i think i like most of the new rules, but the 2 minutes for hitting the puck out of the rink seems a bit harsh.

haven't paid too much attention, but shootouts are pretty sweet.

i still haven't seen one.

Digging it. I'm waiting for Bernie Nicholls to come back & score 70

i love that the two line pass is gone.
that was the worst rule in all of sports. it punished a good pass.

do they get penalized for this if they're taking a shot and it goes out of the rink? if so, that's pretty silly.

Too many penalties.

not sure, but i assume it's only when they are trying to clear the zone.
but i thought a face off by your goal was a good enough punishment for that.

It's only when you're clearing your end & it goes straight from your stick to the stands. It's just making the skaters play by the same rule the goalies have for years.

The penalties will drop eventually. Players will learn or lose ice time & in the future players drafted & developed will be more adaptable. There are rumors out of Phoenix that they're trying to unload Sean O'Donnell since he's not adapting. A slow footed fringe defenceman w/ no PP skills like him is the exact type of player you won't see years from now.

I agree, but maybe Damen's right that the penalties will subside. For now, the outcome of too many games is being decided by the refs, and I think that was already a major problem. Whereas their comparatively sporadic calls of the past were choosey, they're now exhorbitant.

Bob Cole said it best when he quipped "We're playing touch football here, folks." The hard hits have subsided because of whistle-happy refs.

The only games that I've seen have been terrible performances by the Leafs.

To me, the new rules have really opened up the game and is certainly helping to bring fans back.

I don't mind the new rules, I just wish they'd call them consistently. I don't know how it is in the east, but in this division the goddamn refs are letting Calgary and Minnesota play like it's still 2003. Give coaches Sutter and Lemaire credit, I guess, because they've figured out how to fuck up the "new NHL" before it's barely started.

And I still don't like the shoot-out.

Yeah I agree...D-men seem pretty confused sometimes on what might be called and what is called from game to game...Some refs let alot go and others don't ..It's just gonna take alittle while for players to know what they can do and they need to adjust like Damen said...Look at some of the guys who have retired this year...The game is gonna leave some guys in the dust...

But I do like the shoot out...I understand the whole gimmick thing people talk about, but it does keep people in their seats untill the end...

love the new rules. it gives the more skilled players a chance to shine. goalies now have to work harder too, especially with the new smaller equipment. no two line pass means better breakaway chances.

That's about my take as well. I've seen every Habs game this year and the only one that was boring was against the Penguins, but that one was even redeemed in the last 10 minutes and overtime, and Crosbie's Shootout winner was a beauty.

In contrast, prior to this year I was usually asleep before the end of the second period.

And the complaints about a lack of hitting are rediculous, since when was hooking, holding and cross checking, considered hiting?

I like hockey again.

I hope you didn't tune out for the 3rd period. You would have missed the best period of hockey I've seen in years.