Is hockey becoming a joke

[Triton]

With this "new" rules of calling games,every goal scored on the games are PP goals.Feeling kinda ill about the whole idea.I think we are gonna see ALOT of blowouts with the rediculous amount of penalties.I think you now get a penalty if you look at a player the wrong way..obstruction looking.

I have a feeling I'm gonna be walking out on quite a few games this season if the score is 7-1 after 1 period.Christ we could see some football scores this season..14-6.

Rediculous whats happening.I think the refs screwed up big time for far too long for the league to have to resort to calling games this way.Maybe if they had called games normally than we wouldn't have this problem.

Anyone else feel the same way?

[westbeach55]

yes i totally agree

[nivek_wahs]

Okay, I agree that there is a ton of penalties being called that would have easily been overlooked for the last number of years.

But people... teams will adapt to the "new" rules, and if they don't they will be in some serious trouble.

It's the PRE-SEASON... how can we judge the hockey with 3 or 4 or 5 games? I can't. I think as fans we will have to grin and bear it until the teams, coaches and officials adapt to the new system. It WILL get better (I hope).

[dondo]

With this "new" rules of calling games,every goal scored on the games are PP goals.Feeling kinda ill about the whole idea.I think we are gonna see ALOT of blowouts with the rediculous amount of penalties.I think you now get a penalty if you look at a player the wrong way..obstruction looking.

Anyone else feel the same way?

ROFL .. nice one

.. and yes .. I feel that way .. after watching the ridiculous amount of penalties in Everett I am worried it'll be like last years NHL season all PPs all the time -- that's not freaking hockey -- screw you bettman -- esp since a loyt of the calls they are getting aren't obstruction calls but roughing for a slight push -- what the deuce? -- WHL adopting the NHL rules just makes me ill as well and the two refs never work they just clutter up the ice - give the linesmen the ability to call cheapshots, with a veto allowed by the ref should he see the incident differently.

[Jimmypop316]

Come December and penalties will be down, give the guys a chance to adapt to the rules that have been made. The way they have been taught to play since they started doesn't change immediately.

And besides.. when was the officiating ever good in the dub? ;)

[nivek_wahs]

Here's what Rob Vanstone (Regina LeaderPost sports editor) has to say about the "new" hockey. It was wrote after the Pats/Blades Sept. 13 game. I think it's worth the read... Teams experience a painful process (http://www.reginapats.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=583)

[Sput]

The teams adapting is already happening. In the Blazers/Cougars pre-season last night, not counting the off-setting and fightings, the penalties were Blazers 10 Cougars 11. This is WAY down from the 18-25 the Cats suffered thru in the Saskatoon tourney. Its going to be an evolution for sure, but they also have to start calling like this is the minor ranks, the midget and bantam leagues at least.

[Beaner]

The WHL should have done this last year when every other league in the CHL did it.

But the players coaches and Refs will all adapt, and we will have a better game for it in the long run. Fans are going to have to adapt as well, and get used to the new calls as well, especially when it means their team gets called for a penalty in the last minute of a tie game.

I'm all for getting rid of the clutching and grabbing and if that means I have to put up with 40 penalties a night for a while for the players to get it thru their heads, then I will deal with it.


I am with Dondo on the 2 ref thing, Id rather just see the behind the play linesman be able to call infractions instead of adding a 4th body to the ice.

[Sput]

I agree with the linesmen calling blat penalties behind the play, and having a 'veto' of sorts if the ref completely blows a call. Most of these linesmen ref in the lower leagues anyway, so it isn't like they are completely incompetant at making a call from behind the play.

The danger I see in it is a linesman letting the 'power' go to his head, and ends up over-calling a game. It would ease the congestion on the ice though.

[Some_Arrogant_Jerk]

Its better that they learn to adapt by these rules now, rather then when they enter pros or possibly the NHL. Bettman wont change the rules, so we might as well get used to it. Yeah, the last 2 years have had big changes, but in no way is hockey becoming a joke.

Besides, from what I saw last year, alot of the refs were incompetant as it is, so I think that we wont always have these games where a whistle is blown every 10 seconds. It really depends on the referee.

[Fight Guy]

Teams just need ot adapt. Last season in the NHL, penalties were soooo rediculous at the start...then they adapted,a nd it was great hockey. Even in the Regina/S'toon game you could notice the players catching themselves during play. Some of the players didnt like the calls that were made, but with the new rules, its how its gonna be, and they will learn. Last year WAS like everywhere else...till Sutter and McCrimmon cried about it...then it fell from there to the season before.

One rule that I loved that they were calling was getting the goalie to play the puck rather than holding it. Always pissed me off. But last night both goalies were called with delay of game because of it...and even after Bosch got the penalty and protested, the Holtby did the exact same. They were both given decent explanations from the ref after though.

When the teams adapt, like the NHL, we will see some exciting hockey, fast paced and skill oriented hockey. Sure, I like the rougher hockey waaaaaay more, but it's the new rules and we can't do anything about it but adapt too.

[dondo]

Am I the only one who hated NHL hockey last season? I didn't think it was a more wide open game, just more cheapshots behind the play. Wave upon wave of PPs. Generic roughing calls for nothing. And I don't think they did learn .. yes there were less penalties later in the season but not that few and the physcial play was taken out of the game a lot. Hate the penalty shot.

I just don't think that all-star kind of euro hockey all the time is that enjoyable, the game needs the physical element and from what I witnessed in Everett during the tourney they seemed to be going after very minor "roughing" calls, far less than interference ones (unless you include checking a guy off the puck interference as a few of the refs chose to do) and ignoring stick work and high head hits.

But whatever -- it'll definitely take more than a season (not to mention half a season) of grief to get a balanced game and might even take 'til the next generation of hockey players to fully change -- which by then it'll be a bettmanised shadow of the game we all know (knew) and love (loved).

[GOBLADESGO#3 (among other aliases)]

from my stand point, i liked the new rules at frist but now your right its become a joke but its just one thing were gunna have to get used to

[dondo]

exactly -- but who among us here weren't bored to freaking tears watching Swedish Elite league hockey during the lock-out .. that's the direction the NHL is going .... hitting bad, floating good.

I did like the red-line removal last season though (esp when they moved out the blue lines closer to centre ice) didn't think I would but I did. But I am not looking forward to watching PP laden hockey and two refs cluttering up the ice in the dub this year.