I reckon that, much like myself, there were a number of you fine folks this past Saturday night who, rather than wallowing in your sorrow/indifference (choose as appropriate) over an opening night of NHL action that was not to be, decided to renew or intensify their relationship with hockey at the junior and/or farm team levels. My particular poison this weekend was the opening game of the Toronto Marlies season versus the Rochester Americans. These clubs, tied to the Maple Leafs and Sabres, respectively, put on a great show and displayed many great pieces of future QEW series games should the NHL ever decide to get it’s bovine excrement dealt with.
A few of my observations in stemming from said game:
1) Cody Hodgson is starting to sound like a more professional player in the way he interacts with the media, which will hopefully translate into his in-room presence as well. Have met the guy before and he seems like a genuinely good hearted kid from the brief time I interacted with him, but we’ve all known some really good people who have had to learn the tough way that we earn our rewards over time, and that they don’t come solely based on potential. Sometimes we need to be knocked down a few pegs to learn some humility, and if his manner of expressing himself is any indication, there seems to be some movement going, and in the right direction. Good on him…
2) Moving Francois Beauchemin to Anaheim for Jake Gardiner, Joffrey Lupul and a 4th round pick in ’13 will be defined, in my opinion, as Brian Burke’s biggest long-term success as GM of the Leafs in terms of trades if not for anything but having Gardiner. Kid is a blueline stud and will be key to the Leafs having success in the near future.
3) It IS possible to have a hockey game in Toronto where the ice level seats aren’t empty at the beginning of the period…
But I digress…
What I actually wanted to touch on here pertains to the AHL’s introduction of a hybrid icing rule on a trial basis until mid-November. Implemented at the request of the NHL, this modified calling of the infraction seeks to reduce the potential of serious injury resulting from skaters racing hard into the end boards while chasing the puck, while maintain an element of a heated pursuit of the puck by offensive and defensive player alike to determine whether the play stays alive or not.
In essence, the hybrid icing rule allows for a referee to call, or wave off, icing on the basis of which player is closest to the puck at a given distance. In the case where a puck has crossed the goal line and is in the general area of the corner/behind the net, the determination of icing is based on which player is closest (determined by the location of player skate) to the puck at the point of the face-off dots. If it is the attacking player, icing is waived. If it is the defending player, or the official cannot determine who is ahead, icing is called. In the scenario where the puck has been rung around the boards and is travelling back up the side boards towards the blue line, the determination will not be based on faceoff dots, but who is closest at a comparable distance to that in the former scenario, which going by the distance between the faceoff dots and the end boards is approximately 30 feet.
The analogy perhaps best suited for the hybrid icing is that of horseshoes: rewarding proximity to the target. Being closer to the target than your opponent is all that really matters. As such, while sprints for those pucks are still to be had between opposing players, a winner is declared with enough space between said players and the boards for them to slow down or steer away under their own power without concern for what impact that decision may have on their team.
This system, whether labelled hybrid icing or “Attainable Touch Icing”, has been utilized by the United States Hockey League (USHL) and North American Hockey League (NAHL) since 2010 reportedly with great success, and has played a role in what has been a steadily building level of support for this method of icing calls in the past two years. USA hockey, the sanctioning body of both the USHL and NAHL junior leagues, has produced a relatively straight-forward look at this hybrid icing
in this video, produced for training its on-ice officials upon the rules’ introduction.
Same hustle, less room for injury. A win-win for everyone I guess! What I tend to find most amazing is how much ice the players still cover once the whistle has been blown at the dot. We’re talking a distance of 20-30 feet (rink in video seems slightly smaller than a standard 200 x 85, so perhaps closer to the 20 mark) in a snap while the players are no longer actively chasing the puck. Lends more credence perhaps to how an adjustment in this rule is becoming more necessary given the speed and mass of players in comparison to those of 20 years ago, a time when there were already plenty of individuals identifying the icing standards as in need of an overhaul due to safety concerns.
I’m personally quite receptive to this move in principle, but would like to see it in action for a bit before going 100% on-board. For now I’m satisfied to be intrigued and at 80% on-board, with the prospect of future AHL viewing to take it in fully being a welcome addition to my down time. Hey, it’s not like I’m going to have the NHL fighting for my viewing attention anytime soon, even were they to start play tomorrow night...
_______________________________________________________________________
Do you have a piece of treasured memorabilia that has a great story behind it? Let me know and you can be featured in an article. Doesn't matter how big or small the piece is, how valuable it may be, or whether it's a common item or more oddball. If you think it has a story, contact me via the information below and we'll chat. In the meantime, check out some previous "Display Case" articles via the links below to see what others have submitted in the past...
