Hockey fans – National Hockey League (NHL) chatter about the playoffs.

Toronto, CANADA – We’re right into the semi-finals now and there is all kinds of “NHL chatter” about everything.
First off, it was just announced this weekend that the NHL has become involved in the “GreenMen” at Roger’s Arena (formerly GM Place) in Vancouver, where these jerks in green spandex suits sit in their season ticket seats next to the visitors penalty box with the full body spandex suits on (head to toe) and taunt the players while they touch, punch, kiss the glass during a penalty. The current opposition actually made a formal complaint.The NHL has contacted them and said they are “not allowed to touch the glass” any longer. I don’t like these guys either, but you cannot touch the glass in NHL arenas any longer? Does that just mean at the penalty box, or the glass anywhere in the stadium? What do you think?

The issue of linesmen throwing players out of the faceoffs, for no reason, has really got my goat. It has, and will continue and it could cost a team a win/loss in a very important playoff game. Has anyone ever seen a second player get thrown out of a faceoff after the regular centre has been thrown out?  Not likely, I haven’t either and I think the reason is the rules say (from what I know) that if it happens a second time, the referee will be forced to give the offending team a penalty? So which is worse, getting a penalty or being thrown out for no reason, and losing the game over such a stupid situation. It happened to Montreal Canadiens in the last round.

Another thing that is prevalent is the ongoing problem of the player changes at the benches, and it always becomes an issue during the playoffs. Last year there were over 20 penalties for too many players on the ice, and this year there has been penalties already.

I like the idea of Don Cherry of  Hockey Night in Canada (HNIC)  fame, that there should be a “change free zone”  just outside the players benches, where they are allowed a five foot zone to change freely, of course unless the extra player is touched by the puck.

And then of course we come to the age old question about the touch icing, and the possibility of a player being injured while they race down the ice to touch the puck first. The NHL did the right thing recently, by changing the rule that the players could NOT touch each other while they tried to touch the puck first, but why did they do that. Are they concerned that someone might get hurt? If that is their reasoning, why not just make it an instant whistle as soon as the puck crosses the goal line, a no-touch icing?
But then that would make sense, and keep everyone safe, but no, the NHL wants the excitement of two men racing down to the end boards to touch a puck.

Makes no sense to me, what about you?

Daniel … Toronto, CANADA
My take on everything