The game of hockey itself is extremely simple, yet highly entertaining. Teams of two compete to score goals by passing a puck around a frozen pond or field. In order to score, a hockey player has to release a hockey puck into the air during play.
Just because the game is so simple, it does not mean it is without complexities. There are several variables that can be adjusted to create strategic differences in the game. One of these variables is the rule set forth by the organizers of the game. These variables can range from the number of skaters that can be on the ice at one time, to whether or not to allow line changes, to whether or not to use icing to determine a winner.
Table of Contents
Rookie Versus Senior
One of the most significant differences between the game as it is played today and the game as it was originally played is the difference in the ages of the players. During the 1930’s and 1940’s, most of the players were considerably older than the current crop of NHL rookies. Since the inception of the NHL, the average age of players has decreased steadily, though it has jumped up a bit in the past few years. One of the consequences of this is that the game itself is much faster than it was in the past. When a puck is kicked up into the air, it is usually caught before it has even settled to the ice. This is made possible by the constant movement that the players use while circling the puck, trying to keep it in play.
Even with the increased speed of the game, it is still not easy for a rookie to score. One of the most significant barriers to a rookie scoring is the “seniority factor”. If a player does not have a large number of years of experience in the NHL, it takes him or her longer to become accustomed to the speed of the game and to the rink itself. This makes it harder for the player to catch and control a puck, decreasing the chances of him or her scoring.
Changes In Goals Scoring
During the 2007 edition of the Stanley Cup, the New York Rangers defeated the Anaheim Ducks in the Finals. Both teams have a history of making the playoffs each season and going all the way to the final. This year was different, as the teams were evenly matched in terms of talent. The difference in the game was that the Rangers used a higher percentage of pucks on goal than the Ducks did.
In the 2006-2007 season, only 16% of the shots the Rangers took went for the goal, as opposed to 25% for the Ducks. This might not seem like a significant difference, but every goal the Rangers scored this year was important, and many were game-winning goals. The extra percentage worked in the Rangers’ favor, as they outscored the Ducks, 12 to 9. It should also be noted that the entire Anaheim team was on the injured reserve list for most of the season, so the Rangers were the clear-cut beneficiaries of this higher percentage. This was especially the case in the playoffs, as the Ducks only managed to score 7.4% of their goals in the postseason.
Fewer Goaltending Changes
With all of the advances in technology, it is quite remarkable that the most significant change to the game has been made through the rulebook rather than through some sort of statistical analysis. In the early years of the NHL, there were almost monthly changes to the goalie equipment, and even changes in the rules concerning trapezoidal ice mats and the shape of the goal posts. However, as the years have gone by and computer analysis has taken its place, the changes have become much less frequent. This is not to say that equipment changes have stopped occurring, just that they have been replaced with more strategic tinkering, as teams have learned that the style of play that they are employing is not necessarily “wrong” but rather just needs a bit of fine-tuning.
Rookie And Midseason Promotion
The process of choosing which hockey players to promote to the NHL and which ones to relegate to the minor leagues is quite complicated. When a player is first drafted, his or her team will have a choice to make. Do they want to keep the player, or do they want to send him or her to the minor leagues to develop further?
The way this system works is that a team’s “rookie” players will have an opportunity to showcase their talent during the pre-season. The top performers during the preseason will be given a chance to prove themselves in the big leagues, while the bottom performers will be sent down to the minor leagues. This process is called “rookie promotion”, and it was first used in the 1917 NHL season. During the season, a team can also decide that a player has become “eligible for rookie promotion” by scoring 15 goals or more in the minor leagues. In that case, the team can choose to either keep the player on the roster or send him down. It is quite an arbitrary system, but it is still used today because it allows teams to get a better feel for a player before making a decision.
More Goals Against
When one of the most recognizable sports figures in the world is involved in a controversy, it is usually accompanied by the sound of crickets. This is because sports fans do not like to complain about their favorite team or player, as doing so could result in the offender being booed or his team being ridiculed. However, in recent years, there have been exceptions to this rule. When former Pittsburgh Penguin Mark Cullen was spotted by fans in a restaurant without his shirt on, some customers were heard to shout “get that shirt off of him”. This type of incident, which took place in 2009, made it clear that fans were sick of Cullen’s antics and wanted nothing more to do with him. Soon after this incident, Cullen was traded to the Calgary Flames for a draft pick, proving once and for all that if you do not want to be complained about, do not wear a funny shirt or do funny things.
Decreased Goaltending Accuracy
It is understandable that, with all of the advancements in technology, the lines of communication between coaches and players have been greatly enhanced. However, this does not mean that the coaches can ignore the fundamental skills necessary for goaltending. In the early years of the NHL, coaches did everything from walk around the bench to give their players some pep talks, to adjusting the angle at which they were standing during a stoppage in play.
Though the equipment has changed and the strategies have evolved, the basic skills necessary for goaltending have not. A coach must be able to make the right save at the right time, which is a lot harder than it sounds. This is why even with all of the technological advantages, coaches still use drills and games to teach their players how to keep pucks out of the net and how to make the right save at the right time.
Goal Scoring Variability
The most recognizable name in hockey is unquestionably Wayne Gretzky, who had an extremely successful career in the NHL, scoring hundreds of goals and winning a number of awards, including the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is “given annually to the NHL player who best exemplifies sportsmanship, dedication, and patriotism”. However, even Gretzky had to start somewhere, and just because he was good at hockey, it does not mean that he was good at everything about the game. If he had not found success in the NHL, perhaps he would have tried his luck in another league or set of rules. This is why when you look at the history of hockey, even the greatest players did not always have wonderful careers, as many had to start small and work their way up. This is something that the game itself protects you from, as the system is designed so that the odds of a good player falling to the bottom are extremely small.
Small Ice Rinks
Though the equipment and strategies have changed over the years, the basic premise of the game has remained mostly the same. Teams of two compete to score goals by passing a puck around a frozen pond or field. Wherever the game is played, the ice surface has to be small, as it turns out that the smaller the ice surface, the faster the game tends to go. This makes it easier for players to maintain their speed and to control the puck. It also means the puck tends to stay in play longer, creating more opportunities for scoring.
The smaller the rink, the more intense the game, as there is less room for error, and thus, less time for things to go wrong. This is why smaller rinks favor speed over strength, as the faster the game goes, the less tired the players will become, resulting in longer careers and more exciting games.