Do you feel icing calls ruin the flow of the game?

[Jerzey Devil]

The pace of the game would be faster if there was no icing. I get that it's a good time for a commercial break sometimes but I'd rather they just wait for a goalie stoppage, offside (that's another pace killer), or the puck to go out of play.

Just keep the game moving. If someone wants to goal hang/cherry pick, let them. That's one less person on defense. I think no icing and offsides would lead to a lot more scoring.

 

[Beef Invictus]

If icing were removed, it would take about half a game before we saw a thread titled "Does Dumping the Puck Down the Ice Ruin the Flow of the Game?"

 

[Jerzey Devil]

If icing were removed, it would take about half a game before we saw a thread titled "Does Dumping the Puck Down the Ice Ruin the Flow of the Game?"

Probably, I just prefer a constant pace. I see no need for icing and offsides.

 

[PurpleMouse]

I get that it's a good time for a commercial break sometimes but I'd rather they just wait for a goalie stoppage, offside (that's another pace killer), or the puck to go out of play.

The NHL doesn't take TV timeouts after icings or goals or during power plays.

 

[Jerzey Devil]

The NHL doesn't take TV timeouts after icings or goals or during power plays.

Right I forgot about the new power play rules. Goals though? Are you sure about that? Power plays make sense but I thought they took breaks after goals.

 

[Stuckinthe2ndround*]

I still don't like the fact that you can ice the puck on a PK and not get a whistle.

I completely agree. I never understood why you're allowed to ice the puck when you're on the penalty kill. Either you have icing in every situation or you do not.

Anyways,

I think they just need to bring in No Touch icing. Get rid of the ******** "hybrid" icing.

Again, I also agree. My biggest issue is that icing has somehow turned into a 2-3 minute break (sometimes, not always), and I've notice that this delay sometimes impacts the intensity of team that had sustained pressure at the time. Grab the puck and drop it immediately.

 

[Stuckinthe2ndround*]

If icing were removed, it would take about half a game before we saw a thread titled "Does Dumping the Puck Down the Ice Ruin the Flow of the Game?"

You might be right, it's hard to say since I've never watched a game without icing. I would like to see it once or twice before making a judgement (preseason, for example). In my opinion, hockey is the most exciting to me when there hasn't been a whistle in the last 5 minutes (and I think most people would agree).

If there wasn't offsides or icing, you'd think that players might just rifle the puck down the ice for a line change (rather than skating to center ice and dumping the puck in, as currently done), but that would mean the other team would potentially have possession of the puck earlier (while you're in the middle of changing) and we might see more breakout passes up ice. I think it would bring a whole new strategy to line changes.

Then again, it might be horrible, who knows.

 

[CanadienShark]

The idea of offside wasn't to stop the game because a player was offside by a distance that can be reasonably measured in millimetres. There must be some way to enforce offside by the spirit of the rule, without it getting to a point that nobody knows what's going to get called.

I saw someone suggest that offsides are not called as long as the offside player tags up before touching the puck. That should help to keep the flow of the game. It also keep players from cherry picking, which is the spirit of the rule.

 

[tony d]

Don't mind icings but as someone else said offsides do ruin games from time to time. You can have a great play going and then it be ruined by an icing call.

 

[Barzallelujah]

I'd be fine with Icing being from your Blueline and back, and then moving offside to the Red line.

 

[SUBdrewgANS]

If you remove icing, there will be more dumps down the ice.. and this eliminates scoring chances.

Because you have the penalty of a faceoff in your own end without a change, you'll likely try to avoid an icing, which could potentially lead to a mistake and a scoring chance against.

of all the things to complain about.. it's icing?

 

[islesjuncky]

Nope

 

[SUBdrewgANS]

You can't get rid of icings, otherwise it'll become even harder to score goals.

Offsides on the other hand constantly disrupt the flow plus make PP's less effective. They shouldn't be called when a player is fractionally offside and there's a way to avoid them by changing that rule while also preventing cherry-picking.

I think they did this in the past, but I think they should make the blueline bigger so there is more area for a player and the puck to be onside. So an instance like below would be onside.

*=puck x=player |=sides of blueline

Frame 1: Both the puck and player are on the blue line
|* x|

Frame 2: Player enters the zone while the puck is still on the blueline
| * | x

This should be an onside play in my opinion, and if the blueline was bigger, this would be easier to see.

 

[Stuckinthe2ndround*]

If you remove icing, there will be more dumps down the ice.. and this eliminates scoring chances.

