What’s Wrong With The NHL? The Trapezoid Needs To Go

In previous articles we have discussed a variety of potential changes to the NHL with the hope of making the game more exciting and interesting to fans. With that in mind, please read this week’s recommendation for improvement:

The Trapezoidal Area Rule in NHL Rinks. Martin Brodeur’s Legacy

Martin Brodeur undoubtedly left his mark in the National Hockey League.

He holds NHL records for the most wins (691) and most shutouts (125), as well as numerous other records. Brodeur led the New Jersey Devils to three Stanley Cups.  He’s also picked up some hardware of his own, winning the Vezina Trophy four times and the Jennings Trophy five, with a Calder Trophy win as rookie of the year in 1994. Starting in the 2005-2006 NHL season, the league introduced a trapezoidal area behind the goal line. The goalie may not touch the puck behind the goal line and outside of the trapezoidal area,

This rule was introduced to take away the advantage of having a goalie who could essentially become the third defenseman for a team. If a team dumped the puck in, Brodeur could race out of his net and take possession, clearing the puck to a teammate. If taking this goaltender advantage away from a skillful player makes sense to you, let me suggest some equivalent ideas to take away from the assets of other elite players. For example, Connor McDavid is very good. No, he is extremely good at his position. I have watched in awe as he takes the puck single handedly from one end of the rink to the other and scores! Other teams in the NHL could be very jealous of his skill level, so they might suggest the following change to mitigate his skill level. The new potential rule would read as follows:

“If a centre forward on a team carries the puck from his defensive end to the opposing team’s net, he must stay between the two parallel lines, exactly 8 feet apart, painted down the centre of the ice. “

Does this idea sound absurd to you? It does to me too. So, in a similar fashion, the Martin Brodeur Rule is equally stupid. If you have a goalie as good as Martin Brodeur, then you are very fortunate. To clip an elite NHL goalie’s wings to bring his skill level down to everyone else, is a stupid rule!

Final Thoughts

NHL hockey is a great game to watch! Some small tweaks could make it even better! 

That’s what we think. What do you think?


By Garth Vanstone

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