Automatic Icing

[GrasValley]

Should the NHL impliment automatic icing?

I never thought so before, but the last two games I've seen have had serious looking injuries result in guys racing for the puck. The other day in Colorado San Jose lost Marco Sturm for the season when Adam Foote guided him into the boards. Have you ever seen the Hockey Falls commercial with the guy in the Bruins jersey with his foot the opposite direction it's supposed be? Sturm's leg looked similar to that. Then just a little while ago I was watching the Sharks/Stars game. Preissing was going back to touch up the puck for San Jose when Brendan Morrow made a chicken s--- play by sliding his stick under Preissing's feet sending him into the boards in similar fashion to Sturm. Preissing fortunately limped off.

I don't like eliminating skill and speed from the game, but at what point must the NHL draw the line? How many guys have to have their legs broken before any changes are made? Or is just coincindence that more and more guys are sliding dangerously into the boards?

[Lidstrom8]

I agree completely that in this era of the league icing is no longer practical. Too many players have been seriously injured because of it. It's not just coincidence that more players are sliding dangerously into the boards though. Over the last ten years the players' equipment has improved significantly and that's led to a lack of respect between the players. In the 60's a player wouldn't even consider taking someone into the boards on an icing because he would get hurt. That's why the current icing rules worked back then. Also, nowadays with the instigating rule if an enforcer goes after someone for a dirty hit it's likely they'll get penalized fo it. Touch-up icing's fine as long as the enforcers are allowed to maintain the respect level among the players.

[TDHarvey9]

Automatic icing is probably the biggest no brainer of the group of rules to be implemented next season (when ever that is!)

[roaddogg02316]

yeah as cool as it is to watch guys race for the puck its way to risky. guys are alot faster than way back. well the ice quality is better so you can be faster i guess? but to get injured touching up is just bad so they should make it automatic to spare some bad injuries

[RedwingsFaninGA]

I disagree. I hate automatic icing. Slows down the game too much (see it in action in the ECHL games here.) Instead, I propose this (which I will list three rule changes to keep the game moving)

Icing is waved off if a defensive player has any kind of reasonable chance to prevent it. If a player is creamed behind the goal line then call for boarding!

Remove the redline from the two line pass rule

re-institute the tag team for offsides.

Also to help meet the goal of scoring more goals in the NHL, widen the rink by 5 feet and lengthen by 10 feet. Put the word out to the teams that this will be instituted in 5 years so teams building new arenas can account for it. In terms of ticket sales, this really only affects a few teams that sell out on a consistant basis and they have the option to build a new arena.
Lastly, in my opinion, in the goalie comes out of the crease, then they are considered a regular player! Period. Now the refs can get more strict about calling goalie interference if they (the goalies) have so much as a pinky in the crease but I do not like this proposal to ban the goalie from going behind the net.

My two cents

[GrasValley]

I think automatic icing is still a better idea. To prevent it from slowing down the game I would get rid of icing on passes that don't quite click through the neutral zone. I would only call icing if a team is obviously just trying to get the puck the hell out of their own zone. You're idea isn't that bad though. It would still be an improvement. As far as the two-line pass. Forget the red line removal, just get rid of the whole rule. If a guy can successfully get a pass from his zone to his teammate in the offensive zone (onside of course) without it being picked off in the neutral zone: I think they deserve the scoring chance. Tag-up offsides is probably the best proposed rule change in the league though.