Interesting idea from JS Giguere

[Neal 41]

I like Jacque Lemaire's idea:

"Lemaire's proposal? Once teams gain the blue line to stay onside, the red line in becomes the new offensive zone. In other words, the offensive team can pass the puck outside the blue line and regroup without going offside."

Star Tribune article link - I'm not sure if a subscription is required to see the full article.

[Oberon 0]

I like Jacque Lemaire's idea:

"Lemaire's proposal? Once teams gain the blue line to stay onside, the red line in becomes the new offensive zone. In other words, the offensive team can pass the puck outside the blue line and regroup without going offside."

Star Tribune article link - I'm not sure if a subscription is required to see the full article.

Because if there's one thing Lemaire knows, it's offense.

[RadioGaGa 162]

I like Jacque Lemaire's idea:

"Lemaire's proposal? Once teams gain the blue line to stay onside, the red line in becomes the new offensive zone. In other words, the offensive team can pass the puck outside the blue line and regroup without going offside."

Star Tribune article link - I'm not sure if a subscription is required to see the full article.

THAT won't get confusing. So, if the puck then goes across center...guys have to tag back up to the blue line?

[Fire0nIce228 1]

People can't understand offsides as it is, can you imaging a non hockey follower trying to figure that shit out?

[Chadd 916]

I like Jacque Lemaire's idea:

"Lemaire's proposal? Once teams gain the blue line to stay onside, the red line in becomes the new offensive zone. In other words, the offensive team can pass the puck outside the blue line and regroup without going offside."

Star Tribune article link - I'm not sure if a subscription is required to see the full article.

THAT won't get confusing. So, if the puck then goes across center...guys have to tag back up to the blue line?

When I played basketball in junior high our gym was so small we had a setup like that for halfcourt violations.

[Fire0nIce228 1]

My only problem with the full 2 minute PP whether you score or not, only thing I think about that is the PP would become so critical that teams might play much less agressively to avoid giving up a power play.

Even the way it is the PP is talked about all the time as being a huge factor in determining games, I think it would be so big that noone would play on that edge for fear of the PP even worse now.

[Chadd 916]

My only problem with the full 2 minute PP whether you score or not, only thing I think about that is the PP would become so critical that teams might play much less agressively to avoid giving up a power play.

Even the way it is the PP is talked about all the time as being a huge factor in determining games, I think it would be so big that noone would play on that edge for fear of the PP even worse now.

If you have posession on the puck, you would have a lot of incentive to be as aggressive as possible and try to draw a penalty on the defenseive team. My fear would be that refs would call fewer penalties to avoid public criticism.

[Fire0nIce228 1]

Thats true, I just only thought about the defending team being much less agressive to avoid getting a call against them.

So if the attacking team is really aggressive, and the defending teams are usually very passive, then the game becomes extremely focused on puck possesion.. it could turn very... soccer-ish I think (shudder).

[mrusse01 0]

I like Jacque Lemaire's idea:

"Lemaire's proposal? Once teams gain the blue line to stay onside, the red line in becomes the new offensive zone. In other words, the offensive team can pass the puck outside the blue line and regroup without going offside."

Star Tribune article link - I'm not sure if a subscription is required to see the full article.

That's the universal rule in any form of ball hockey I've ever played. It's really easy to understand once you get into it. As for tagging up, it's been a few years since I played ball hockey, but I think you just have to tag up to the blueline.

I think it's too radical though, it would completely change the strategy of the game.

Thats true, I just only thought about the defending team being much less agressive to avoid getting a call against them.

So if the attacking team is really aggressive, and the defending teams are usually very passive, then the game becomes extremely focused on puck possesion.. it could turn very... soccer-ish I think (shudder).

You also are going to get more diving any time you increase the advantage on the PP...unless the refs grow a set and actually start calling diving.

[Penguinsfanatic 0]

or maybe players could skate the puck all the way up to the net instead of dumping it in or passing it back to the blue line and eliminate the neutral zone trap?

