Written by Kevin Allen at USAToday.com
Toronto Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock would like to see bigger nets. Calgary Flames president Brian Burke is crusading for wider ice rinks. Many around the NHL want to shrink the size of goalkeeper equipment.
With the NHL at 12-year-low of 5.36 goals per contest, there are more theories about what should be done than there are goals in a game.
“It’s tough to score – no doubt,” Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews told USA TODAY Sports. “You have four lines on every team, and there is skill on every line. It doesn’t matter what you do – if you continue to change the rules or modify the game, teams will always adjust defensively because that it’s how you win. That’s how you make championship runs.”
More sophisticated defensive coaching and an increase in shot blocking has made scoring more difficult. Plus, goaltending has become an exact science. The average save percentage in the NHL is .916, compared to the .898 it was 20 years ago.
“No one is going to come down the wing anymore like Guy Lafleur and score,” said Penguins general manager Ray Shero. “Goalies are too damn good.”
Burke doesn’t believe the game needs more scoring, but he believes that increasing the rink width from 85 to 90 feet would give players more room to use their speed and skill would make the game more entertaining.
“A big save can bring fans to the edge of their seat. A fight can do that and a big hit can do that,” Burke said. “Unfortunately, the entertainment value is declining, and not just because scoring is down. We are losing fighting to a significant extent. A 1-0 game can be a marvelous game to watch, but we can’t become the World Cup of soccer where the only tension in our building is because the score is close.”
According to Burke, there was a straw poll taken among the general managers three years ago and 24 out of 30 GMs favored a wider rink. The Detroit Red Wings’ new arena is being built to accommodate that change if it happens.
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