“We have no expectations with regards to goal scoring,” said Whitmore, “and realize it could actually make the goalies quicker and better.” Will the nip and tuck in goalie equipment help change that trend? Probably not. One of the game’s greatest entertainment factors has been greatly diminished. For all the game’s added speed, power, and flash, goal scoring today is where it was in the leather-skate and wooden-stick era. Goal scoring in today’s NHL is on par with what it was in the early ’60s. Scoring in 2016-17 is up a fraction (5.44 goals per game) over last season, but has remained in a diminished and very tight range (5.31-5.46) over the last six seasons. In concert, the changes come at a time when NHL goal scoring, dramatically lower than the 1980s heydays, has been falling for a quarter-century and near stagnant for the better part of a decade. With the kinks presumably worked out for the pants, the chest protector and arm guards will be scrutinized next, perhaps with tailored models approved and ready for the start of the 2017-18 season in October. I don’t feel like I’m wearing a diaper now.” Then I got a new company, and it was much better. “They didn’t really do a good job with them. “Same company as I had before,” he explained. The first iteration of his new pants were, shall we say, a bit kinky. They want it to be individualized in a way that your pants don’t look overly big on you.” “Bottom line,’’ added the 6-foot-3-inch Rask, “they don’t want guys who are 6 feet in the same gear as guys who are 6-5. “We wanted guys sized properly in equipment that provides maximum protection for each individual’s characteristics without creating excessive blocking spaces.” “This was about making the playing field level within the goalie ranks, and doing what’s right for the game,” said ex-NHL goaltender Kay Whitmore, who these days is the league’s senior director of hockey operations, his main charge to help guide and implement the changes. Fine-tuning the fit for every goalie, and working with myriad equipment manufacturers proved tricky, however, and it wasn’t announced until earlier this month that next Saturday finally would be the official start-up date. The new pants, more form-fitting around the waist and a more tailored fit along the leg toward the kneecap, were approved last March and were supposed to be in use for the start of the season. But, hey, if it’s not policed, who can blame him? It’s his livelihood.” I mean, c’mon! That’s just a man trying to beat the system. You’d see a goalie go down to his knees and his shoulder pads would magically rise up. “It wasn’t policed for a long time,” said ex-NHL goalie John Davidson, 63, president of hockey operations for the Columbus Blue Jackets. Again, it's hard to know if the goalie switch helped turn the Blues back on to their winning ways Saturday, but it's harder to argue with the results.Following slight trimming back of the goalies’ legs pads and gloves over the last 5-8 years, the league’s Competition Committee in 2015 targeted the goalie pants, chest protector, and arm guards - gear that had some netminders using biggy-sized models in their endless pursuit of puck-stopping perfection. That was part of the motivation for the switch, to change the team's approach to the games. Hitchcock noted during Sunday's media session that the team was not playing for Elliott, but relying on him. He also went 9-8, sometimes having to have his best effort to even give the Blues a chance in games where they were getting outplayed. Whatever the reason, the Blues played a better game in Game 4 and Hitchcock is not about to disrupt a winning formula.Īllen's start Saturday night was his first since April 3, as he had taken a backseat to Elliott who followed up his incredible regular-season performance with a strong showing in the playoffs. Maybe it was the goaltending switch, or maybe the rest of the team realized going down 3-1 in the Western Conference finals was likely curtains for their Stanley Cup hopes.
How to switch to goalie in nhl 17 series#
Head coach Ken Hitchcock wanted to see if he could get more out of the rest of the team by making a switch in net after the Blues went down 2-1 in their series against the San Jose Sharks. The 25-year-old netminder will be making his second straight start in net after spelling Brian Elliott, who had essentially been the Blues' playoffs MVP to that point. Louis Blues' 6-3 win in Game 4 Saturday night, Jake Allen will get the nod again for Game 5.