Lets fix the penalty: High Sticking

[tarheelhockey]

Then yeah, I agree with OP. The standard set where drawing blood is the black-and-white rule that determines a double minor is silly. As far as I'm aware, this didn't use to be the case. I don't think it used to have the "in the manner of drawing blood or otherwise" part in the rulebook, but I could be wrong.

I read the phrasing of the new rule as having the opposite intent — to clarify that drawing blood isn’t the only factor in determining whether a player is injured.

Aren't cages illegal unless you have an injury? Or did I make that up?

That’s correct, cages can only be used to protect a major facial injury. Otherwise players don’t have the option to use them (ostensibly to protect each other during head-to-head collisions).

 

[Toby91ca]

You said they should, it's a personal choice, they should have the choice. The visor rule is hella lame.

The problem with simply giving the player their own choice (it's their life right) is that the players are assets and the league wants to protect their assets.

 

[Number8]

3 days ago, I would agree.

I was listening to a radio interview of the Maryland Terps Basketball coach the other day .. and he sd they use AI to forecast how transfer players might play/fit in their upcoming season

If no budget Terps are using AI for scouting and forecasting ... f*** us all, were screwed

Yeah, but that only happened because the Terps coach used ChatGPT to ask "why have we not won a NCAA championship since 2002?".

 

[DJJones]

Not sure how people are defending it. Highsticking is by far the stupidest penalty in the game. Doubly so for the playoffs. You can bear hug a guy to the ground without a puck with no call but god forbid your stick accidentally touches his helmet.

Kadri had a guy shove his stick into his own face last week and got 4 minutes. Wasn't even looking at the guy. That's apparently enough to change the course of the entire game.

Blatant trip a minute later, at best 50% chance they call it.

 

[westc2]

If all players were forced to wear cages, no other players would get an advantage. I'm sure they can invent some new high-tech cage that has minimal impact on sight lines.

I know the league likes to keep the players face visible for marketing purposes....but protecting players faces should be more important.

 

[MadLuke]

No it won't. People just attach "AI" onto everything and make assumptions. The problem with this is that there isn't accountability for an AI. What viewpoint is an AI going to have that allows it to call penalties? The broadcast on TV where they are limited to specific angles right? Well there's a lot you miss just watching a game live on TV.

I am not sure sure why it would be that limited as data input, it could become like basketball amount of data, where it uses everyone skate and helmet position, the puck position, stick blade position, the nets and blue-red lines positions, 24 camera angle (and not just regular color camera, but depth, infrared with infrared projector, like Xbox kinect type etc...).

Not sure if it would ever happen, referee and complaining about them is part of the game (look at pitching zone in baseball, that a place where a simple technology could have augmented, almost replaced most of the human judgement quite well for sure but did not).

I am also not sure at all we want to remove the management of the game aspect, I doubt I am alone liking that referring change a lot in hockey depending on the situation and have issue in sport where it does not.

The high sticking penalty theme is "control you stick". I think it's fine the way it is.

And feel way too hard to not make it that way, a little bit like starting to say that in this situation touching the puck too high was safe as no other player were around vs not, create incentive to make effort to control the stick and be less reckless about it, a lot of valid hockey play can be dangerous.

 

[x Tame Impala]

Right, is an AI ref going to be using discretion? That’s probably impossible currently

 

[MadLuke]

Right, is an AI ref going to be using discretion? That’s probably impossible currently

If in the next decade they start to use a lot of data-sensor (like basketball did some years ago, that make today data analytics great but basketball it is much easier to track the ball and player feets, hands with simple camera feed, puck is smaller, can be faster and maybe more importantly boards) and 20,000 actual games of actual referee decisions it would maybe have similar bias and similuta discretion that we want by default that would need to be removed, if it as the last 5 penalty, young vs veteran player getting more rope, not trusted or a bit hated players vs respected one, the clocks of games, at home or on the road.

It could mimic it, maybe, but I imagine that exactly not what people want for those who push for it.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Nothing wrong with the high sticking penalty. Especially now that 4 min and 5 min high sticking penalties can be reviewed.