Would you wear them?

[Fox 0]

Gah. I don't like that rule. I'll stick with my 11-12'' pads. Thankyou. I don't know, I saw 10'' versions if supremes, they are scary looking.

[Jbone 0]

Even if I did have the balls to be a goalie I wouldnt go below 12 inch ones.

[WBGMike 2]

11 is the lowest i go

[thunderbirds_are_go 0]

It must be Queer Eye for the Straight Goalie - "but they're so slimming - especially in black"!!!

Crazy rule anyway. Yes, I know they want more goals in the NHL, but when teams are getting under 20 shots a game - and most of those from the outside - are smaller pads going to make any real difference?

[Chadd 916]

They need to increase the number of scoring opportunities, smaller pads won't fix the problems.

[Eazy_b97 1]

Looking back at old games what have now become routine shots used to be scoring chances. People would score regularly from along the boards or at the blueline with slapshots. The goalies have improved, and while I do not think this will help, it is not an easy task to make more scoring chances. I think this could help, but marginally at best.

[asdfa 0]

i think they might be a little more dangerous for the goalies besides decreasing their size. wouldn't there be less side padding? the odd angle shots might smack the goalie on the inside of their leg where there is no padding

[Chadd 916]

.... it is not an easy task to make more scoring chances.

Calling obstruction and interference as it is already written would increase scoring chances.

[kosydar 0]

I see no problem with the rules. Is scoring going to go up drastically? No, but a few more goals will be scored. The purpose of pads is to protect the players, not give them an unfair advantage. Goalie pads aren't even designed for their original purpose anymore it seems like. I'm no goalie, but does anybody really need a 12" pad for protection?

[Eazy_b97 1]

.... it is not an easy task to make more scoring chances.

Calling obstruction and interference as it is already written would increase scoring chances.

I don't disagree, but they have tried this and it never pans out. Early in the year the PP's are up past 10 every game, then the NHL gets a little hear and folds in. I agree it will help, but I see no problem with 10" pads.

Should this be moved to the NHL section?

[Chadd 916]

Nah, just me getting off topic again.

[JR Boucicaut 3797]

I don't see what the big problem is. Goalies' legs are not 12" wide. So there goes that whole "protection" thing...I think it's gonna open up scoring, as the shooters have more to look at. Goalies are already more agile than in the past, they'll find a way to make the saves.

[ajd91187 0]

Looking back at old games what have now become routine shots used to be scoring chances. People would score regularly from along the boards or at the blueline with slapshots. The goalies have improved, and while I do not think this will help, it is not an easy task to make more scoring chances. I think this could help, but marginally at best.

from what i can tell it looks like the goalies feel safer. In the old days very rarely would a goalie go down into the butterfly but now it is commonplace. I don't agree with the rule and i do think the scoring issue is deeper than that, but the nhl is the nhl and they make the rules <_<

Edit: You should also note that I'm not a goalie.

[joshy207 15]

The only way to increase goal scoring is to KILL ALL THE GOALIES.

If you think about it, 2 12" pads only cover 2 feet out of 6, there's still a good part of the net to shoot at. However, goalies' agility/athletic ability and training (playing style, cutting down angles, etc) have helped them become light-years better than their counterparts of 20 years ago. Changing the flow of the game to increase scoring chances is the best way to increase scoring.

[Chadd 916]

but with most pro goalies wearing 33"+ pads you're lucky if you have any spot the width of a puck to score on the ice. The pads width then reduces the spaces under the arm, at least a bit. As long as it doesn't endanger goalies, I see no problem.

[Aussie Joe 0]

The pad reduction rule isn't that bad. The crappiest one I've seen is trying to ban goalies from playing the puck outside of the net! I personally love to see goalies like Marty leaving the crease and snapping a nice pass to Rafalski whose skating just over his blue line. Its a great skill when your goalie has a better turnover/pass rate than your defensemen!

[Chadd 916]

The pad reduction rule isn't that bad. The crappiest one I've seen is trying to ban goalies from playing the puck outside of the net! I personally love to see goalies like Marty leaving the crease and snapping a nice pass to Rafalski whose skating just over his blue line. Its a great skill when your goalie has a better turnover/pass rate than your defensemen!

yeah, but the problem is the Devils trap the other team at center ice, then wait for Marty to play the puck up to them. The pass is nice but takes the fun out of the rest of the game.

