2020-2021 NHL Thread

[herman]

I bet officiating is going to get really interesting over the next couple of weeks.

Should be nice for Connor McDavid and the Leafs

Eyeballs the two Boston serieses and poor Nazem Kadri

Wait, did you just say.... "serieses"...?

I absolutely did on purpose

Okay, I figured, but I kind of can't figure out why.

Just trying to bring it back into circulation for clarity

 

[Bill_Berg]

Yes?

I mean if the argument is players don't want these ticky-tacky penalties like faceoff violations or puck over the glass calls to be penalties in the final minutes, then they aren't severe enough infractions to be 2 minutes penalties at all.

Yeah, like, the face-off thing is all about the idea that you shouldn't be able to cheat to gain an advantage on a face-off. Why would that be less important in the closing seconds of a tight game?

And ditto the thing about the putting the puck over the glass. I understand why it's frustrating when midway through the second a defenseman accidentally puts it over the glass but the whole point of the rule is so defensemen can't just clear it high off the glass all the time in crunch time. I'd rather have the occasional ticky tack call then the last minute of a one goal game just be defensemen getting out their pitching wedge and firing it up whenever they can.

I still hate the puck over the glass penalty.  Make it like icing. 

 

[bustaheims]

Yes?

I mean if the argument is players don't want these ticky-tacky penalties like faceoff violations or puck over the glass calls to be penalties in the final minutes, then they aren't severe enough infractions to be 2 minutes penalties at all.

Seriously. If they're going to be penalties, anything that doesn't require a judgment call of any kind should be called always - faceoff violations, puck over glass, too many men, etc. - regardless of how much people dislike many of these penalties.

Also, as many others have said, it's a penalty in the 1st period, it should be a penalty in the 3rd (and in OT), and vice versa.

 

[Kin]

I still hate the puck over the glass penalty.  Make it like icing.

Again, I appreciate the sentiment but to me it is just so very much at cross purposes with what I want from the game for the league to try and make it easier to sit back and defend a lead.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

And he was planning to retire last year, but agreed to ref this season after the league asked him to.

With the hazards of travelling during a pandemic (on top of the usual NHL hazards)... why couldn't this have been Graham Skilliter instead?

https://twitter.com/PeteJolicoeur/status/1374725199438999556
I forgot this happened. I will never make that mistake again.

Well, at least he can tell his grandkids he scored a goal in the NHL

 

[L K]

Yes?

I mean if the argument is players don't want these ticky-tacky penalties like faceoff violations or puck over the glass calls to be penalties in the final minutes, then they aren't severe enough infractions to be 2 minutes penalties at all.

Seriously. If they're going to be penalties, anything that doesn't require a judgment call of any kind should be called always - faceoff violations, puck over glass, too many men, etc. - regardless of how much people dislike many of these penalties.

Also, as many others have said, it's a penalty in the 1st period, it should be a penalty in the 3rd (and in OT), and vice versa.

Hell, even consistent within a game.  So fine, you don't want to call a cheap hook in double OT of Game 7 of a playoff series.  Just don't go and call a cheap hook on the other team later.  If it's not going to be a penalty in the game, be consistent. 

I'm tired of hearing the "yep, you get the stick up there and they are always going to call that".  No they flipping aren't.  They let it go dozens of times in a game and then just arbitrarily call it at some point. 

Nazem Kadri losing his head in back to back playoff series came directly off Boston being permitted to run guys from behind and hit guys high without getting calls. 

 

[OldTimeHockey]

I still hate the puck over the glass penalty.  Make it like icing.

Again, I appreciate the sentiment but to me it is just so very much at cross purposes with what I want from the game for the league to try and make it easier to sit back and defend a lead.

The argument would be that there's a difference between intentionally throwing the puck over the glass and accidentally throwing it over the glass. But then, the counter would be that now you're allowing judgement to come into play.

I've kind of grown use to the over the glass penalty. It sucks when it happens to your team, but, it goes both ways and there's no avoiding it if it happens, so, c'est la vie.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

Nazem Kadri losing his head in back to back playoff series came directly off Boston being permitted to run guys from behind and hit guys high without getting calls.

100%. This happens so often. The referees let games get out of control and then suddenly decide it's time to lay down the law. What changed? It only went there because you allowed them to move the imaginary line for the first 2 periods(or in Kadri's case, for the first few games), then suddenly you've had enough and you move the line back?

 

[Kin]

The argument would be that there's a difference between intentionally throwing the puck over the glass and accidentally throwing it over the glass. But then, the counter would be that now you're allowing judgement to come into play.

My counter to someone saying that there's a difference between intentional and accidental throwing it over the glass isn't about judgement, although I do think that does make things tricky, it's that if you only penalize intentional firings over the glass then when a player gets a puck in the defensive zone in a high pressure situation the down side to trying to fire the puck high off the glass and out(a whistle and d-zone face-off) is so minimal and the upside so high that it's an easy decision and can largely neutralize a lot of offense.

