BOSTON – It sounded like a reasonable enough idea when Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock laid it all out: supersized goalies and overstuffed equipment have been scaling back NHL scoring for years. So, Babcock opined that growing the size of the nets in rinks all across the world could encourage the scoring that’s been on the downslide since hitting a modern peak in the 2005-06 season after the season-long NHL lockout.
It’s a bold idea to be sure and something that isn’t likely to happen unless the NHL has attempted to again resize goaltending equipment that has grown to Michelin Man levels. Couple the swollen equipment with 6-foot-5 inch goaltenders being drafted and developed to basically block the net, and there are plenty of good reasons why NHL scoring dropped to 2.73 goals per team in 2014-15, and was down to 2.67 goals per team this season.
So, scaling back goalie equipment again is the route Bruins coach Claude Julien wants to pursue because he most definitely does not want to mess with the NHL net size that has stood the test of time.
“I don’t like the size of the net changing at all, you know? I think there’s other ways to make those changes, whether it’s goalie equipment…[or] the one that I liked from Nicklas Lidstrom was maybe making the crease a little bit smaller,” said Julien. “Maybe goaltenders won’t like that when they’re in a little deeper [because] it gives you a little more net.
“If they prefer keeping the size of the [goalie] equipment then maybe you have to keep them in a little lower. If they decide to minimize the equipment maybe they keep the creases the same. But you know, no matter what they decide the only thing I would say is I’m not a big fan of making nets bigger.”
So, why exactly does Julien cringe at the thought of enlarging the NHL net, aside from being an elite-level hockey coach paid largely on the ability to teach keeping the puck out of his own net?
“We seem to go back to the 80’s where you know the Edmonton Oilers would score eight goals a game, but they would win 8-6, they would give up six [goals]. We seem to always want to go back to that,” said Julien. “I think people that know the game have always enjoyed a game that has lots of scoring chances, but goaltenders have been extremely good [with a] good pace of the game.
Boston Bruins
“Why do people enjoy soccer so much in Europe? They can’t even get a ticket, 2-1 games, you know? Yet they appreciate the game. It’s just one of those things…I really think there’s still a lot of speed in our game, there’s still a lot of skill, there’s still a lot of scoring chances and there’s still some unbelievable saves. So maybe give credit to the goaltenders. Instead of being standup goaltenders, they’ve modified their style to make it a little tougher to score…but scoring chances are still there. I haven’t seen a change in our scoring chances in tons of years.”
Tuukka Rask wouldn’t be a fan of pumping up the net size and the kind of complications that would come with that innovation. Clearly it would speak to the casual hockey fans and the daily fantasy sports crowd that loves the big offensive numbers, but it would also force NHL goaltenders to relearn their angles, relearn how much room they have post-to-post and adjust on the fly to something that’s been a different way for their entire hockey careers.
But the notion of changing the nets for the bigger didn’t escape Rask’s sarcastic sense of humor, either.
“You might have to challenge a little bit more, but I don’t really mind...it just means that letting in 4 or 5 goals is okay,” said a smirking Rask. “It would depend on how much they wanted to change the nets. If they wanted to make them field hockey nets then there’s nothing you could really do with that. If they want to [reduce the equipment size] then so be it. I’ll just deal with the gear that they give me. I just don’t know if they can make the gear a lot smaller. If you start taking pads out then I wouldn’t be a fan of that and then you start talking about making the nets bigger.
“I just hope they talk to a lot of goalies before cutting the pads down because that could increase the risk of injuries. Obviously they want more scoring, and they have already taken some cuts [in the pads] for us. Another cut to the goalies should increase scoring, but then maybe also make the guys back to the wooden sticks, or something, to make it even.”
Now, that is a vision for the NHL: taller, wider nets guarded by goalies with lean 1980’s-style goalie equipment with players firing away with old school Sherwood 5030 wooden sticks. Let’s crank up the way-back machine and make it happen and let’s bring back fighting full force while we’re at it as well.