The National Hockey League

Analysis Paper

The National Hockey League cancelled the 2005 hockey season in the middle of February this year. Last minute negotiations between players and owners failed over disagreements over a salary cap being the main deterrent. This was a huge loss for the already struggling sport of hockey in the United States. Many people believed there may never again be a professional hockey League in the United States. Fortunately for hockey fans a new six year agreement was announced on July 13. Under this new agreement came changes in the NHL. New rules and an adjusted salary cap have brought about a new National Hockey League much different than that of previous years.

On July 22, 2005 the board of governors of the NHL approved radical rule changes mainly designed to increase offensive opportunity and scoring. One rule is that a shootout will determine the winner if there is not a goal in the five minute overtime period. This rule eliminates the tie in hockey and should work well for fans. The two line pass is now legal, which will eliminate the red line at center ice except for icing. College, international, and European hockey currently play this way. Two line passes will open up the ice and create faster game with more breakaways. Another change comes in the equipment department. Goalie leg pads, blockers, gloves, and jerseys have all been cut down in size. Leg pads have been reduced from twelve to eleven inches. Not until the start of the season will we know the effects of this rule change because of the minimal difference. A second rule change imposed on goalies is that they can only handle the puck from behind the goal line when it is directly behind the net and not to the left or right. This rule change should do little to affect the game. The net has been moved two feet backward from thirteen to eleven feet. This will create more shooting angles for the offense, but will also leave the defense with less room to defend behind the net. Yet another rule favoring the offense is the reduction of the neutral zone from 54 to 50 feet. This makes the opposition's zone four feet bigger giving the offense more room to work with. Icing will be reduced by the new rule that a team guilty of icing will not be able to sub before the next face off. Fighting will also be reduced this year due to the penalties it carries. A player who instigates a fight within the last five minutes of a game will receive a game misconduct and will be suspended for the next game. The length of the suspension will double with each incident. The last rule change is that the tag up rule has been reinstated. This rule allows players who are offside to return to the blue line and tag up eliminating a whistle. Creating less stoppage and creating more offense will occur from this. All of these rules will change the game in different ways but hockey