What's Your Most Controversial Hockey Opinion?

[Plub]

Arizona is another analytics built team. It doesn't work

Not that I agree or disagree, but the Coyotes have gotten progressively better after becoming all about analytics. Barely missing the playoffs with an absurd amount of injuries last year and currently one point out of first in their division. Are trying to use them in support of analytics?

 

[Flying Dego]

I don't think it's that controversial, but you seem to get smashed for voicing it - I think Ovechkin should be ranked higher all time than Crosby.

 

[lauraP]

Concussions didn’t exist when Bobby Orr and Gordie Howe played, because helmets cause concussions.

big facts

 

[M88K]

You shouldn't be allowed to freely ice the puck on the penalty kill. Should function the same as it does on 5v5

 

[Haywire]

When a team moves to a new city, it starts fresh as a new team and leaves it's history in the old city in case that city ever gets a new team. Ie: Winnipeg Jets

 

[Pay Carl]

billionaires should build their own f*****g stadiums

 

[Babel Salamander]

The NHL, and other major professional sports leagues, should be investing in developing AI tech to aid officials and improve officiating.

 

[Cucumber]

Nets should be bigger, We should encourage more goals and offense.

Only 1 minute penalties and a choice of a penalty or a penalty shot

also for those who say 4v4. 20% of the league would lose it's job or 20% less playing time = less money for them. I like the thinking but imo bigger nets create more offense.

I wouldn't mind 2 45minute halfs like soccer and only 62games. 2games against each.

Not a rule change but will be interesting to see how the schedule changes Once BC, Washington state, Oregon, and California stop changing the clocks. TV scheduling and the league's choice will be interesting for sure.

Edit:
A chip in the puck and on the goal line. As soon as the puck crosses the puck turns red or whatever color for 30seconds or whatever. Or an automatic goal horn or something along these lines. It's wrong we still have to review if the puck even went in. Same for offside

Rules to should be clearer and refs be more consistent

 

[majormajor]

The Leafs were "built on analytics"?

I'm an analytics guy and the Leafs method is not the way I would build a hockey team. They need to get some shutdown players, at least 5 guys who excel at keeping goals against down*. This has been a problem for years for the Leafs, as their top guys like Rielly are not good technical defenders. Then they add Barrie and Ceci and replace Kadri with Kerfoot? Which analytical metric are they supposed to be helping in?

*GA/60 is my preferred stat here. Corsi against is better for smaller samples but some guys outperform/underperform their corsi stats over the long run. I'm thinking of players like David Savard, who eats pucks.

 

[CartographerNo611]

Not that I agree or disagree, but the Coyotes have gotten progressively better after becoming all about analytics. Barely missing the playoffs with an absurd amount of injuries last year and currently one point out of first in their division. Are trying to use them in support of analytics?

Its going to be really hard for them to keep that spot. There is a 7 point spread in their division standings not including LA. All it takes is for their hot goal scoring to dry up and a 3 game losing "streak" to have a nice dumpster date with L.A. I mean Calgary, San Jose, and lesser extent Vegas have come out the gate cold, San Jose already showing some signs of life after being the worst team in the league. No way Calgary, the highest scoring team last season remains this cold. Jury is still out if they actually improved at all from last year. In my eyes, they are still a very mediocre team caught up in a perfect storm of better teams in their division severely underperforming.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Playing hockey is important to understand what you're watching but the idea you can't learn anything from analytics that has quite literally transformed everything in this world is the height of ignorance. I wouldn't be proud of having an anti-intellectual bias.

 

[Canadienna]

I'm a Habs fan whose grown to admire Marchand.

 

[KinCornKarn]

Bring back the two line pass.

 

[BCShark]

eric lindros was the best player to put on a pair of hockey skates

 

[HabstuckinTO]

The NHL is better off without the Quebec Nordiques.

 

[snipes]

Tom Wilson is an outstanding hockey player and deserves to be on the 1st line.

 

[bronco73]

my controversial hockey opinion... change the way the league runs scoring.

3 points for a regulation win
2 points for an OT win
1 point for a shootout win
0 points for a loss, regardless of Reg OT or SO, you lose you get 0

Increase the 3 on 3 OT to 8 minutes (or 10), if still tied after that then shootout

This makes teams FAR more apt to fight hard for 60 minutes to get that 3 points rather than just playing for the tie. Losing gets nothing, which eliminates playing time out for the tie, and makes teams more likely to battle hard for the win. If it does go to OT, you fight hard to get that 2 points rather than playing it out for your chances in the shootout. This benefits the playoff format as well as a team that wins more games in regulation breaks the tie for playoff position.

 

[Strakanator]

NHL players are capable of playing more minutes. They are in incredible shape with more training knowledge and staff at their disposal. There are still many whistles, tv timeouts, and long breaks in between periods.

Why can’t teams just play their best 9 forwards and best 4 D? (Maybe give each team one utility player.) I would love to see 14 man rosters play an nhl season against each other.

 

[ijuka]

my controversial hockey opinion... change the way the league runs scoring.

3 points for a regulation win
2 points for an OT win
1 point for a shootout win
0 points for a loss, regardless of Reg OT or SO, you lose you get 0

Increase the 3 on 3 OT to 8 minutes (or 10), if still tied after that then shootout

This makes teams FAR more apt to fight hard for 60 minutes to get that 3 points rather than just playing for the tie. Losing gets nothing, which eliminates playing time out for the tie, and makes teams more likely to battle hard for the win. If it does go to OT, you fight hard to get that 2 points rather than playing it out for your chances in the shootout. This benefits the playoff format as well as a team that wins more games in regulation breaks the tie for playoff position.

Agreed on principle. I think it'd be important to make regulation wins worth more than OT wins so teams wouldn't be so incentivized to just play it safe and get the point, it makes for very dry ends to a third period in games that are supposed to be up for grabs.

I think just the normal 3 point system would suffice for that, but I think it's important to reward regulation wins more.

 

[Halakitlikethat]

The flames third jersey is ugly

 

[Canadian Canuck]

Mine is that for the most part analytics are for nerds who've never played hockey. The vast majority of podcasts, twitter people, bloggers etc who preach about analytics above all else have never played hockey in their life

Analytics have their place, but forsure should not be the main scouting tool. When two players are equal ish, analytics are useful imo

 

[Senor Catface]

Happy Gilmore wasn't at fault for taking off his skate to use as a weapon

 

[Trocity]

I have a controversial rule change that seems like a no-brainer to me, but of course will never come to fruition. A game cannot end when a team losing by 1 goal has a man advantage. In basketball, if you foul a guy at the buzzer he gets foul shots. In football, if you interfere with a passer with time on the clock, they get the yardage. Why, in Hockey, do we allow the opposing team the ability to commit egregious penalties in the final seconds of a game with no repercussions? So many times I see games end with the losing team getting held, cross checked and all kinds of obvious penalties occurring, yet who cares because there are two seconds left on the clock.

Change the RULE! If the team that has the lead by one goal is penalized then the team behind should get the advantage of trying to score on that full PP.

Interesting, never heard this one before. I don't hate it.

 

[Sakujo]

I think it would be better for the game if goalies covering the puck didn't lead to a whistle, but instead they had to move it within 10 or so seconds, like in soccer.

I know it'll never change thougb

 

[JoeSakic13]

Even if Wayne Gretzky got the high stick call and the Leafs won, the Leafs were not beating Patrick Roy in the finals.