It's creating a disincentive for a play that people, I think, didn't like seeing dominate the closing of games. To that extent, I think it's been a bit of invisible success in making defenders actually defend more carefully.

 

[Bill_Berg]

I still hate the puck over the glass penalty.  Make it like icing.

Again, I appreciate the sentiment but to me it is just so very much at cross purposes with what I want from the game for the league to try and make it easier to sit back and defend a lead.

More specifically, I hate that's it's two min, just like interference, high sticking, tripping, boarding much of the time etc....

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

Maybe this is common knowledge by now, but I never knew that Vegas is exempt from the upcoming expansion draft. As if they need help.

 

[Kin]

More specifically, I hate that's it's two min, just like interference, high sticking, tripping, boarding much of the time etc....

Well now that's an interesting point. I hadn't really considered that but, much like I was saying about the blood for 2 extra rule on high sticking, I think you're right.

I wonder if maybe there should be a 3rd category of penalty. Either 1 minute minors, which would be just enough time for a team's #1 PP to have a shift, or maybe have 2 minute minors that expire after a goal and those that don't.

 

[ZBBM]

https://twitter.com/lukefoxjukebox/status/1374772259815034886

Yes?

I mean if the argument is players don't want these ticky-tacky penalties like faceoff violations or puck over the glass calls to be penalties in the final minutes, then they aren't severe enough infractions to be 2 minutes penalties at all.

A foot in the crease when the Cup is on the line?

 

[ZBBM]

In a fluid game like this you could call penalties all the time.  I'm in the camp that says let the refs have discretion ? I'm not interested in 20 PPs a game ? but let it be consistent within the game.  Not an easy thing to do, admittedly, but they should aim for it.

And I don't have a problem with context-aware calls (or non-calls).  If your team is down 6-0 with 2:00 left and one of your d-men hooks an attacker without negating a scoring chance ... who really wants to see things like that called?

 

[ZBBM]

One other thought: if I were a literary agent, I'd be on the phone with Peel to see if he's up for a tell-all.  I think a publisher would offer a nice advance on that.  One of you guys can ghost it for him.

LOL at the quotes I'm seeing from players, coaches.  What a bunch of sanctimonious claptrap.

 

[Bill_Berg]

More specifically, I hate that's it's two min, just like interference, high sticking, tripping, boarding much of the time etc....

Well now that's an interesting point. I hadn't really considered that but, much like I was saying about the blood for 2 extra rule on high sticking, I think you're right.

I wonder if maybe there should be a 3rd category of penalty. Either 1 minute minors, which would be just enough time for a team's #1 PP to have a shift, or maybe have 2 minute minors that expire after a goal and those that don't.

Yeah that sort of thinking would be great.  I like the 2 min that doesn't expire.  That's such a huge change, I feel like over glass being treated as an icing is more likely. If we can rethink it all, have 4 tiers of penalties.  Or use the tiers. They have three now, but double minors and majors are basically never called.  Outside of other dumb concepts like the blood on a high stick. 

 

[Heroic Shrimp]

https://twitter.com/CraigCustance/status/1374736240134742026

Quite the story!

 

[CarltonTheBear]

https://twitter.com/pierrevlebrun/status/1375060437583138818

The NHL, the only sports league where a loss isn't a loss.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

More specifically, I hate that's it's two min, just like interference, high sticking, tripping, boarding much of the time etc....

Well now that's an interesting point. I hadn't really considered that but, much like I was saying about the blood for 2 extra rule on high sticking, I think you're right.

I wonder if maybe there should be a 3rd category of penalty. Either 1 minute minors, which would be just enough time for a team's #1 PP to have a shift, or maybe have 2 minute minors that expire after a goal and those that don't.

Yeah that sort of thinking would be great.  I like the 2 min that doesn't expire.  That's such a huge change, I feel like over glass being treated as an icing is more likely. If we can rethink it all, have 4 tiers of penalties.  Or use the tiers. They have three now, but double minors and majors are basically never called.  Outside of other dumb concepts like the blood on a high stick.

I think it's a great idea to have different levels of calls(1 minute for offenses such as over the boards, or faceoff violation) but I don't like the 2 minute that doesn't expire. I don't like the idea of a team giving up 2 goals while shorthanded for a trip or something of that nature. I'd prefer they started enforcing/using the double minors to try to penalize the team for the stupid plays.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

https://twitter.com/CraigCustance/status/1374736240134742026

Quite the story!

That's pretty crazy. It's sad that an entire team had to quarantine. I'm not sure how the positive case happened in this case. It sounds like a pretty well run ship.

Here in Sudbury, we've had few outbreaks in schools started by hockey teams sharing rides to hockey together(practices are often at 3pm and parents are at work), or going to parties together after a practice.