I'm an old-school kinda guy. I get it when hockey fans don't want to mess with tradition by refuting the premise of increasing the net size. It's a great sport built upon over a century of tradition and altering certain aspects of the game, especially the net, is something that should only be done as a last resort.
I'm afraid, however, that the time has come and if you think about it, Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Mike Babcock's suggestion that the NHL add an inch to the net really won't have that much of a visual impact on hockey fans.
Buffalo Sabres head coach Dan Bylsma was on WGR this morning and when asked about changing the size of the net, he was opposed, saying they should look at goalie equipment and calling penalties as they did after the 2004-05 lockout. He's not against angling the posts either to direct more shot into the net off of the iron.
And that's fine. Players and coaches can rail against the increased net size all they want, because they're the ones on the ice and they would notice a change like that. But fans? Really? I can almost guarantee that 99% of fans couldn't tell the difference. Adding one inch to a 72-inch width amounts to a 1.3% increase while adding one inch to the 48" height equates to a 2% increase. The overall increase in square inches would noticeable to players and coaches, but if I put one traditional net at one end of the rink while at the other end is a net increased by one inch, I challenge any fan to sit in any seat in the building and tell me that they notice the difference.
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Bylsma talked about the play of the game itself and how penalties aren't being called the way they were just after the 2004-05 lockout. He thinks calling the game using the rulebook will help in the goal-scoring department, which it will, but it's somewhat artificial.
According to hockeyreference.com teams averaged 5.85 powerplay opportunities (PPO) per game in 2005-06 while last season it was only 3.06. Teams scored and average of 1.03 powerplay goals per game in '05-06 (17.68% conversion rate) while last season it was .57 PPG (18.66%.) In reference to the overall number of goals scored, in the 2005-06 season powerplay goals represented 33.4% of the 3.08 goals/game while last season it was 20% of the 2.73 goals/game.
The highest scoring season in the NHL was during the 1981-82 season when the league averaged 4.01 goals per game. Teams scored an average of .91 PPG. on 4.00 PPO for a conversion rate of 22.85%. The .91 PPG represented 22.7% of the 4.01 goals scored on average per game.
More powerplays mean more goals overall for obvious reasons. Although the conversion rate of 22.85% was much higher than 17.68% it represented a smaller portion of the overall number of goals scored. The percentage of overall goals scored on the powerplay in 1981-'82 was 22.7% while in '05-'06 it was a more pronounced 33.4%. That's roughly a 50% difference.
So why were teams back then scoring a higher percentage of goals outside of the powerplay?
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Make no mistake, the 80's were a golden era of post-expansion hockey and the names playing the game at the time were many and legendary. There was the convergence of three dynasties, one barely clinging on (the Montreal Canadiens,) and one current dynasty (the NY Islanders) being surpassed by the Edmonton Oilers. But outside of the immense skill on the ice, however, lies part of the reason for their gaudy numbers (as compared to the present)--goalie equipment and goalies themselves.
Take a look for yourself at the images of Tom Barrasso, Eddie Belfour and Martin Brodeur from when they were rookies to the end of their careers, or if you want you can click on a blog I did back in August, 2010 entitled Why is scoring not like it once was in the NHL? See for yourself.
And not only is there more equipment on today's goalies, but the goalies are also bigger.
Back in 1981-82 here are some of the leaders in goals against average:
And others like Roggie Vachon (BOS) at 5'7" 170 lbs. or Buffalo's own Don Edwards 5'9" 160 and Bob Sauve 5'8" 178.
Go ahead, look at their images or the video.
Or check out this 2010 History Will Be Made ad from the NHL featuring Wayne Gretzky going in on a breakaway against Smith.
Goalies aren't going to shrink and if they don't reduce the extra bulk of goalie equipment then increasing the net size is the only alternative.
The NHL should begin by reducing the extra padding on goaltenders and increase the net size by a quarter inch every season for the next four years. If they want they can start calling by the book too.
The differences won't be that noticeable to the average fan, but to those on the ice, especially the highly skilled players, going in on today's goalie will more closely resemble that of Gretzky on Smith.
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