NHL Announces Rule Changes for 2014-15 Season

With the start of the 2014-15 NHL regular season less than a month away, the league announced several rule changes Thursday.    

According to NHL.com, 10 alterations have been made in areas from penalty shots and shootouts to the subtleties of tripping penalties.

Perhaps the most interesting change is the elimination of the "Spin-O-Rama" move on penalty shots and during shootouts. That particular move always seemed to go against the rule of the puck having to move forward at all times, and Mike Harrington of The Buffalo News is happy to see it outlawed:

That isn't the only new language as it relates to shootouts, either. Head coaches no longer have to announce their first three shooters prior to the start of the shootout, which has piqued the interest of The Canadian Press writer Stephen Whyno:

A significant philosophical change in the officiating of tripping has been made as well. Per NHL.com, touching the puck before tripping a player will no longer cancel out the trip itself.

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The rule relating to tripping will be revised to specifically provide that a two minute minor penalty will be assessed when a defending player "dives" and trips an attacking player with his body/arm/shoulder, regardless of whether the defending player is able to make initial contact with the puck.

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The NHL is also making a concerted effort to prevent players from diving and embellishing. According to Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, head coaches are now subject to fines should their players dive:

NHL.com revealed that head coaches will be fined $2,000 for a single player's fourth offense in a single season with the fine increasing by $1,000 with each additional dive.

The trapezoid behind the net is being expanded by two feet on both sides as well, which means there will be more room for goaltenders to handle the puck.

In addition to these changes, the NHL is trying to address the fairness of faceoffs, although Damien Cox of Sportsnet doesn't expect things to change much in that regard:

While there aren't any rule changes that will necessarily revolutionize the game, diehard fans of the sport will unquestionably notice some differences.

The new tripping rule figures to help in terms of increasing scoring since defensemen will either have to be less aggressive or take more penalties.

There is always an adjustment period when it comes to rule changes for the coaches, players and on-ice officials. Once the season gets into full swing, however, all of the new rules should be easy to enforce, and they should be beneficial to the game as well.

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