The NHL’s general managers are meeting in Florida this week to discuss potential changes to the game. Once again, the issue of concussions is at the forefront of the discussions, as GMs and league executives are searching for ways to better prevent and diagnose head injuries. The league has presented a “five-point plan” to reduce concussions — details are available by clicking here — and when talking to reporters in Florida, Kings GM Dean Lombardi addressed another hot issue: making the “stanchions” near the player benches safer. After the devastating hit absorbed by Montreal’s Max Pacioretty and, to a lesser extent, the hit Drew Doughty took in Columbus, it’s possible that teams will look at changing the padding and/or structure of the area at the end of the benches.
“It’s not just the padding,” Lombardi said. “The padding isn’t going to do enough. But there’s a way to do it where, if you round (the stanchion) at the point of contact, there’s less surface to hit and you would roll right off it. I would definitely be in favor of that. That’s a no-brainer for me. Given the speed of the game, to me it’s no different than making guys wear helmets.”
To read more about the topic, check out the Globe and Mail story by clicking here.
dont get a fined again
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Like. They are focused on:
Improving the safety of the equipment
Improving the safety of the arenas
Harsher punishment for the worst, most blatant offenders.
That’s the right direction, rather than trying to come down any harder on specific types of plays.
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Reinstate the no two line passes. Will slow down the game, causing less concussions.
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Dorian Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 4:23 pm
@Who knows?, Hey, although that would be correct, i think it’ll damage the product as far as scoring and slowing down the game. I think if headshots are eliminated eventually, the number of concussions will go down. Players HAVE TO look up when playing.
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peaches Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 5:06 pm
@Dorian, if i am not mistaken there was a red line rule when gretzky scored a milion goals….the two line pass never stopped scoring…in fact it might be the exact opposite…teams had to carry the puck motre and actually think about what was gonna happen , instead of just throwing it up the ice and chasing it!
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number 6 Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
@Who knows?,
I’ve absolutely thought about that one. I used to live in Europe. When I came back to the States for a trip (2006) and watched a few playoff games on tv I could not believe how much faster the game was w/o the blueline. I mean, the fact I hadn’t seen any hockey for a while and then seeing that it was SO evident. And it’s something I’ve absolutely thought about as well. These guys are just too big and too fast to be moving with such force and not expect consequences.
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just my opinion Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
@Who knows?, It would be better to do it and still keep the game flow. Giving out suspensions with fines, even for unpenalized hits, would be a big deterrant and still keep the pace of the game. Defensemen had to learn news ways of defending due to rule changes, as do all players to avoid hooking penalties from just getting the stick up by the hands. It would really help if the refs were better about making the calls. Although there have been 14 suspensions league-wide this year for head hits there have been at least four head hits to Kings players that had no penalties or suspensions. There should be someone at the NHL level tasked with reviewing tapes looking for these hits or teams should be able to send in replays or requests for a review of hits.
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Jamesonafterawin Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 4:34 pm
@Who knows?, I heard 80 concusions so far this season. I’m no math whiz, but if you divide that by the amount of players in the league, I’d guess each player would have to wait a while for their turn for a concusion.
O, hockey is a contact sport.
Try to squeeze by a 6.8 250lb guy and a wall, trying to make the game 5-0, I’m not sure Chara was at total blame.
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Rich, are you aware and/or have you asked Lombardi about reports that at a recent NHL GMs meeting the NHLPA presented a proposal to cut down on headshots at the request of a majority of the players and the GMs basically said “thanks but no thanks”? No action was taken by this group of 30 men who think they and they alone know what’s best for the league. It’s scary to me that the current level of hits to the head could have been averted if the dinosaur “leaders” of the NHL had taken input from its own players union instead of letting the situation get out of hand with their typical “boys will be boys” response.
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number 6 Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
@charles,
I read I think on Quisp’s blog, a letter he published written by Ken Dryden. He spoke in it of the fact that when football first started they didn’t even wear helmets, in hockey too. Now people are incredulous when they think of that. Same thing here that you bring up. You’re so right, but unfortunately we often don’t learn until it’s too late.
