Goalies are fearless but when you take a few inches off (some have had less based on the measurement of their previous pads) their pads it could create a problem. Its a 10% reduction, from the previous 55% to 45% from the center of the knee to the pelvis as seen on NHL.com. It should increase lateral movement but it could also inhibit a goalie when he has to squeeze the pads, when down on the ice, there won’t be as much there. Five-hole goals could be under great scrutiny this year.
“I think I got an inch taken off of mine,” said a very confident, Ray Emery, who is expected to see a fair amount of time this year in Philadelphia.
Now if shrinking his pads weren’t enough the actual size of the net has changed, its 4 inches shallower and on the sides. There’s a lot more room behind the goal and as a result we could see players setting up in Wayne Gretzky’s office hoping to make a pass in the slot to a teammate. That got his team a lot of goals and I’m sure that’s the NHL’s thinking behind this. To increase offense. No matter the sport defense always gets attacked in favor of more offense. Goalies will adjust and Emery has a plan.
“I guess that’s what they are trying to encourage and maybe there will be more plays to generate from back there. We’ll see how it works from back there. I kind of have a system that I play for back there (in which he didn’t divulge) and I’ll rely on that and maybe tweak it a bit when I kind of figure out the new nets and get to see them,” Emery answered.
“We’ll see. I kind of got a glimpse of what it will be like. You kind of have to get your butt in there and see if you’re going to hit the back bar and how your feet will go in the net. I think its good. Room behind the net will generate plays behind the net. Especially with this team we have guys that can wheel and deal in there. It works as long as I figure out how to stop the other team, right?”
We’ve seen the ricochet action of the goal coming out of the back of the net. The days of the puck gently getting tucked into the back of the twine are over. That should increase video replays when the season starts.
“Probably. I would think that too...I think the video is really good now,” Emery concurred.
I’ve already seen funkier and gratuitous bounces like this one that setup a goal for Flyers prospect, Nick Cousins. In a game against the Leafs the puck went right off the net from a point shot, and on his stick and he backhanded in the goal all in a matter of seconds. To me that’s something else we could see more of in the future.
For those of you looking for more goals in the preseason there’s a reason that isn’t happening. The game speed isn’t quite there and most coaches, so far, are experimenting with line combinations so players aren’t as comfortable as they would be in the regular season. We also know the minute the regular season starts the game miraculously gets faster and then we’ll be able to start to see how this will affect a season.
I’ll say this those goalies who aren’t completely flawless with their mechanics may suffer. Those who aren’t 100% sold on the butterfly will be fine because they vary the way they stop the puck. Five-holes have increased and fans will be upset. I used to dislike the five-hole that Rangers goalie and now current Bluejackets President of Hockey Operations had when he arrived in New York. But over time it got better and he eventually led his team to the Stanley Cup in 1978-79 season.
I would hope that hockey fans don’t groan a lot early in the season if a few of these goals go in. Most goalies have downplayed the change, as expected, but if it starts to affect them that could change as well. Goalie coaches will be even more invaluable this year. The goalies that struggle with this will need some help and their coach could provide it. ◉
You can read more of Russ Cohen’s articles on www.sportsology.info and you can check out his lastest books on Amazon.com.