[Fire0nIce228 1]

The nutral zone trap prevents them from skating the puck into the zone. Thats the point of the trap.

[mrusse01 0]

or maybe players could skate the puck all the way up to the net instead of dumping it in or passing it back to the blue line and eliminate the neutral zone trap?

um yeah, there is something called 'defense'.

[Neal 41]

I like Jacque Lemaire's idea:

"Lemaire's proposal? Once teams gain the blue line to stay onside, the red line in becomes the new offensive zone. In other words, the offensive team can pass the puck outside the blue line and regroup without going offside."

Star Tribune article link - I'm not sure if a subscription is required to see the full article.

THAT won't get confusing. So, if the puck then goes across center...guys have to tag back up to the blue line?

I think to make it work best the tag up rule would have to go away.

[Neal 41]

I like Jacque Lemaire's idea:

"Lemaire's proposal? Once teams gain the blue line to stay onside, the red line in becomes the new offensive zone. In other words, the offensive team can pass the puck outside the blue line and regroup without going offside."

Star Tribune article link - I'm not sure if a subscription is required to see the full article.

That's the universal rule in any form of ball hockey I've ever played. It's really easy to understand once you get into it. As for tagging up, it's been a few years since I played ball hockey, but I think you just have to tag up to the blueline.

I think it's too radical though, it would completely change the strategy of the game.

It may be radical and it may change strategies completely. However, I don't think subtle changes are going to have a major impact on scoring. Coaching, systems and video review have the players too well prepared to play defense. Players are more physically fit and stronger at the fundamentals of the game such as skating. In the basics of hockey, especially defense, there is more parity. Your 4th line guys can skate, check and play defense well, not just bang, crash and fight. Goalies are better coached and less instinctive.

To add to that the salary cap is bringing parity to 95% of the teams. So if hockey wants to increase scoring and get back to when a 6-5 game was common, radical change will be necessary. You can argue whether higher scoring is a good thing, but if we set that argument aside and assume it is, I say that radical change to the game's structure will be necessary to bring back more scoring.

Lemaire's idea is interesting because it requires no equipment or playing surface changes. It could be implemented at all levels at a relatively low coast by re-training the officials.

I wouldn't implement it at the NHL level immediately, but I would be very curious to see it tested over a portion of the AHL season perhaps or maybe the All Star game?

[Neal 41]

Oh and I like the small post idea too. The posts could be made of thicker wall tubing to retain the weight and strength and easily made 1/2 the overall thickness. It would be a subtle change invisible to the casual viewer, but could add up to a few more goals over the season.

Yes, it would cost more and likely few leagues other than the NHL would embrace it. But few leagues currently embrace the silly little box behind the net and that doesn't seemed to be a concern.

Smaller posts may make for a harder transition for goalies from minor leagues, junior, college or Europe to the NHL, but the goal is to make things harder for goalies.

[SR27 0]

We use the blue and back to the red line offside in my summer roller league. It actually felt like it made the game slower as there were more set-up plays than skating and driving the net.

I have also seen simply the red line beeing used for offside either way. The adjustment was fairly easy, too and it encourages break out passes but once the play settles there are stretches where it feels like you are shorthanded and it wears you down, making the game slower overall near the end of the game, too. We do play 4 on 4, though so you can´t really compare this 1:1.

[Jason Harris 31]

There's nothing wrong with requiring all two minutes of a power play, but I think you guys are going overboard with how effective it might be. I just checked the stats and PP% ranges from 12.1% to 24.9%; let's say 18% is about average. Let's also say that five penalties per game is about middle of the road. That means teams are NOT scoring on 4 of the 5 penalties, or at least 8 of the 10 minutes. Let's also say teams take an average of one minute to score on that fifth power play; that means they aren't scoring in 9 of the 10 minutes of power plays during a game. How much more scoring could we expect to occur during that last minute when the player returns?

On the other hand, I think the idea of no free icing on power plays would significantly lead to increased scoring. At the very least, it would probably lead to 20+ more seconds in the attack zone per power play.