________________________________________________________________________
Shawn Gates
[email protected]
Facebook: Shawn Gates
Facebook Group: Hockeybuzz Collectibles
________________________________________________________________________
Previous “Who Am I?” Articles
#1,
#2,
#3,
#4,
#5,
#6,
#7,
#8,
#9,
#10,
#11,
#12,
#13,
#14,
#15,
#16,
#17,
#18,
#19,
#20,
#21 ,
#22 ,
#23,
#24,
#25
Previous “WHAT IF…?” Articles
#1 What If The NHL Contracted To 24 Teams?
#2 What If Quebec Traded Lindros To The Rangers Instead Of The Flyers?
#3 What If Calgary Drafted Martin Brodeur Instead Of Trevor Kidd?
#3a What If Calgary Drafted Martin Brodeur Instead Of Trevor Kidd?: A RESPONSE
#4 What If The WHA Never Existed?
#5 What If The Position Of Rover Had Not Been Eliminated?
#6 What If Pittsburgh Had Not Been Awarded A Team In 1967?
#7 What If Steve Smith Had Not Scored In His Own Net In Game 7?
#8 What If The NHL Had a Cross-Conference Playoff Structure?
#9 What If The NHL Asked For Fan Ideas For Improving The Game??
#10 What If Henderson Had Missed The Net In Game 8?
#11 What If You Could Sneak Into A Stanley Cup Celebration?
#12 What If The NHL Returned To Quebec City?
#13 What if Toronto and Edmonton Had Traded Teams in 1981?
#14 What if You Could Create Your Own Hockey Dream Team?
#15 What if An Active Player in the NHL “Came Out” as Gay?
#16 You Could Assemble Your Own Fantasy Pick-up Hockey Team?
#17 Hockey Had A Champions League Tournament?
#18 Team "X" Did NOT Make Trade "Y" At The Deadline?
#19 Gretzky Had Been Called For he High Stick?
#20 Star Players Hadn't Had Their Careers Cut Short?
#21 Mark Cuban Owned An NHL Team?
#22 Should Divisional Play Be Overhauled?
#23 You Won The Lottery Using Jersey Numbers?
#24 You Could Change Any Teams Name?
#25 You Could Own Any Odd Piece Of Hockey Memorabilia?
Previous “Would You Rather…?
#1
Previous “Display Case” Articles
#1: The “Frankenstick!”
#2: Your desk has the right to remain collectable!
#3: Have Pads, Will Travel
#4: Pick a Pekka (Rinne) Autographed Mask
#5: Ted Lindsay Gets Kronwalled?
#6: The Only Thing We Have To Fehr Is Fehr Himself
#7: “Hungary” For Team Canada Swag
#8: The Soldiers Kid and “The Kid”
Previous “Very Random Thoughts” Articles
August 9, 2012
August 1, 2012
July 24, 2012
Previous “Points To Ponder” Articles
Hockey Writers: Bottom Of The Barrel?!?!?
161 Players Overrate The Need To Offer Their Opinion
East vs West: Which Conference is Best?
Previous “Hockey Videos”
2012: Week 1
2012: Week 2
2012: Week 3
2012: Week 4
2012: Week 5
2012: Week 6
2012: Week 7
Pain for Pleasure
National Anthems
Dion Phaneuf
Hockey Fans
Hockey Christmas
Nature Versus Sports
Goalie Fights!
Upcoming Signings
Click Here
Previous “Who Knew?” Articles
#1: Gordie Howe
#2: The Zamboni
#3: Maurice “The Rocket” Richard
#4: Ron Hextall
#5: Stanley Cup Abuse, Neglect and Versatility
#6: The Puck
#7: Don Cherry
#8: Cam Neely
#9: The Early Years of Les Canadiens
#10: Hockey Superstitions!
#11: Olympic Hockey Pt1
#12: Jarome Iginla
#13: Mark Messier
#14: Johnny Bower
Previous Product Previews & Reviews
2010-11 Donruss Hockey
2010-11 Panini Score Hockey
2010-11 Panini Certified Hockey
2010-11 ITG Ultimate Memorabilia, 10th Edition
2010-11 ITG Heroes & Prospects
2010-11 Panini Pinnacle Hockey
2011 UD National Hockey Card Day
2011 UD All Star Weekend Redemptions
2010-11 ITG Between The Pipes
Ultimate Set Build
INDEX
Previous "Devil's In The Details" Articles
#1: Beware the "Factory Sealed Box"!
#2: The Price Guide"
#3: What IS A Rookie Card?
#4: Beware the Money Order!
#5: The Counterfeit Gretzky RC
Previous Box Breaks
2010-11 Score Hockey
Previous “Devil's Advocate” Articles
Gary Bettman and the Phoenix Coyotes
Previous “According to Twitter” Articles
Olympic Gold Medal Game
Olympic Hockey
Kovalchuk Trade
Previous “Town Without A Team” Articles
Booger Hollow, Arkansas
Hell, Michigan
Previous “Hockey Psychology” Articles
State Dependent Learning
Arousal and Performance
Depression
Join the Discussion:
»