What Rules Will the NHL Test at Its R&D Camp? - James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail
First, here's what Shanahan had to say on the camp, which will run some of the top junior players through scrimmates using the different rules under the watchful eye of a lot of NHL GMs.
"Last year’s camp was immensely popular with the players who attended and we learned a lot of things," he said. "We feel that some ideas don’t need to be tested again and others need more testing.
"From the outset, we conceived of the camp with the belief that our game has never been better. And we wanted to collect information and data and learn about our game at one of its highest moments, so that, if a trend we didn’t like started to develop, we already had years of information to better prepare us for making any adjustment we need.
"It’s staying on top of the game and, at the same time, preserving the integrity of hockey."
I think these R&D camps are one of the best ideas to have come from the league's offices since the lockout, and will go a long way into making the game we all love and enjoy even better. That being said, there are certainly some cockamamie ideas being floated around at these camps: no icing while shorthanded; changes only on the fly; all penalties served in their entirety; offsides faceoffs coming all the way back. I think it's safe to say we'll never see any of these potential changes make it into the game at the NHL level. As a player, coach, and referee; they just don't make sense.
However, that's not to say that all of these proposals are terrible. Some have great merit to them and I would love to see them adopted. No-touch or hybrid icing? Absolutely. A verification line? Why not. More cameras? Of course. Five man shootout? Might as well. Eliminating the trapezoid? About bloody time.
What are some of your favorite or least favorite proposals being looked at in this camp? What's a rule change you'd like to make? Let us know in the comments. More links after the jump.
Leafs Letters from Camp: McKegg and Percy
Jon from Puckin 'Eh had the pleasure of watching the prospects in play at the Canadian WJC camp.
Following that game, Jon got to do a brief interview the McKegg. The transcript of which can be found here.
Maple Leafs Top 6 on Defense All Have Something to Prove this Season
Mike at VLM breaks down why that's so.
The Life and Times of Brian Burke: Part 2
ITB&WB with the second installment on the happenings of the Toronto GM.
Top Five TML Players Ready to Improve in 2011-12
Sorry to say, but it's going to be hard for Kulemin to impove upon last season.
The Great One's 23 Unbreakable Records
Yeap. They're unbreakable alright.
The Entire NHL Pre-Season Schedule
Hockey on TV addict Steve Lepore with the breakdown.
