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NHL Could Make Immediate Switch To Shallow Nets After Research Camp Testing

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The NHL is considering the use of smaller, shallower nets that could make goal calls and replay challenges easier — and the league could put them into use for the 2011-12 NHL season after its Research, Development, and Orientation Camp.

The proposed switch is to a net that is 40 inches deep, four inches shallower than the current 44-inch depth, and has a clear plastic strip and a built-in high definition camera that could aid in goal verification. League executive Brendan Shanahan thinks the new nets could be destined for testing use in preseason play.

“I think that the shallow nets are something that I’d really like to try in at least an exhibition game and see how players react to it,” Shanahan said Thursday.Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke indicated that the Leafs would volunteer to be one of the teams testing the nets, and coaches Dan Bylsma and Dave Tippett, of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Phoenix Coyotes, respectively, had players talking about the net giving players extra space to maneuver at the end of the ice.

For more news from the NHL’s Research camp, stay tuned to our StoryStream.

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