|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Do they really mean it? NHL promises a more exciting game, again
This time they say they mean it. This time, the NHL says it is serious about its latest crackdown on hooking, slashing, interference, sweater-tugging and anything else that produces obstruction. No slipping back to the stone age. No surrender. Zero tolerance. "This year we're taking it to a new level," says NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. The idea is to create the environment for skilled players like Jaromir Jagr, Paul Kariya, Mats Sundin and Peter Forsberg to shine. The NHL wants to make hockey more exciting by opening up the ice, especially between the bluelines, so those who have the tools can make fools of those who don't. And given the dilution of talent, that should not be hard. Let's face it. There's nothing more boring than bad hockey, and given the rapid expansion in the 1990s, there's enough bad hockey to go around. The NHL likes to say it's the coolest game in earth but not when the offense is slowed to the pace of a melting glacier. So far, so good. There has been an inflated amount of penalties in preseason games, and the NHL says that won't change. Fans might as well to get used to hearing the whistle sound for another penalty. But ask anyone who has been around the NHL in the past couple of years and they'll tell you they have heard that one before. Try about three times before. Players are cynical and skeptical. Sundin, the Toronto captain, rolled his eyes after he was briefed about the latest effort to give him the room he'd love to have. "It is kind of the same thing every year and usually it takes about three or four weeks and then it is back," says Sundin. "I think it is tough to change the game because it is so fast and emotion sets in and guys try to take short cuts with hooking and holding and slashing and it is part of the game. "I think it is tough to get rid of all of that. Guys are fighting for space... I am sure it will be back to normal." Buffalo coach Lindy Ruff says players are adaptable and the second the referees back off, watch out. "I don't see where they've really stuck with the obstruction calls," he says. "We'll see if it sticks this year."
Consistency is the issue. The NHL spin is this: What is a penalty in October will be a penalty in November and in March and into the Stanley Cup playoffs. But once March comes, the game changes. Points take on a different meaning. There is less room on the ice and once the Stanley Cup tournament opens, jungle law rules the ice. And history has shown that the best intentions don't stand the test of time. "What's happened every time we've raised the standards is, there has been some slippage over the course of a season," says Bettman. "The players and coaches get very good at going to the edge of the line, and they adjust from there, being the consummate professionals that they are. And over time my guess is, the officials wear down a little and get a little more lax. "But, in every instance we've raised the standard, the erosion has never gone back to where we started from." Will this time be different? Who knows? Bettman has a vow from his new director of officiating, Andy Van Hellemond, that the policy will stick. "He's telling us he's confident he can do it," Bettman says. The plan is for van Hellemond and his staff to review the game film as instructed, and send video e-mails to admonish officials for ignoring obvious infractions. Call it dot.com quality control. But what happens if Van Hellemond fails? The Hall of Fame official has told Bettman he'll get the job done no matter what. If nothing else, Van Hellemond's credibility is on the line, and Bettman can ill afford to hang him out to dry. Alan Adams covers hockey for the National Post in Toronto and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