I’m a Kings fan, not a Pens fan, but while I’m sure Crosby will return, it would be a shame for the league to lose such extraordinary talent.
He may be OK now, but if he eventually had another bad concussion or two who knows. They’re already saying that Marc Savard’s future is quite unknown.
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Jamesonafterawin Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 4:36 pm
@number 6, All of our futures are quit unknown.
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How bout making visors mandetory, or mandetory helmets that help in preventing concussions? Allowing players to freely express themselves to the refs so their feelings don’t get hurt? LOL
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Jamesonafterawin Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 4:37 pm
@Dominick, How about bubble wrap for everybody!
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wavesinair Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 6:22 pm
@Dominick,
I think they should erect 5 metal poles, about the diameter of a telephone pole, along the center line. Of course, little to no padding. That should slow ‘em down.
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Off subject, but what do you all think/want to happen in the Sharks/Hawks game? Hawks are right behind us and would move past use if they win and the Sharks are 3 point ahead of us. Thoughts::
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Kevco Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 4:53 pm
@King Lopez, as long as its not 3 points.
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Dominick Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 4:58 pm
@King Lopez, Take our chances with pacific division title. Let the Hawks pass us. A title gaurantees us a 3rd place seeding at least. It ultimately does come down to, we just have to win our games and everything will work it’s self out. Don’t let anybody citisize you for scoreboard watching. Nothing wrong with watching to see how it unfolds. Just don’t let it rule your opinion of the team.
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Bill M. Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 5:06 pm
@King Lopez, As a general rule, you always root against the division. Chicago wins they are only a point ahead of us, but we then have a game in hand. Plus, that puts us in the position of playing nashville tomorrow to make it a 1 point division race.
Of course, maybe you don’t want to be the higher seed, if you are nervous about some of the bottom 4 teams that might put us up against. So a related question, is how do we feel about the potential matchups for the kings right now? My rankings (worst matchup to best):
Vancouver (really. nobody wants to see VAN in the first round)
Chicago (why would you want to face the defending champ in round 1?)
Calgary (no idea why, I just get a bad feeling about this matchup)
Phoenix (feels like they have our number a bit this year)
Detroit (Scary team, but we’ve kinda had THEIR number this year)
Minnesota (we just don’t seem to do well against them)
Sharks (Also scary, but we’ve done better with them in recent years)
Dallas (We’ve done well with Dallas, one loss and they needed OT)
Nashville (Maybe if we put Bernier in, they’ll just forfeit!)
Anaheim (We hold off their offense well, and they have a leaky D).
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Harty Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 7:03 pm
@Bill M., well guess what we will have to face someone??
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neil Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 7:38 pm
@Bill M., no retreat…no surrender….
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Gislaw Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 8:11 pm
@Bill M.,
I may be a lunatic, but I actually want Vancouver.
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Peter90210 Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 11:32 pm
@Bill M., In playoff’s, all bets are off. doesn’t matter who we play, if we stick to our game plan, we always have a good chance.
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KC23 Reply:
March 15th, 2011 at 6:18 am
@Bill M., Put a fork in the Wild and Ducks. They’re done. If the King’s beat the Preds they will be joining them. Calgary is struggling right now btw. It will be interesting to see how they finish. Seems Calgary and the Sharks peaked a little too soon.
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To me it’s a lot different from making guys wear helmets. The guy who refuses to wear a helmet endangers his own safety. The building owner to builds with disregard for players endangers someone else’s safety.
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I think the trapezoid behind the net needs to be eliminated. Before it was introduced, the idea was to disallow the goalie to stop attacks by getting the puck to his defensemen. That way, forwards can come in and get the puck, creating more scoring opportunities..
But now, teams dump it in and run the defensemen into the boards every time. They know as soon as the puck gets dumped in, they have to go get it, and be prepared to get hit. This would possibly cut down on concussions, those hits in the corners. Besides, I’ve always liked when goalies come way out of the net, that gives a chance to create more scoring opportunities itself! Goalie turns it over, empty net..