Players dump the puck down the ice anyway right now, sometimes with finesse so it's not icing. So the result currently is similar to if there was no icing rule at all, except currently we blow the play dead, burn 2 minutes scrambling for the puck and setting up back in the zone, and then give both teams a 50/50 shot at the puck by holding a face-off. Wheres without icing, the team "icing the puck" would lose possession close to 100% of the time. Want to dump the puck? You're going to lose possession.

Because you have the penalty of a faceoff in your own end without a change, you'll likely try to avoid an icing, which could potentially lead to a mistake and a scoring chance against.

I wish there was a way to determine what percentage of face-offs won from an icing call resulted in a goal. I feel like it's low, but I could be wrong. Would it be statistically significant from any face-off in any zone? Hard to say.

of all the things to complain about.. it's icing?

Not a single person is complaining in this thread? It's a discussion.

 

[Rysto]

If you remove icing, there will be more dumps down the ice.. and this eliminates scoring chances.

Because you have the penalty of a faceoff in your own end without a change, you'll likely try to avoid an icing, which could potentially lead to a mistake and a scoring chance against.

of all the things to complain about.. it's icing?

Seriously. Clearly we have people here who weren't watching hockey before 05-06. Before that season, icing still resulted in a faceoff in your own zone, but the offending team was also allowed to change. Icings were rampant. As soon as a team got in trouble in their end, the puck would be sent down the ice. It was so boring. The new rule significantly improved the flow of the game.

 

[Stuckinthe2ndround*]

Seriously. Clearly we have people here who weren't watching hockey before 05-06. Before that season, icing still resulted in a faceoff in your own zone, but the offending team was also allowed to change. Icings were rampant. As soon as a team got in trouble in their end, the puck would be sent down the ice. It was so boring. The new rule significantly improved the flow of the game.

Personally, I feel like 90-2004 was some of the most exciting hockey. Personal taste I suppose.

 

[Anglesmith]

I saw someone suggest that offsides are not called as long as the offside player tags up before touching the puck. That should help to keep the flow of the game. It also keep players from cherry picking, which is the spirit of the rule.

This has already been implemented, years ago. Offside isn't called if the offside team clears the zone before playing the puck (or coming close enough to making a play on the puck that they may cause a collision, at the linesman's discretion).

 

[CanadienShark]

This has already been implemented, years ago. Offside isn't called if the offside team clears the zone before playing the puck (or coming close enough to making a play on the puck that they may cause a collision, at the linesman's discretion).

What I'm saying though is that only the one offside player has to tag up.

 

[Anglesmith]

What I'm saying though is that only the one offside player has to tag up.

I feel like the main challenge would be how difficult it would be for the linesmen to call that. As it is now, they just need to watch that no one is offside, and if they are, the arm goes up until no one is offside. Now they would need to see who was offside (and there could be more than one), and watch for them to get back onside, while also monitoring the play for potential icings and the puck coming outside the zone.

I feel like it would be a bit of a nightmare for them.

 

[Trap Jesus]

Icings are completely fine after they put in the rule that you can't make a change after icing the puck. The game would be brutal if you could just chuck it down the ice whenever you wanted with no repercussions.

 

[Mr Positive]

I would be curious about how the modern game would be with icing calls taken out.

 

[Jerzey Devil]

Icings are completely fine after they put in the rule that you can't make a change after icing the puck. The game would be brutal if you could just chuck it down the ice whenever you wanted with no repercussions.

Not when goalies are allowed to play the puck in the corners. In his day Marty stopped plenty of line changes because of his corner play.

 

[McFlyingV]

I think icings are fine and do more good than they prevent. They should take out the stupid trapezoid (limits the good puck moving goalies, and prevents the odd exciting adventure lol). I also wouldn't mind if they made the centre line where you had to clear for offside (i.e. blue line when entering the zone, centre line to clear). Feel like that would make for less neutral zone flips and more attempts at actual breakouts to clear the zone.

 

[CanadienShark]

I feel like the main challenge would be how difficult it would be for the linesmen to call that. As it is now, they just need to watch that no one is offside, and if they are, the arm goes up until no one is offside. Now they would need to see who was offside (and there could be more than one), and watch for them to get back onside, while also monitoring the play for potential icings and the puck coming outside the zone.

I feel like it would be a bit of a nightmare for them.

That's fair. I'd like to see it tried in the preseason though.

 

[TheBigThree]

No, the only thing that has always ruined the game is shootouts. The instant icing sucks but it's needed considering how much players would get totally wrecked and injured on those plays every year.