NHL Trends: Why the NHL Is No Longer a Goaltender's League

When I started watching hockey around the age of 12, I remember settling into my parents' living room for a lot of NHL playoff matchups. This was before the days of NHL Center Ice, so regular-season games were few and far between unless you could catch them on ESPN.

But playoff hockey was on the air and I would get thoroughly excited to watch any teams compete for the Stanley Cup. I remember the dominant teams of the late 90s: Detroit, Colorado, Dallas and New Jersey. With all their splendor these teams and a select few others were always in the mix for primarily one reason: goaltending.

Every playoff series featured two star goalies. Conventional wisdom was that if you were in the playoffs a great goaltender had gotten you there in the first place, and the result of the series depended on which netminder would blink first.

Often times, no one even knew the name of the goalie serving as a backup, due to the star status and importance of names like Patrick Roy, Martin Broduer, Ed Belfour, Curtis Joseph, Chris Osgood and many others.

Games would be kept to soccer-like final scores and going down by two goals was often a death sentence because of the difficulty of scoring on such talented goalies and stingy defenses. It was a hard-nosed gritty style of play where players had to work and fight for every step they took. Open ice was a rare thing of beauty and scoring chances brought crowds to their feet.

This was all very different then what we see on the ice now.

People who wanted to see more higher scoring games got their wish, as the NHL's rule changes after the turn of the century dealt a weak hand to those in goal. Tougher penalties on defensive interference and the elimination of the two-line pass gave skilled playmakers more freedom to thread passes up the ice to streaking centers.

Goalies also were now restricted from playing the puck behind the goal line aside from a small trapezoid shape behind their own net. In addition to increasing the speed of the game in front of them, goalies were also required to adhere to stiffer regulations when it came to the size of their equipment.

I am no way making the case that any of this was a "bad thing." The league is faster, more interesting, more unpredictable and provides greater room for its own star players to develop and succeed, which is ultimately good for the NHL's bottom line.

Long gone though are the days of star goaltenders littering the league’s landscape and being readily available during free agency. A reputable and capable goalie is now a rare thing to see in the free-agent market, and the degree to which they are counted on to carry their team is now far less, with expectations significantly lowered.

Now none of this is to say that the league is without talent between the pipes. Tim Thomas, Ryan Miller and Henrik Lundqvist alone carry significant star status. Yet even with their talent and that of many other current netminders, goaltending is no longer the first thing you hear when discussing what it takes to win a championship.

The odds are that this is the new norm for many years to come, as defenses will need to figure out how to slow down opposing team's scorers without getting inundated with interference and hooking penalties and affording them even more open ice. To win a championship in the NHL, you now must have a capable defense that can walk a thin line between toughness and finesse in order to give their goaltender(s) a fighting chance. These defenses are rare, and they often have the ability to make a very average goaltender play above his perceived ability.

For teams without that defense, it is a matter of outgunning your opponent and making sure that your team is not the first to deal with the demoralizing (yet increasingly common) scene of your starting goalie skating off the ice while giving a tap to the glove of his replacement.

At the end of the day, the league got what they wanted and provided a more fan-oriented and fast-paced brand of hockey. As I said before, this is not a bad thing for anyone involved. Yet, it is remarkable to see the difference that seemingly small changes can make to the game we all love and continue to enjoy.