[Aussie Joe 0]

The pad reduction rule isn't that bad. The crappiest one I've seen is trying to ban goalies from playing the puck outside of the net! I personally love to see goalies like Marty leaving the crease and snapping a nice pass to Rafalski whose skating just over his blue line. Its a great skill when your goalie has a better turnover/pass rate than your defensemen!

yeah, but the problem is the Devils trap the other team at center ice, then wait for Marty to play the puck up to them. The pass is nice but takes the fun out of the rest of the game.

I like it. It keeps the play up forward, rather then this basketball style we have now where players cruise in and set up a point shot thats got no hope. Get that puck back up there where all the players are and keep hammering the net.

[Chadd 916]

In theory that sounds good. Too bad the Devils dump it back in deep and try to force a turnover and odd man rush. There is so little flow in a Devils game that it's disgusting. Honestly, why else would a team so close to NY, with their history of winning, have such a problem with attendance?

[biro0002 0]

I think it's not what is in net that is the problem. Reduction of the jersey size was ok. But removing a total of 4" off the goalie will maybe have .25 or .75 avg goal per game. Twelve inch pads have been around since the 1940's. So yes in the high scoring 80's the Grant Fuhr, Pete Peters, Patrick Roy and Ron Hextal had 12' pads. The thing we didn't have in the 80's was the trap. Hockey back then was all offence.

If they want to increase scoring opportunities they sould push the net back were it was before, it would increase the offensive zone. Go back to no touch iceing, it would reduce Injures. Go back to the time when miner penalties were done only when the 2 minutes were up. In other words a team could have 2 or 3 goales on the same powerplay.

Finally have the refes call the game and not manage it. They sould call everything. If it is the first game of the season or game 7 of the cup final. Call the clutching and grabbing, so that the talanted players can play and not get obstructed by the not as talanted players. There would be alot of penalties in the begining, but there professionals they'd adjust.

The thing is to improve the product you don't only have to increase scoring. You have to find a way to increase scoring opportunities. Yes spectacular goals are nice to see, but awsome save are also cool to watch. The league has to find ways to encourage teams to play more offensive minded.

[Vapor 0]

i think they might be a little more dangerous for the goalies besides decreasing their size. wouldn't there be less side padding? the odd angle shots might smack the goalie on the inside of their leg where there is no padding

I was watching a tape of the 94 cup (us ranger fans need to reminise), and there was a picture of brodeur leading the team onto the ice, and my first thought was, damn, his pads are too small for him. Were they? No. Its just the fact that the pads have gotten so BIG these days, that what the size the pads should be, has now become what looks too small. My point is, pads have gotten so big now, the "correct" size seems way too small.

[2048 0]

Making the pads smaller is like putting a band aid on a broken bone. The fact is, the game will still be boring and a trap fest regardless of what the goalies wear. They have to figure out ways to make hte sport more exciting instead of figuring out ways to make it more high scoring.

[Chadd 916]

Making the pads smaller is like putting a band aid on a broken bone. The fact is, the game will still be boring and a trap fest regardless of what the goalies wear. They have to figure out ways to make hte sport more exciting instead of figuring out ways to make it more high scoring.

I agree. Adding another fluke goal or two a game isn't going to help. They need to increase scoring chances to improve the game itself. That said, the goal equipment is getting way too large. The gear must be there to protect the goalie, not to stop the puck according to the rules.

[Perry94 0]

personally I don't think there's anything we can do to "increase" the flow of the game. It's just that this era's style has been clutching ang grabbing and trapping. I say just let it go; in a couple of years everyone'll play like Tampa does...

[Eazy_b97 1]

Everyone is good at both ends. If you cannot play boths ways in the NHL, you cannot play anymore. Thats the big difference as I see it, The defensive systems, matched with talented people who know the defensive side of the game makes it that much more difficult to score. I think alot of players are falling off right now from the players they were, but in reality they haven't lost a step, the league has gained a defensive one.