Rink Rage
Registered User
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/dregerreport/
What rule changes would like to see tested? Coaches challenge, 4 on 4 then 3 on 3 OT, adding a bit more clutching and grabbing maybe?
1) The NHL has confirmed plans for another Research and Development camp this summer.
Brendan Shanahan will once again spearhead the project and says this year's two-day camp will take place Aug. 17-18 at the Mastercard Centre, otherwise known as the Toronto Maple Leafs' practice facility.
The league liked the 'guinea pigs' used in last year's experimentation, primarily 17-year-old, draft-eligible players and will soon be sending out invites to the 2012 crop to provide the athletes this year.
Shanahan intends on condensing the list of items to be tested, focusing instead on the changes that could be introduced in the NHL as early as next season.
Among them - a newly-designed net with a red mesh and smaller holes strung across the top of net, in addition to a smaller, more shallow base at the bottom.
Both alterations were tested last summer and there is a strong desire to test the prototype net again before putting it in play, perhaps as early as next year.
The new mesh is expected to increase clarity in video review when trying to determine, conclusively, whether or not the puck crossed the goal line, while the smaller base will allow players to get around the net quicker and is expected to provide more room for direct passes.
Also worth repeating is the NHL's planned testing at the R+D camp of a communication system for all referees.
This system would allow the two refs to talk, via headset, during a play and lead each other based on what they're seeing in the battle areas to allow play to continue or make a specific call.
Disallowed goals, where the referee rules he was in the process of blowing the whistle (usually because he's lost sight of the puck) is an area of concern that might be corrected if both refs are in constant communication and able to share each others views.
Sources say this advancement could be introduced in time for next season.
What rule changes would like to see tested? Coaches challenge, 4 on 4 then 3 on 3 OT, adding a bit more clutching and grabbing maybe?