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Scot Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 5:56 pm
@Scot,
Whether it cuts down on concussions or not, that trapezoid has to go. Never been a fan of it. It’s extra ugly, unnecessary paint on the ice anyway.
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Csaba Body Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 8:32 pm
Life sucks, wear a helmet!
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KC23 Reply:
March 15th, 2011 at 6:19 am
@Scot, Also hate the trapezoid. I really miss that part of the goalie game.
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rcinsc Reply:
March 15th, 2011 at 6:53 am
@KC23, But don’t tell Quick- He scares me when he handles the puck…
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I always cringed at the thought of someone hitting the stanchions.Unfortunately players do end up hitting those dangerous areas.I always thought their has to be a way to make those dangerous spots safer.When i see a player hit the stanchion it makes me wonder why they don’t have the areas on sliders like a sliding glass window.When contact is made with the stanchions or other dangerous areas the pressure of contact should slide that area of Plexiglas behind the connecting Plexiglas,to lessen the blow .I know the two pieces of Plexiglas connect to hold each other in place.But i feel if they can make a special railing track that would make the dangerous Plexiglas area slide behind the connecting Plexiglas, when certain impact is made on the dangerous area.I understand without connecting the two pieces together it can make it unsturdy.I would think they could make it withstand pressure of a body check but also slide if contact is made in the danger area.Stabilizers in certain areas for sturdiness to keep the Plexiglas safe for players and fans.Just a thought i would think they could make the plexiglas slide when special contact is made and still make it sturdy enough to withstand normal body checks.
Some call me crazy and some call me Paul.
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wavesinair Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 6:26 pm
@paul 03, Can I call you Al?
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paul 03 Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 7:13 pm
@wavesinair, Some call me Al
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CB14 Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 7:14 pm
@wavesinair, You can call me Al, call me Al!
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“Five Point Plan?”…is this the same five point plan that Mike Damone refers to and preaches to Mark Ratner if “Fast Times at Ridgemont High?”
Dean to Gary:
First of all Rat, you never let on how much you like a girl. “Oh, Debbie. Hi.
” Two, you always call the shots. “Kiss me. You won’t regret it.”
Now three, act like wherever you are, that’s the place to be. “Isn’t this great?”
Four, when ordering food, you find out what she wants, then order for the both of you. It’s a classy move. “Now, the lady will have the linguini and white clam sauce, and a Coke with no ice.”
And five, now this is the most important, Rat. When it comes down to making out, whenever possible, put on side one of Led Zeppelin IV.
Ha! I crack myself up!
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I think the league would be much safer in general without Bettman.
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Scot Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 6:59 pm
@Tito Jackson,
hahaha!
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Bettman’s proposals are so typical of the do nothing attitude that prevails in hockey. For some reason, the GM’s think we want to see those kinds of hits. I, for one, don’t. I pay a fortune for season tickets to see the highest quality skill players work their magic on the ice, and the idea that some goon can knock out a skilled player like Crosby t for months is the shame of hockey. The way things are going, Kopitar or Brown or one of our young turks could be next, and that would be a major problem for our playoff hopes. I don’t mind the fights, sometimes they’re necessary, but the intentional head hits have got to go. It’s a no brainer. Intentionally hit a guy in the head, mandatory 20 game suspension, loss of pay, and a 100M team fine. That would end the concussion problem and enable us to see skilled hockey all season long. And to think, Bettman got a five year extension….. what a shame.
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KC23 Reply:
March 15th, 2011 at 6:26 am
@Peter90210, I think MUCH heavier fines against the offending team would help a lot.
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Rich, I have a question for you and the Kings.. Why don’t we dim the lights around staples center as the lakers do during their games? In my opinion, it’s like having track lighting on a peice of art rather than flood lighting in the room. When the lakers started doing it I thought it was a huge improvement. Why haven’t the kings followed in their footsteps?
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