so long calls into question the very integrity of the league. Goodell should be terminated post haste at a minimum and the Pats should have their Super Bowl championships vacated.