AHL RULE CHANGES:
The American Hockey League’s Board of Governors has approved the implementation of the following rule changes, effective beginning with the 2004-05 season:
In a delayed offside situation, the offending player(s) will be permitted to negate the offside by “tagging up” with the blue line. This rule was in effect from 1986-96 and will enable more flow in the forechecking aspect of the game while reducing the number of stoppages.
“Automatic icing” has been implemented, with icing infractions to be called and the play whistled dead when the puck crosses the goal line.
Goal lines will be moved from 13 feet to 11 feet out from the end boards, and blue lines will be moved back accordingly to maintain a 60-foot attacking zone. This will increase the size of the neutral zone and reduce play behind the goals.
The width of the blue lines and the center red line will be increased from 12 inches to 24 inches each, and passes will be permitted from the defensive edge of one blue line to the offensive edge of the other blue line, adding additional space to the neutral zone
The maximum width of goaltenders’ leg pads will be reduced from 12 inches to 10 inches, creating additional scoring area for shooters.
The AHL will also implement, for the first seven weeks of the 2004-05 regular season, a limited test of a rule restricting the areas where goaltenders may play the puck. This is a step designed to increase offensive opportunities without wholly eliminating a goaltender’s ability to assist his defensemen. Following the completion of the test period, the AHL will evaluate the results and determine whether the rule’s application will continue.
Entering its 69th season this fall, the AHL serves as the top development league for all 30 National Hockey League teams. The 2003-04 season saw 28 teams compete for the coveted Calder Cup, and more than 6.6 million fans attending AHL games across North America for the third straight year. Over 80 percent of all players to compete in the NHL in 2003-04 were AHL graduates, and more than 400 players took the ice in both leagues.
Сюда же статья из Торонто Стар. -
AHL's new rules light up offence.
League denies NHL influenced radical changes New look includes shootouts,no-touch icing...
KEN CAMPBELL
SPORTS REPORTER
The president of the American Hockey League said yesterday that its ties to the NHL had nothing to do with a number of radical rule changes it adopted last weekend in an effort to inject offence into its product.
In fact, David Andrews said that with the NHL on the verge of a labour dispute, the time for his league to improve its product couldn't be better and when the AHL learned that the NHL was putting its proposed rule changes on hold because of conflicts between the league and the NHL Players' Association, its resolve to improve its own product was even stronger.
"I think it's a little unfair to our league to say that this was driven by the NHL," Andrews said. "This is not a test and it's not at the request of the NHL. We had our own challenges to consider. Our goals-against average last season was the lowest in our league since 1938 and we've gone from 15 shutouts 10 years ago to 210 last season."
The AHL did, however, adopt almost all the rule change recommendations that were proposed by the GMs and added a few of their own, all of which will undoubtedly be closely monitored by the NHL. Among the changes for next season are:
Games that are tied after a five-minute overtime period will go to a shootout. Teams will be awarded two points for a win in regulation, overtime or in a shootout, one point for a loss in overtime or a shootout and zero for a regulation-time loss. The NHL had asked the AHL to go to a format that would award three points for winning in regulation, two for an overtime win and one for an overtime loss, but the AHL rejected that idea.
The width of goalie pads will be reduced from 12 to 10 inches, which was proposed by the NHL before the matter was grieved by the NHLPA. Larry Landon, the executive director of the Professional Hockey Players' Association, which represents AHL players, said yesterday he had heard from a couple of goalies, but said the association would not file a grievance over the width of goal pads.
Goal lines will be moved from 13 to 11 feet out from the end boards and the blue lines will be moved back two feet to maintain a 60-foot offensive zone.
Continuing an experiment from last season, the width of the blue lines and red line will be increased from 12 to 24 inches, with passes permitted from the defensive edge of one blue line to the offensive edge of the other.
There will be a return to the "tag-up rule" which allows players who are trapped in an offside situation in the offensive zone to negate the offside by tagging up with the blue line. Andrews pointed out that forechecking will even be more of a factor because with a wider blue line, "that means players will be in there that much quicker."
In an effort to curb injuries, the AHL instituted no-touch icing, which means the play will be blown dead as soon as the puck crosses the goal line. Incidentally, there were no curbs put on fighting, which causes far more injuries to players.
For the first seven weeks of the season, the league will create an expanded crease behind the net in which goaltenders will be allowed to play the puck, but will be penalized if they play it outside that zone. Andrews said the zone will likely be, "couple of feet on either side of the post." The NHL wanted the AHL to disallow goalies to play the puck behind the net.
Andrews said that had the NHL been guaranteed of playing and not changed any of its rules, the AHL would have stuck to the NHL rulebook. He also said if the NHL labour situation is resolved and there are no rule changes, "we will probably go ahead with all of these changes except the size of the goal pads."
понятно ,что изменения направлены на то ,чтобы сделать игру более атакующей. Всего 15 шатаутов в сезоне было каких-то 10 лет назад ,а теперь их уже 210! Самая низкая результативность с 1938 г.!Понятно,что с этим надо что-то делать. Смогут ли изменить ситуацию новые введения ?Пока неясно. Также ,как неясно ,зачем надо бить буллиты после ОТ.
Еще один аспект -многие из этих изменений могут быть в скором времени опробованы в НХЛ ,что на данный момент не вызывает у меня особого восторга. Надо посмотреть сначала ,что из этого выйдет в АХЛ. П.С. В ВХА собираются сделать европейские большие площадки ,в АХЛ до этого ,слава Богу ,не додумались . Лично мне больше нравится хоккей на НХЛ-овских площадках -он более динамичный ,быстрый и интересный .
Очень многие матчи -это именно "тягомотина" и "унылость", в атаке нет ярких ,нестандартных ходов абсолютно. Лада ,например ,играет в сугубо оборонительный хоккей ,да и СКА тоже ,хотя там ,конечно ,исполнители ниже классом ,да и еще многие клубы.
Жаль.Это может повлиять на развитие хоккея в регионе.Там люди большими хоккейными событиями не избалованы.А в Онтарио команд всех лиг и так полно.
