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SwampD

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  1. NHL Scoring Problem

    in The Aud Club

    Posted

    I'm skeptical of this, to start.

     

    Remember that the advent of the style was the important thing at the time, not the gear size. The size and shape of the gear has been driven by the style. The science behind the goaltender position inherently dictates that if coverage by positioning isn't the best option then you have to perform coverage by reaction. Reducing the size of pads will force goalies to use the butterfly less. 

     

    The question in my opinion, is do we want to do that? Do we want to suppress the butterfly style? My belief is that we don't. 

     

    Regarding the five hole, your last question relates. I actually have no problem with shortening the thigh risers. I hate tall thigh risers personally and I don't really see the need for them to be so large. It's not a safety issue at all and it will force goalies to keep their feet a little closer together, which reduces the coverage on the outside of the pads without reducing the width of the pads. The mechanics of that doesn't bother me much. 

    I am really really opposed to reducing padding on the arms, wrists, torso, etc. I could see enforcing the height of the pads off the tops of the shoulders, but that is something they technically already do. 

     

    More players are shooting harder shots with greater ease and from all angles now. I don't like exposing joints to those shots by reducing things like the glove wrist guard and the gap coverage on the chest arms. 

    You keep coming back to this. Is it the size (thereby exposing more net, thereby changing style of play) or protection that you are opposed to reducing, because if it's protection, I really don't think that is an issue. With the materials used today, pads could easily be reduced in size without reducing the protection they offer.

  2. NHL Scoring Problem

    in The Aud Club

    Posted · Edited by SwampD

    Goalies were definitely injured more often in the past. They also suffer worse health problems later in life. The standup style is a much more abusive style to play. Goalies wont want to go back to that.

     

    You also set off a chain reaction if you do something like drastically change how goalies play the game. Reducing parity among goalies puts you back to where the league was when guys like Roy, Brodeur and Hasek were around. The elite are truly elite and the middle drops out. So maybe you push scoring up because goalies aren't stopping as many shots, but the extra good goalies are so good you have to do things like invent the Trapezoid to contain them. You give too much advantage to the teams who have mythical creatures in net. 

     

    I think the league likes where the balance is at, with the focus being tipped more towards how good the best skaters are, rather than how good the best goalies are. If you make it easier for everyone to score you lose some of that appeal with your stars. 

     

    And for me, at the end of the day, they game isn't about the goalies. It's about the skaters. I see no reason to deliberately reduce parity among goalies. 

    I'm still skeptical of your take. Advances in medicine can explain why goalies long term health is better. Even with the smaller gear, the butterfly would still be the preferred method. It came about when there was smaller gear, so I think that is a non-starter.

     

    How does opening up the five hole force a goalie to make a more athletic save?

     

    Another thing is that the NHL wouldn't have to do every change in that video to create more scoring. Of the changes suggested, which do you find least offensive to your bubble-wrapped snowflake goalie sensibility ( :nana:) that you could live with?

  3. NHL Scoring Problem

    in The Aud Club

    Posted

    How so? Making the pads smaller means goalies have to stay on their feet longer. They will have to maintain a more stand-up style because saves will have to be more about reaction than positioning. Dropping to knees will open up too much net. This will cause more injuries because goalies will be forced to make riskier athletic moves, moves that have been eliminated from the game thanks to the butterfly.

     

    Sure, it'll increase scoring. But you won't like the cost.

    Did goalies get injured more often in the past?

    And how many goalies are injured right now?

    And maybe the goalie position needs to be devalued a little.

  4. NHL Scoring Problem

    in The Aud Club

    Posted

    The changes he outlines essentially force goalies away from the butterfly style, ignoring the fact that the players and owners will never allow this. The butterfly is efficient and is easier on the body, which keeps goalies from getting hurt. Reducing pad size will force goalies to overextend to try to maintain their production, causing injuries, and driving the value of goaltenders down monetarily, and driving down parity which is something the league has worked hard to cultivate. The NHLPA wont allow its goalies to be devalued and subjected to greater injury risk, and the teams wont risk being subjected to what a team like Montreal is dealing with right now.  

    This seems like a reach.

    Actually, it seems like several reaches.

    Maybe even a goalie reacharound.

  7. Where is the Eichel snipe?

    in The Aud Club

    Posted

    Think his first NHL goal. Where is that? Was it coached out of him or should we look to the player, or both? Bylsma did say recently he wants Eichel to be more, not sure what word he used, greedy or selfish or aggressive in shot selection.

    When I said he was going to take the game over last night, it was right after a move he did that showed he has an extra gear that others don't. And then he never did it again.

     

    It just seems like he's waiting for something.  We have to keep reminding ourselves that he is still really young. Even though his line's only goal should be to get the puck to his stick so that he can score, I don't think you want to put that much pressure on him just yet, so I'm okay with it. It'll come.

  8. GDT: Buffalo @ Anaheim, 10:30 pm est, 2-24-2016

    in The Aud Club

    Posted

    Jack had a rough game, but it was pretty obvious that taking him out of the equation was the Ducks gameplan.

     

    Would have preferred seeing Kane on the 3rd line; having somebody w/ hands on that line could've gotten them to OT. Would have then also moved Bailey to Eichel's line so he'd have speed (to go along w/ size) on either side of him. And for the love of all that is holy, put Kane back onto the 2nd pp unit & give the 1st either Girgensons or Bailey until O'Reilly is back.

     

    Considering who they were playing & who they were missing, it was a good road effort. Just not good enough.

    Summed it up perfectly.

     

    That last three minutes was a little tough to watch, but I thought it was a pretty entertaining game.

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