The Good and Bad of sports: Hockey
Saving the best for last.
Game flow: Real-time. (except for shootouts)
Style: Goal-scoring.
Emphasis: Defense.
Result of scoring: Neutral.
Critical position: Goaltender.
Game length: 60 minutes.
Big scoring play: The goal.
Big defensive play: The save.
Action-to-real-time ratio: Medium-high. About 50%.
Clock stops when play stops? Yes.
Late-game rally strategy: Pulling the goalie for an extra attacker.
Pros:
1. Combines the intensity of football, the (to a large extent) continuity of soccer, and the speed of lacrosse, into one single package.
2. Big scoring plays tend to come out of nowhere. You never seem to know when that next goal is going to be scored.
3. Three words: Sudden death overtime. Particularly in the Stanley Cup playoffs, when the game lasts until somebody scores, and whoever scores wins. Combined with #2, none of the other three sports can touch hockey's intensity during overtime.
4. The goal horn. Other sports have tried it, but it simply doesn't work as well.
5. Has more big defensive plays than just about any other sport.
6. Has one of the greatest, if not the single greatest, championship trophy in all of sports.
7. Off-ice incidents are extremely rare. NHL players by far have the cleanest records among the four big leagues. With virtually zero exceptions, hockey players leave all their aggression on the ice.
8. When play stops, the clock stops. You are virtually guaranteed 60+ minutes of action.
Cons:
1. Has to be played on ice, which has to be maintained both during and after games.
2. All the equipment required makes playing the sport expensive.
3. Because the puck has a similar weight and top speed to a baseball, and because it is very roughly the same size, it can pose a serious danger when it hits players in an area not protected by padding.
4. The puck rarely soars through the air. When it does, it's usually considered some kind of fluke, and it almost never results in a big play.
5. Because of its small size, speed, and being a black object moving on top of a white surface, it takes time to learn how to follow the puck.
6. Goals cannot immediately win a game for a team that is trailing, even if scored right at the end of regulation.
Desired rule changes:
1. Institute no-touch icing.
2. Icing is allowed on the penalty kill only if at least one of the penalties being killed is a minor. Icing remains a violation when 4-on-4.
3. Remove the restrictions on blade curvature.
4. If a player bats the puck into his opponents net with his glove while that hand is grasping the stick, then barring other rules, it is a goal.
5. Improve the guidelines for blowing the play dead when the goaltender appears to cover the puck.
Long-term outlook: Good. It's a niche sport, but where it has taken root it has typically become part of the local culture, even in some warm climates such as Dallas. The game itself improved significantly with all the rule changes after the lockout a few years ago, and the league has proven that it is willing to make necessary rule changes when the need can be demonstrated.
Game flow: Real-time. (except for shootouts)
Style: Goal-scoring.
Emphasis: Defense.
Result of scoring: Neutral.
Critical position: Goaltender.
Game length: 60 minutes.
Big scoring play: The goal.
Big defensive play: The save.
Action-to-real-time ratio: Medium-high. About 50%.
Clock stops when play stops? Yes.
Late-game rally strategy: Pulling the goalie for an extra attacker.
Pros:
1. Combines the intensity of football, the (to a large extent) continuity of soccer, and the speed of lacrosse, into one single package.
2. Big scoring plays tend to come out of nowhere. You never seem to know when that next goal is going to be scored.
3. Three words: Sudden death overtime. Particularly in the Stanley Cup playoffs, when the game lasts until somebody scores, and whoever scores wins. Combined with #2, none of the other three sports can touch hockey's intensity during overtime.
4. The goal horn. Other sports have tried it, but it simply doesn't work as well.
5. Has more big defensive plays than just about any other sport.
6. Has one of the greatest, if not the single greatest, championship trophy in all of sports.
7. Off-ice incidents are extremely rare. NHL players by far have the cleanest records among the four big leagues. With virtually zero exceptions, hockey players leave all their aggression on the ice.
8. When play stops, the clock stops. You are virtually guaranteed 60+ minutes of action.
Cons:
1. Has to be played on ice, which has to be maintained both during and after games.
2. All the equipment required makes playing the sport expensive.
3. Because the puck has a similar weight and top speed to a baseball, and because it is very roughly the same size, it can pose a serious danger when it hits players in an area not protected by padding.
4. The puck rarely soars through the air. When it does, it's usually considered some kind of fluke, and it almost never results in a big play.
5. Because of its small size, speed, and being a black object moving on top of a white surface, it takes time to learn how to follow the puck.
6. Goals cannot immediately win a game for a team that is trailing, even if scored right at the end of regulation.
Desired rule changes:
1. Institute no-touch icing.
2. Icing is allowed on the penalty kill only if at least one of the penalties being killed is a minor. Icing remains a violation when 4-on-4.
3. Remove the restrictions on blade curvature.
4. If a player bats the puck into his opponents net with his glove while that hand is grasping the stick, then barring other rules, it is a goal.
5. Improve the guidelines for blowing the play dead when the goaltender appears to cover the puck.
Long-term outlook: Good. It's a niche sport, but where it has taken root it has typically become part of the local culture, even in some warm climates such as Dallas. The game itself improved significantly with all the rule changes after the lockout a few years ago, and the league has proven that it is willing to make necessary rule changes when the need can be demonstrated.