Luongo will be forced to retire if...

[chippa13 1844]

Who cares? The NHL has changed in fundamental ways throughout its history. They used to have no forward passes between zones at all, then it was no two-line passes, now there are no restrictions. Those all changed the way the game was played and flowed. A larger percentage of the net is covered by a goalie now than before, so they should adjust.

And shooters are better at picking spots and have quicker releases. Sounds like a wash to me.

[santiclaws 0]

And shooters are better at picking spots and have quicker releases. Sounds like a wash to me.

And your evidence of this is??

[Patrick67 1]

We had this discussion last year..... Leave the nets, make the goalie equipment even smaller.

1' was way to little to begin with. The reason we're still having problems is because they were to conservative when it came to slimming down the equipment.

[chippa13 1844]

And shooters are better at picking spots and have quicker releases. Sounds like a wash to me.

And your evidence of this is??

Think about it. Goalies have gotten bigger and more athletic. Along with that their equipment has grown. Now, keep all of that in mind. I'll wait a second so it can sink in..................

Okay, you understand all of the changes to goalies, correct? Now check out the stats of league leaders throughout the history of the game. With the exception of the free wheeling days of the late 80's/early 90's, scoring has pretty much remained constant, with minor ebbs and flows.

[santiclaws 0]

And shooters are better at picking spots and have quicker releases. Sounds like a wash to me.

And your evidence of this is??

Think about it. Goalies have gotten bigger and more athletic. Along with that their equipment has grown. Now, keep all of that in mind. I'll wait a second so it can sink in..................

Ohh, I get it. So, players and their equipment have also gotten bigger? And this helps their scoring how?

The only equipment that maybe helps offensive players is composite sticks, and they are not dramatically better than woodies. Pre-90's, most NHL defensemen after your top three-four, if that, were pylons. So whatever the improvements in the athletic ability of players trying to score are more than offset by defenders who are more athletic and better able to keep forwards from getting good scoring chances. So, we're still left with the main factor in upsetting the offensive/defensive balance is much more athletic, much bigger, better-coached goalies armed with much bigger, much better, much lighter equipment.

[Law Goalie 147]

If Kay Whitmore bothered to enforce the regulations as they were written, I think you'd see a dramatic improvement in the game, as far as removing the "fill the net with excess padding" strategy goes.

Anyone who claims that Giguere's C/A isn't extending more than an inch away from his body is a lying sack of crap. You'll also have to work very hard to explain to me how Ryan Miller and his 26" waist and Ethiopian-famine-victim legs are wearing XXL CCM 620 pants in any sensible universe, or why all 5'6" of Manny Legace should wear the same 11" wide 38" tall pads that Ben Bishop's 6'6" has to wear.

Then again, if you really want to increase shots-on-goal and scoring chances, maybe we need to look at reducing the size of shin-guards on players as well. The ratio of blocked shots to shots-on-goal has never been higher.

Players and goalies are more athletic. Players and goalies are anatomically larger. Players and goalies have access to drastically improved equipment. Yet for no apparent reason, that equipment takes up far more space on the ice and from the net than it has any resonable right to.

Making the net bigger is an idiotic, simple-minded way to superficially compensate for a problem that could be corrected simply be legislating against excess. There are, what -- 60 goalies in the NHL at any given time? And the league can't see to it that their pants and C/As (the two pieces of equipment which fill the most inarticulate net space) are tailored to their peculiar physiques? I call bullshit.

They just don't want to call out Giguere for being a bald-faced cheater after handing him a Conn Smythe.

[BluXington 0]

As a forward I would not want to play hockey anymore if the nets increased in size.

Making the nets bigger could possibly make me stop watching hockey as well.

I have no problem playing hockey / watching hockey played on different sized ice surfaces, but changing a fundamental thing like net size is just bloody stupid.

I like 2-3 games better than 7-6 personally.

[chippa13 1844]

And shooters are better at picking spots and have quicker releases. Sounds like a wash to me.

And your evidence of this is??

Think about it. Goalies have gotten bigger and more athletic. Along with that their equipment has grown. Now, keep all of that in mind. I'll wait a second so it can sink in..................

Ohh, I get it. So, players and their equipment have also gotten bigger? And this helps their scoring how?

The only equipment that maybe helps offensive players is composite sticks, and they are not dramatically better than woodies. Pre-90's, most NHL defensemen after your top three-four, if that, were pylons. So whatever the improvements in the athletic ability of players trying to score are more than offset by defenders who are more athletic and better able to keep forwards from getting good scoring chances. So, we're still left with the main factor in upsetting the offensive/defensive balance is much more athletic, much bigger, better-coached goalies armed with much bigger, much better, much lighter equipment.

