Why No Touch-Up

[EBondo 233]

After playing a game against a high school team this weekend using touch-up offsides, it got me wondering. I've never had a clear explanation, but why is there no touch-up offsides in travel hockey? For some reason, USA Hockey doesn't use it, which I feel makes the game flow so much quicker and smoothly. Is there any solid reason to why USA Hockey doesn't use touch-up offsides for travel, but does for high school?

[coryroth24 15]

USAH feels that the automatic offsides "develops" players. It forces them to think with the puck instead of just throw it back in the zone when their team is offsides and the puck carrier is pressured. While I do agree on the concept, it slows the game down WAY too much. The situations I hate the most is that most refs will blow the play dead the second the puck crosses the line, regardless of who sent it over. I have coached games where my team had possession in the neutral zone and the other team was offsides, but when we passed it back into our zone to regroup, the ref would blow the whistle for offsides, even though the other team never touched the damn puck!

But like I said, I understand why they have it, but I still don't agree with it. I even think it got knocked down at the last rule change meeting by a large margin again. I wish I saved the article in USAH Magazine about a year ago that had a good 3-4 page article on both sides of the argument...

[chk hrd 164]

from what I have been told no touch offside was approved this year and should be used next season.

If that is the case it is about time since it keeps the game flowing.

[fieldofdreams 0]

I agree with the delayed offsides rule. It is important to keep as many rules as possible the same. It is very difficult for a HS age player, in the heat of the game, to remember what rules the team he is playing on goes by.

[Chadd 916]

This debate has been raging for years, it's a shame that "easier" and "faster" trump skill development, but it's not unexpected.

[fieldofdreams 0]

This debate has been raging for years, it's a shame that "easier" and "faster" trump skill development, but it's not unexpected.

I am all for skill development. If the no-touch offsides truly helps develop players, then high schools should adopt it as well. Some people actually START playing in HS.

Whatever is decided upon, i vote for making the rule the same for both classifications.

[Chadd 916]

This debate has been raging for years, it's a shame that "easier" and "faster" trump skill development, but it's not unexpected.

I am all for skill development. If the no-touch offsides truly helps develop players, then high schools should adopt it as well. Some people actually START playing in HS.

Whatever is decided upon, i vote for making the rule the same for both classifications.

The last time the rule was changed, i was removed from HS as it wasn't seen as a primary avenue for development by USAH. In most areas the travel teams are the better players. Obviously this isn't true of every area, but it is true overall.

[cbj05 0]

Playing in American tournaments has always pissed me off for this reason. We are so used to just dumping the puck in that we almost triple the amount of offsides we would have in our normal games. Personally I think it's a really stupid rule that completely ruins the flow of the game.

I don't think I've ever played a hockey game in Canada where this no touch-up rule is in effect.

[Chadd 916]

Playing in American tournaments has always pissed me off for this reason. We are so used to just dumping the puck in that we almost triple the amount of offsides we would have in our normal games. Personally I think it's a really stupid rule that completely ruins the flow of the game.

I don't think I've ever played a hockey game in Canada where this no touch-up rule is in effect.

It's not about flow, it's about forcing players to learn how to move the puck.

[epstud74 24]

As for moving the puck, North American players seem to lag behind their European counterparts in that regard.

[Chadd 916]

As for moving the puck, North American players seem to lag behind their European counterparts in that regard.

It's the soccer influence. For them it's more about puck possession and setting up a play then it is about beating the snot out of the other guy and taking the puck away.

[mew1838 0]

In that sense, is Russia the hockey equivalent to Brazil in soccer?

[Chadd 916]

from what I have been told no touch offside was approved this year and should be used next season.

If that is the case it is about time since it keeps the game flowing.

Just looked at the USA Hockey site and all three proposals to go to touch up icing were soundly trounced by the rules committee and the final vote will be in June at the annual congress. Here's the document if anyone wants to read it, the touch up offside is around page 103 or so.

http://www.usahockey.com/uploadedFiles/USA...RCPVersion3.pdf