Prior to the beginning of the 2005/06 season, the NHL Board of Governors approved a wide-ranging set of rule changes that were designed to radically effect the way in which the game would be played.
The move followed several seasons in which teams like the New Jersey Devils thrived by deploying a trap system. The system was designed to make it more difficult for opposing forwards to gain penetration, cause havoc in the neutral zone and create scoring chances by forcing giveaways. The system was extremely effective and teams that executed the trap well were able to control play consistently and limit the number of scoring changes by their opponents.
One byproduct of this system was that league-wide scoring dipped dramatically. In the ten-year span preceding the rule changes, the average goals-per-game in the NHL steadily dwindled to a meager 5.14 during the 2003/04 season. While not an all-time low, it represented the least amount of scoring the sport had seen in decades. By contrast, the eighties and early nineties saw a goals-per-game average well above 7 each year.
As a result, there emerged a sense among league officials, players, and fans alike that something needed to change. To many, the sport had become boring at times. In 2005/06 something did change. Zero tolerance for obstruction penalties of all kinds, the allowance of two-line passing and the downsizing of goalie pads all helped lead to the most dramatic increase in scoring the league has ever seen (+1.04 goals per game).
The league has since witnessed a stunning transformation. In this new era an increased demand for speed and skill has emerged. Smaller and more agile players are being drafted and finding their way onto NHL rosters as teams continue to adapt to the new world order. Last season’s Buffalo Sabres, with a bevy of speedsters, have become the model. Not surprisingly, more and more teams are now attempting makeovers to follow suit.
The interesting phenomenon, however, is that scoring has not continued its comeback. Despite the big increase in 2005/06, average scoring dropped again last season (5.89) and is off the pace again early in the 2007/08 campaign at 5.75 goals per game through two full weeks. In fact, in the first week there were 49 games played, and in almost 50% (24) of those games there were 5 or fewer goals scored. Despite the changes to the makeup of the teams and the style of play that has resulted is this really the end-result the NHL was looking for?
Let's hope the start to this season is a mere aberration and that these new skill players start to light the lamp with some added frequency. Fans want scoring. Otherwise, they'd watch soccer.