Actually, you don't get it. Try rereading and if that doesn't help, sign up for a remedial reading class.

[Theo 1]

Even though the point is explained like a douchebag, I have to agree with Chippa. Would be pretty disgraceful if they ever did anything to the nets. Just no reason to and it would turn a lot of fans off. I don't care about the bigger goalie gear and all that jazz because technology has worked for the players as well. And when the top shooters are scoring 50-60 like they have typically done for years aside from the greats like Gretz, Mario, Bossy, you can see nothing is wrong

[Abubaca 0]

Alright guys, newbie here. I've been skating for over 20 years though, so hopefully you'll listen to a newbie!!!

First of all, I think Luongo is saying that he loves this sport, and is appauled by the ridiculous crap that the NHL just keeps trying to shove down our throats. Sure it's a job, but it's not like he needs the money. Maybe he's just a whiner, but in my opinion, he's making a stand, and I applaud him for it.

Secondly, I have to ask "WHY" make the nets bigger? For attendance? For money? These are the wrong reasons. Sure, the game must always change with times, just like all sports, but for the reason of money? No sir. The world owns the game, not Mr. Bettman and the NHL. The rest of the world doesn't need it to change, so why the NHL? Would we (USA) dare change soccer to increase US support? Not on your life.

I realize that this is in fact a business. -but they're in business to make money playing hockey, not simply to make money. The game is the game, it's Mr. Bettman's job to make it profitable. Is hockey on TV like all other major sports? No, it isn't. Maybe it's just me, but maybe the net size isn't the problem.

Anyone can say the goalies are bigger and more athletic, the pads are bigger, the other players are bigger and faster and have better shots, but at the end of the day, there's still a lot of GOOD hockey out there. It's not like the game is no good. Again I point out that hockey is world wide, and people still seem to enjoy it. The sport is in GREAT shape, it's the NHL that's failing. Just take a look at the discussion we're all having. We're discussing what is an acceptable way to increase scoring and what isn't. Net size, pad size, bigger rinks, offsides rules, etc. etc. - In four pages of discussion, no one has questioned WHY we need to increase scoring!!!! Tell me, WHY do we need to increase scoring? I imagine most, if not all of you reading this are probably long time skaters. Do YOU GUYS think we need more scoring? Hmmm.

-but let's assume for a minute that we all live and die by the NHL, and it's success. We need more fanbase to increase revenue, yada yada yada. OK, fine. sooooooo where does it say that this increased scoring is the magic potion? Lemme tell you, I now live down south in NC, and I'm here to tell you when you talk to southern hockey fans, (or any "non" hockey fan) what do they want to see? FIGHTS! Now I'd never suggest they try to increase fighting, but from a financial point of view, I gotta tell ya, that'd be MY angle!!! :P ...but again, the point is WHY do we need to increase scoring?

So I guess I'll wrap it up. Thanks for lettin' a new guy ramble a little bit. Quit thinking like a businessman, and start thinking like a hockey player. Take pride in our game and don't be told what WE need. Tell THEM that if they want to make money off us with our own game, there's only so much we're willing to allow.

I think that's what Luongo is trying to say.

Thanks,

Chris

[jay 1]

That's an awful lot assumption don't you think? I mean, if that's really what he thought, he rather easily could have just said that instead and made a very good point. But he didn't and that's why I think he's a pea brained douche.

First of all, I think Luongo is saying that he loves this sport, and is appauled by the ridiculous crap that the NHL just keeps trying to shove down our throats. Sure it's a job, but it's not like he needs the money. Maybe he's just a whiner, but in my opinion, he's making a stand, and I applaud him for it.

...

I think that's what Luongo is trying to say.

[Abubaca 0]

Point taken, I really have no idea WHAT exactly he meant. ...but neither do you. He could in fact be a pea brained douche, no doubt!!!

....but from my point of view, I wish someone actually playing in the NHL would put himself above his paycheck and say that some of this crap they're talking about is stupid. I'd like to think that's what he did.

Ultimately, we don't know what he meant. Douchebag? Certainly possible. But I hope he's a fan of the game standing up the rest all of us. ...and either way, regardless of intention, he's saying what I want people to be saying, so you won't hear me complain. ;)

[GoHabsGo24 1]

Would we (USA) dare change soccer to increase US support? Not on your life.

Actually you (USA/MLS) tried, and failed miserably. Other countries ridiculed the changes to no end. The rules are back to FIFA regulations. This was partially because they saw no increase in attendance, and because when playing other countries it helps to play day in day out with the same rules. That said, what happens if the NHL changes the size of the nets, and then when the Olympics come around, all the NHL guys are used to shooting on a larger net? Now i understand that some rules are different in the Olympics and NHL, but a different sized net is a pretty HUGE difference...