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What if…: The Position of Rover Had Not Been Eliminated?
FACTS: The year was 1892. Lord Stanley, the Governor General of Canada, has donated a trophy to be awarded to the best amateur hockey club in Canada. As we know, this trophy will come to be known as the Stanley Cup. At this time, however, the trophy looked quite different, consisting only of the 7 inch high silver bowl with the interior gold finish that dons the very top of the almost 3 foot high trophy we see awarded today.
It is fitting that the pinnacle award of the sport consisted of something that is recognizable today, yet at the same time very different from its present form as this very much parallels the structure of the sport itself. Indeed, while we would most likely recognize the game of that day as hockey, we would also notice one major difference (amongst others): a seventh player. In the game of 1892 each team, in addition to a goalie, two defencemen, a centre and two wingers, had an additional player on the ice called a rover. In as much as suggested by the name, the rover did not have a set position per se, but rather “roamed” about the ice. Although most often acting as what could be deemed a centre defenseman, the rover’s assignment was very dependent on what the situation dictated, whether it be an extra forward in the attacking zone, or an extra defenseman when facing increased pressure from the opposing team.
The place of the rover in the game of hockey at that time was two-fold. First, the skill level in the game at this time was not exceedingly well developed overall yet. This is not to say that there were not skilled players in the game, but that the talent was limited to a select few players, and as such having an extra body on the ice to help your team was welcome, especially one with the freedom to not be chained to a single position. Second, in the 1890’s and early 1900’s, hockey was an onside game, meaning that only backward passes were allowed, thereby limiting play to only a single direction and often relying on the abilities of individual players in order to move the puck into the attacking zone. Having a player who could move amongst their teammates as either a forward or defenseman as needed in order to keep that puck moving without compromising the play is definitely advantageous in such scenarios.
Over the course of the early 1900s, more and more individuals entered the game thereby increasing the pool of talent from which teams could draw from. Furthermore, with increased interest in the game comes an increased dedication to the improvement of skill sets amongst the players. This translated to an all around better quality of game played by individual players, and in turn a more cohesive team game being developed with a focus on the passing game as opposed to relying on a single player to run the puck into the offensive zone. Further elevating this evolution of the game was the change from onside rules to offside rules, now allowing for forward passing into the offensive zone and any direction of passing outside of it, subsequently encouraging the use of the full ice surface. The writing on the wall became increasingly clear over a relatively short period of time: the rover position was no longer essential to the game.
The first nail in the coffin came with the advent of the National Hockey Association (NHA) in 1910, where the rover position was excluded from the game, taking the shape of the modern game as we currently see it with 6 players per team on the ice. Conversely, the Pacific Coast Hockey Association (PCHA), formed in 1911, kept the rover position, creating an interesting scenario when the two leagues would meet annually for the Stanley Cup! Baseball fans will be familiar with a similar solution via modern-day interleague play. Specifically, games would alternate between NHA/NHL (post-1917 when the NHA essentially became the NHL) and PCHA rules during the Stanley Cup matches, allowing each team the familiarity of playing via its league’s rules every other game.
This was not to be necessary for long, however, for in 1923 the rover position was dropped by the PCHA (as well as the Western Canada Hockey League [WCHL] , the only other remaining professional league using the rule). The decision was viewed by many as being long overdue, with most in the game viewing the position as doing nothing but crowding the ice. With this, the 30+ year history of the rover was gone in the professional game. Some of the better known rovers of the game have included Hobey Baker, Frank McGee, Lester Patrick and Frederick "Cyclone" Taylor.
The improved skill set and ice space issues that drove the rover position from the game in the 1920’s are amplified even more in present day given the size of modern players and the dedication made to refining even the most subtle aspects of gameplay. So would it be logical to have held onto the rover position into modern times? Not at all!
That being said, if the rover HAD remained in the game, I can imagine a number of changes in the game that would have been necessary. Let me offer my thoughts by asking you a few questions: Would rinks look different? Would different styles of players be valued more? How would scouting have changed? Would two-way play be more emphasized? Would a certain neutral-zone set play emphasizing opposing team turn-overs potentially have emerged earlier? Those questions aside, I also find myself thinking of players who would be interesting modern day rovers. An early 70’s Bobby Orr? A mid 70’s Bobby Clarke? An 80’s Mark Messier? An early 90’s Doug Gilmour? A mid-90’s Sergei Fedorov? A mid 00’s Bryan McCabe?
Enough of my train of thought, let me set the stage for you:
WHAT IF #5: The Position of Rover Had Not Been Eliminated?
I’m truly interested to hear people’s opinions as there is really no standard upon which to draw off for this. As always, creativity is welcome!
Cheers!
Shawn Gates
[email protected]
Twitter: ShawnHockeybuzz
Facebook: Shawn Gates
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