• Advertise
Tuesday, February 7, 2023
  • Login
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Fordham Ram
  • Home
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Editor’s Pick
    • Fashion
    • Film And Television
    • Food
    • Music
    • Review
    • Television
    • Theatre
    • Who’s That Kid
  • News
    • Academics
    • Admissions
    • Faculty & Administrative
    • Feature
    • Finance
    • Metro
    • Research
    • USG
  • Opinion
    • Columnists
    • Editorial
    • From The Desk
    • Letters To The Editor
    • Op-Ed
  • Sports
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Beyond The Scoreboard
    • Football
    • Rowing
    • Senior Profile
    • Soccer
    • Softball
    • Squash
    • Swimming And Diving
    • Tennis
    • Track And Field
    • Volleyball
    • Water Polo
  • About Us
  • Home
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Editor’s Pick
    • Fashion
    • Film And Television
    • Food
    • Music
    • Review
    • Television
    • Theatre
    • Who’s That Kid
  • News
    • Academics
    • Admissions
    • Faculty & Administrative
    • Feature
    • Finance
    • Metro
    • Research
    • USG
  • Opinion
    • Columnists
    • Editorial
    • From The Desk
    • Letters To The Editor
    • Op-Ed
  • Sports
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Beyond The Scoreboard
    • Football
    • Rowing
    • Senior Profile
    • Soccer
    • Softball
    • Squash
    • Swimming And Diving
    • Tennis
    • Track And Field
    • Volleyball
    • Water Polo
  • About Us
No Result
View All Result
The Fordham Ram
No Result
View All Result
Home Sports Hockey

Leave the NHL Nets Alone

by The Fordham Ram
January 17, 2021
in Hockey
0
Leave the NHL Nets Alone

WASHINGTON, DC - October 9, 2010: Washington Capitals goalie Michal Neuvirth (#30) prepares for the start of the second period of their NHL ice hockey game against the New Jersey Devils at Verizon Center.

The NHL has made a few changes in recent years in an attempt to make the game more exciting for casual fans. I have already written about the three-on-three overtime and how much I’ve been in favor of it because it limits the number of games that go to shootouts — essentially a skills competition with no semblance of actual game skill. However, I draw the line with the suggestion of making the nets bigger and the goalie pads smaller.

I understand that, for some people, a 1-0 game isn’t the most exciting to watch. However, those games are sometimes even more exciting than a 6-5 contest. There’s nothing wrong with two defensive teams being physical, aggressive, blocking shots and having two goalies standing on their heads making incredible saves in a one-goal contest. That, to me, is even more exciting than watching a shootout where defenses are essentially Swiss cheese and goalies might as well not even be in the net.

The NHL would be foolish to make the nets bigger. I know that Colorado Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy, one of the best goalies in NHL history, is in favor of expanding the size of the nets, but I do not think it is necessary. Take a look at some of the scores from this past weekend’s games in the NHL. The Avalanche defeated the Montreal Canadiens 6-1, the Florida Panthers topped the Tampa Bay Lightning 5-4 in a shootout, the Columbus Blue Jackets put up a five spot on the Arizona Coyotes and the Nashville Predators shut out the Winnipeg Jets 7-0. All of these games were played with the nets the same size as they’ve been for years, and there were still at least six goals scored in all four contests. While this is not the norm in the league, five-goal games do happen each week, sometimes even each night, in the NHL. Expanding the goals would most likely create an increase in the amount of goals scored, but it is not necessary.

It’s not like each team in the league has a Henrik Lundqvist, Carey Price or Pekka Rinne between the pipes either. There are net minders who already give up over three goals a game and cannot compete with the top goalies in the NHL. Making the nets bigger would only push these goalies further away from those at the top of the league and, if anything, make the NHL as a whole less competitive.

If the league has to change something, I would say making the pads smaller would not be the worst thing in the world.  The NHL dropped the percentage of distance between the center of a goalie’s knee and his pelvis for his leg pads from 55 percent to 45 percent in the 2013-14 season, and there have been more goals through the five hole as a result. I do not know how much smaller they can make the pads, but it would be a better compromise than expanding the net. If it were me, however, I would not change either. Leave the game the way it is; goals will come, and if casual fans really want to get into hockey they will come to appreciate close, low scoring games.

 

Tags: bigger netsHockeynetsnhl
ShareTweetShare
Next Post
Must Try Iconic Desserts

Must Try Iconic Desserts

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK

REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK

2 years ago
News & Notes

News & Notes

2 years ago

Popular News

  • Learning from Nahko Bear

    Learning from Nahko Bear

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Further Consider Endowment in Light of Rankings

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Fighting to Keep His Brother’s Killer Behind Bars

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Free Online Bookkeeping Courses With Certificates

    1 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • 21 of The Best Landscape Hedge Ideas: #15 is Our Favorite!

    3761 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Connect with us

  • Advertise

The Fordham Ram • © 2021 • Privacy Policy • FLEX WordPress Theme by SNO • Log in

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Editor’s Pick
    • Fashion
    • Film And Television
    • Food
    • Music
    • Review
    • Television
    • Theatre
    • Who’s That Kid
  • News
    • Academics
    • Admissions
    • Faculty & Administrative
    • Feature
    • Finance
    • Metro
    • Research
    • USG
  • Opinion
    • Columnists
    • Editorial
    • From The Desk
    • Letters To The Editor
    • Op-Ed
  • Sports
    • Baseball
    • Basketball
    • Beyond The Scoreboard
    • Football
    • Rowing
    • Senior Profile
    • Soccer
    • Softball
    • Squash
    • Swimming And Diving
    • Tennis
    • Track And Field
    • Volleyball
    • Water Polo
  • About Us

The Fordham Ram • © 2021 • Privacy Policy • FLEX WordPress Theme by SNO • Log in

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In