For years, hockey players have complained that with the added height to the current crop of goaltenders in the NHL and the amount of equipment they wear in a game, it leaves them little net space to place an accurate shot on goal. League management recently unveiled a prototype goal in Toronto for a puck-shooting demonstration and intimated that it could be used in a game by next season. This has brought a continuous debate back to the front burner again in hockey: should the NHL increase the size and dimension of the goal net to increase scoring in the league?
Many believe that increase scoring in the league will generate more fan interest in hockey. The last discussion of a possible net change was in 2007, and that involved changing the size to a “soccer-styled” net. This was a ploy by the NHLPA to decrease the size of the goaltender’s equipment, which was changed the following off-season.
The proposed goal will still stand six feet wide and four feet high, but the noticeable change will be replacing the circular post with an oval-shaped design that will have a flatter, longer crossbar on the inside of the goal. The hope is that shots on net will have a better chance of ricocheting in for a goal instead of bounding off into the corner.
The initial results from the demonstration were that the pucks were indeed going into the net after hitting the crossbar on a shot attempt. Shots on the short side post were also going into the net, but fewer shots were going into the net off the far post. Those attempts still tended to go into the corner.
Hockey purists will argue that changing the size of the goal net would be committing a mortal sin in the sport. Its equivalent would be shortening the field of play by 10 yards in the NFL or increasing the rim size in the NBA. They’ll argue that hockey isn’t all about scoring goals.
Entertaining hockey can be defined by good offensive flow with back and forth scoring opportunities from each team. The main problem in the NHL is clogged neutral zone play, as larger, non-athletic players deliberately slow down the more skilled, faster players with a forecheck at center ice. Coaches have implemented a more defensive-minded system to prevent big offensive games from the talented players in the league.
Every change in hockey has tried to add more offense to the game. Scorers cannot always hit their target and making the net larger will give them a little more margin for error. Instead of changing the net, perhaps widening the ice surface would allow for better offensive flow. Ultimately, it will come down to what the players want.
