Welcome to SB Nation’s ‘Decade Of Change’ series. We’ll present a series of articles throughout the week, representing every sport. Each one is authored by a blogger from within our vast network and will outline various aspects of their favorite league they’d like to see changed by the end of the new decade. Now up: NHL, authored by Brandon Worley, editor of SBNation.com’s NHL page and Dallas Stars site, Defending Big D.
Decade Of Change: The NHL Needs To Be Seen If It Expects To Grow
The NHL has already undergone an incredible amount of change on the ice, most of which came after the NHL lockout during the 2004-2005 season. For better or worse, over the past ten years, the NHL has added the shootout and the “loser point”, added the trapezoid behind the goaltender, enforced more interference, hooking and tripping penalties to free up the offense, and took away the two-line pass. All of these moves have helped to add more scoring to a league that had morphed into defensive battles nearly every single night. While this added a new level of excitement to the casual hockey fan, many hardcore fans feel that the NHL has evolved into something completely different than the sport we knew growing up.
As I sat and thought about what should change over the next decade, I wanted to try and find a way to bridge the gap between what hardcore fans desire and what will still appeal to new and casual fans. The NHL is already one of the best sports leagues in North America in reaching out to fans and getting them involved with the sport. It’s a very intimate atmosphere between the league and the fans, and there is potential there for an even better relationship. Here are what I feel should change over the next ten years for the NHL:
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