A Night at the Roundtable
Ah yes, once again, someone wants to pick my great hockey brain. Last month, it was Chris over at Western College Hockey. This time, it's Bruce Ciskie. I am all too happy to oblige with my unique blend of the fantastic and the real.
Has the college game truly seen in increase in stickwork in recent years?
Well, I don't know what hockey was like in the olden times, you'll have to ask my dad, but I think it's safe to say I DON'T LIKE LAZY STICK PENALTIES. If you're going to get a penalty, do it for something exciting, like charging, not something lame, like hooking. Yeah, you got burned. Why don't you try forechecking a little next time, homeslice? I guess you can think about it when you're chatting with the sweat-towel-and-water-bottle dude. It's tough, though. College hockey has a lot of superstars, One Year Wonders who can skate circles around the average (or below average) hockey player. Fourth Line All-Stars and defensemen have no other recourse.
Do officials do a good job of calling "clutch-and-grab" infractions consistently?
Ah yes, the key word here is consistently. Hmmm. I wouldn't have to get beta-blockers on the black market if penalties were consistently called. Plus, the words "officials" and "good job" never belong in the same sentence unless "aren't doing" is between them.
The thing about that style of play is, since it isn't being called, it's being coached. If the refs called games better, Sloth would be out of a job!
What do you think of the "checking from behind" crackdown?
Did anyone ask Curious George and his Man with the Yellow Hat what they thought about the new "crackdown," as you say? They seemed to enjoy it. I think the theory is solid. But, "in theory, communism works. In theory." Do I want to protect players from being carried out on a backboard? You're darn tootin'. But I don't want to see people turning at the last minute just to get the call. Like most people are saying, I like the crackdown, but they need to have more leeway in what sort of penalties can be awarded.
What NHL rules change would you like to see adopted in college hockey, and which one do you want college hockey to stay away from?
Offensive Zone: Like it. It would open up more space, especially on the power play. Heaven knows we need more room to get that umbrella working.
Shootout: Ugh. I'd rather see a longer overtime, as one of my comrades suggested. A better option would be to make an OT loss worth one point.
Goalie equipment: I guess if they're that good, they won't need to have comedically oversized equipment. Then when you get a goalie gameworn jersey, it might actually fit.
Trapezoid: Though some people like to have their goalies chained to the net for fear of making a bad pass or falling over or having the puck hit a seam to send the game into quadruple overtime only to lose the game, I think it's a stupid penalty. Nobody gets hurt that way. If Ziggy wants to take the puck all the way down to the other end of the rink and put it in the net, he can be my guest. All I have to say is, he better not miss.
Icing: From a biased perspective, I don't like it. Mostly because it always seems like my team is the one struggling to clear the puck to get a line change. But if we were to actually gain the momentum, I'd hate to see us lose it. I guess I don't really care.
Deflecting the puck: I don't think it's necessary in NCAA hockey. I don't know that it was even necessary in the NHL, but no one from the NHL asked me.
What do you think of the increased use of replay in college hockey?
It appears I'm in the minority, but I don't agree with replay until it can be executed equally at all arenas. There's enough disparity in the league already. Television replay and multiple camera replay isn't available at all arenas, and until it is, they need to keep using only the replay everyone has. Yeah, it's hurt my team in the past, but all that means is they should hurry up and get some darn cameras.
What is one random change you'd like to see made in hockey?
Allow beer. And fighting. And no more Wisconsin Power Play chant.
Sorry, that was three.
14 comments:
Interesting perspective, I forgot about the Trapazoid. I am not so sure the NCAA will adopt that one but it is a great idea in my opinion. Maybe it would keep the goalies that like to wander closer to their net.
Parise was one of the goalies I had in mind when thinking of "wandering" goalies.
The trapezoid is useless.
Make the goalies fair game for hits behind the net and they'd stay in it.
Well, except for the ones who can actually play the puck and get out of the way.
My take on it is, it isn't a penalty. It's not an "unfair" advantage or potentially dangerous. It isn't even annoying. So why make such a wimpy penalty? It would be like making a player coming out of the penalty box unable to score until his next shift, because they've got an unfair jump if you can get the puck up ice to them.
Maybe you should tell your boys not to try to cheat, and then you wouldn't have to hear our power play chant!
But we LIKE to have too many men on the ice! We don't have a chance 6 on 6!
I didn't want to say it but Parise is one of the worst for goalies that wander around. But apparently we don't have to worry about that anymore because according to the pundants Jordan is gone as soon as free agents can sign.
Girl- get your butt to a game in Kato. Our arena is off campus and we sell BEER & ALCOHOL!! Last year I was chatting with UMD fans after the game at the bar and they were going on and on about how much they love coming to the games here because our fans are just friendly drunks:) Good point on the goalie stuff too. If you're right about Paraise leaving I'll have to throw myself a party. I hate that kid.
I plan to be there this year! I owe you a beer.
If I am not mistaken I heard that in Mankato you can get a mixed drink in addition to beer. Wow, now that would make the crowd rowdy.
Yes, in Mankato you can get tap beer, bottled beer (in plastic), other stuff in plastic (like Mike's Hard Lemonade), and then there's mixed drinks. We're serious about our drinking and hockey here:) I tell ya though, it makes it hard to go to another arena and watch the whole game sober. HA HA! Just kidding....kinda. Everyone needs to road trip to Kato to check it out. It's a good time. A ton of fun bars are just a block from the arena.
Wow. Mixed drinks? Liquor at the game? This seems like paradise.
I almost went last year. Kind of glad I didn't, though, based on the result.
All this talk of drinking makes me want a drink.
Here I felt all special drinking my Miller Lite in the Blue Line Club in March. And all along I could have been down on the farm drinking a whiskey-coke.
I was thinking more like a vodka Sour or Tonic.
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