Ryan Wilson: Sidney Crosby's Rocket Richard Trophy is both impressive and depressing Sidney Crosby's Rocket Richard Trophy is both impressive and depressing

Love to see Connor and Sid square off in the playoffs

I'm not going to do the homework on this one, but would you say that more teams are scoring by committee rather than relying too heavily on their stars? The rise of the importance of third scoring lines would at least suggest that trend...

Presumably, the reason for such a dramatic drop in penalty calls is the league wants to speed up the game.
So now star players are targeted and more likely to be missing games due to cheap shot injuries and they'll spend 5 minutes reviewing an offside. How is that a "better product?"
Do the millionaire owners run all their businesses like this?

Love to see Connor and Sid square off in the playoffs



- robin_steele264

100% agree with this. That would be the best series headlines the NHL could ask for.

Ryan Wilson: Sidney Crosby's Rocket Richard Trophy is both impressive and depressing
Sidney Crosby's Rocket Richard Trophy is both impressive and depressing
- Ryan_Wilson

Here here on the bolded above and what you wrote.

Who watches for the goals anyway.i watch for the interference, hooking, cross checking, and slashing!

37 goals for Skinner

Hockey is great. The NHL sucks.

Love to see Connor and Sid square off in the playoffs



- robin_steele264

Sounds good to me.

Love to see Connor and Sid square off in the playoffs



- robin_steele264

I hope the Oilers never win another cup.

The players get mauled by each other on a nightly basis. The owners lengthened the season on the basis the players would be safer with more penalties called. What BS that turned out to be. And the referees are happy to oblige the players injuries. They don't give a sh*t.

Speaking of players getting mauled, what are your predictions for the upcoming series? Any word on Malkin coming back for game 1?

Speaking of players getting mauled, what are your predictions for the upcoming series? Any word on Malkin coming back for game 1?
- TaxMan22

Well they kept Sestilto up here so looks like Sullivan thinks it may be a rough series.

The NHL is their own worst enemy. They do not enforce the rules they just turn their heads. I love when you get a picture of the ref STARING right at a blatant penalty that a blind man could see and just ignoring it. Truly sad and inexcusable

I feel like if Jarry didnt get sent down today with everyone else it means Murray is injured. The nature of the injury could be that he's lightly banged up and they just need Jarry for a practice or two to rest Murray.

IMHO. I'm glad power plays are down. 5 on 5 hockey is far more interesting than power play hockey. The best thing the NHL could do is cut down on infractions and keep power play time low. They do need to open the game up. But turning a hockey game into a never-ending power play wouldn't be good either.

The chart of power play time would also be accurate if the NHL had a period of time where they enforced infractions very strictly causing players to commit less penalties. Obviously with the data we have this hasn't been the case.

IMHO. I'm glad power plays are down. 5 on 5 hockey is far more interesting than power play hockey. The best thing the NHL could do is cut down on infractions and keep power play time low. They do need to open the game up. But turning a hockey game into a never-ending power play wouldn't be good either.

The chart of power play time would also be accurate if the NHL had a period of time where they enforced infractions very strictly causing players to commit less penalties. Obviously with the data we have this hasn't been the case.
- sditulli

Just enforce the rule book Is that too much to ask? If not just throw the rule book away and have chaos all over the ice.

Presumably, the reason for such a dramatic drop in penalty calls is the league wants to speed up the game.
So now star players are targeted and more likely to be missing games due to cheap shot injuries and they'll spend 5 minutes reviewing an offside. How is that a "better product?"
Do the millionaire owners run all their businesses like this? -Itwasin

Great Point!

Just enforce the rule book Is that too much to ask? If not just throw the rule book away and have chaos all over the ice.
- holeinone

That is entirely too simplistic. Managing flow of the game, game speed, and a desire not have the game be a "special teams" game are solid concerns.

They need to figure out how to change behavior. Just calling a ton of penalties won't change the outcome. Eventually refs will back-off from high rates of penalties over months/years.

I don't know the solution, but its not that simplistic.

That is entirely too simplistic. Managing flow of the game, game speed, and a desire not have the game be a "special teams" game are solid concerns.

They need to figure out how to change behavior. Just calling a ton of penalties won't change the outcome. Eventually refs will back-off from high rates of penalties over months/years.

I don't know the solution, but its not that simplistic.
- sditulli

Actually it is that simple.

Call the game the way it is supposed to be called. The players will adjust (and it won't take long) and the game will open up without there being an abundance of penalties.

That is entirely too simplistic. Managing flow of the game, game speed, and a desire not have the game be a "special teams" game are solid concerns.

They need to figure out how to change behavior. Just calling a ton of penalties won't change the outcome. Eventually refs will back-off from high rates of penalties over months/years.

I don't know the solution, but its not that simplistic.
- sditulli

Calling stricter penalties wouldn't keep players from obstruction? Thus making the game faster? Pretty sure more penalties would change the behavior.

Call the game the way it is supposed to be called. The players will adjust (and it won't take long) and the game will open up without there being an abundance of penalties.
- mont23

exactly

I hope the Oilers never win another cup.
- BINGO!

That's fantastic