TIME TO PARTY, MARTY

Marty Turco, rejoice.

The NHL’s General Managers are reportedly going to contemplate gassing the trapezoidal “no puck handling zone” that was implemented back in 2005.

I hope they follow through on doing just that cause the rule was flawed and discriminatory from the start.

It seemed to be targeted at a small percentage of goalies (ie Marty Turco, Marty Brodeur and a couple others) that had developed a skill set few others who played the position had. All Turco and his like did was adjust a little. He still handles the puck, frustrating the opponent, about 30 times a game because geometry, physics and aggression are his pals.

The “forbidden zone” was supposed to aid forwards trying to hustle after loose pucks – help them establish a forecheck. If they wanted that they should have reversed the area goalies couldn’t handle the puck from the corners where it is now, to the area directly behind the net. That’s the spot where about 80% of the goalie puck play unfolds. I pointed this out years ago, but they don’t listen.

For Turco this is potentially terrific news on two fronts. He will once again be unfettered in his unique ability to roam in the zone acting as a “third defenseman”, and as this is the final year of his contract, his value will be further re-enforced.

Here are three other rules that need to go:

1. Hand passing…currently it is legal to make a pass with your glove while in the defending zone but not in the other two areas of the ice – the neutral and attacking zones. That doesn’t make sense to me.
   
   
2. Touch Icing…why bother? All it does now is create 210 foot dashes in a 200 foot long rink and the subsequent broken bones that follow such a poor math contest. And since the relatively new rule that forbids the team that iced the puck from changing players was put in to penalize the use of icing to alleviate pressure, why not make it even more penal by giving them less time to catch their breath?
   
   
3. Penalty Time Served…there was a time when all penalties, not just 5 minute majors, were served in their entirety no matter whether the other team scored or not. I’d like to see a return to that. There are only 5 powerplays on average per game – give them some teeth.