My google skills are failing me, but I figure someone here will know. Has the NHL changed the height of the goal since the 1970s? Or have goalies gotten that much bigger? The nets you see on some old ESPN Classic games look awfully tall. Thanks! ::help::
QuoteLisa McGill '97 wrote:
...Or have goalies gotten that much bigger?... ::help::
With the size of the equipment and padding worn by goalies today, they've certainly grown
wider. Compare any of the pictures of Ken Dryden on Greg's site with one of Age's shots of LeNeveu.
It looks like the height of the goal has been the same since the dawn of time, or at least the dawn of hockey in North America.
From http://www.kingston.org/ihm/histhock.htm :
The Early Rules of Hockey
(1886-1890)
1. Seven players per team, three subs
2. Game commenced and renewed by a "face" in the centre of the rink. Centres face the sides of the rink.
3. No forward passing. Attacking players must stay behind or parallel to the puck carrier.
4. Icing permitted. Puck rebounding off an opposing player is onside and in play.
5. A goal shall be scored when the puck shall have passed between the goal posts (below the four foot line) from the front side. No pass outs through the back of the goal.
6. The goalkeeper may use his hands to stop the puck but must not lie, sit or kneel on the ice.
7. No raising the stick above the shoulder; no charging from behind, tripping, collaring, kicking, shinning, cross-checking or pushing. No profane language.
8. The referee shall have the power to rule off players for one, two or three minutes. Goalkeepers must serve own penalties.
9. No stopping of the puck with the hand. (Warning)
Post Edited (04-21-03 15:07)
[Q] Pat Carr '96 wrote:
Goalkeepers must serve own penalties.[/Q]
I always thought that this would make hockey much more interesting. If a goalie is stupid enough to take a pentalty, make him serve it and bring in the back-up while he's in the box. The sheer comedy of a goalie sprinting from the box to the bench to get another skater on the ice after a penalty had been killed would be tremendous, and I bet you'd see a lot fewer Hasek-esque dives around the crease to try to draw penalties. Plus, it would make having a quality back-up goalie and strong penalty killing that much more important.
Of course, it would also require relaxing the red line rule for goalies. Otherwise you'd often have the even more ridiculous situation of the goalie automatically getting a 5 minute major for skating out of the box...
The "red line rule" is that goalkeepers may not participate in play on the other side of the red line. They can still skate to and from their bench. Or go do triple lutzes, if they so desire.
Of course, when a goalie actually sits a penalty (which they do when they take a major or misconduct in college), a skater has to go to the box with him, so someone other than the goalie can take the ice when the penalty expires. Same thing that happens when someone takes a minor+misconduct, and must therefore spend 12 minutes in the box, even though his team is only short-handed for the first two.
[q]3. No forward passing. Attacking players must stay behind or parallel to the puck carrier.
[/q]
Dude, there's an exciting game. :-P And they thought the 2-line pass rule was a problem.
Thanks, Pat! I guess TinyGoalie must be an optical illusion.
The absolutely no forward passing thing seems similar to Rugby. Despite living in England for 11 years, I always hated that sport.
[q]Or have goalies gotten that much bigger?[/q]
Athletes in all sports have gotten bigger (except collegiate wrestling, I suppose), as well as stronger and quicker. "Historically" big kids tended to be steered away from playing goalie (and catcher in baseball) because of the perceived difficulty of someone large moving quickly from the crouched postion in which they spend so much of the game. Ken Dryden was one of the first to show that goalies could be tall and still be effective.
QuotePat Carr '96 wrote:
7. (snip) No profane language.
Heehee. I like that one.
There's a rule against obscene/profane language (distinction made for JTW) in every hockey rulebook, and for that matter in every sports rulebook I know of. Actual calling of the infraction is done. . .judiciously.
Actually, most vulgar language is neither obscene nor profane, merely indecent. :-P