Leave the NHL Alone: GMs Discuss Another Proposal that will Ruin Hockey

It's tied. In overtime. In the playoffs. A pass moves quickly from the side board back to the point for a one-timer. The puck explodes off the stick, hurtling towards the net when a defencemen, seemingly out of nowhere, sacrifices his body and takes a 100 Mph slap shot off his shin pad.

Shot blocking is an art, and most hockey fans appreciate it as one. So why did NHL General Managers discuss a proposal from Montreal Canadiens GM Bob Gainey today that would hinder it?

Gainey suggested that players should be required to have at least one skate blade on the ice while blocking shots. The thinking here is that more pucks will be able to get through to the net. And more shots to the net means more goals.

The NHL has been obsessed with trying to increase scoring for years now. There have been proposals to make the nets bigger, continue penalties after the opposing team scores, and shrink goalie's pads.

These gimmicks are intended to reach out to new fans, but why bastardize the game and alienate your loyal fan base?

These changes would make the game unrecognizable, and destroy 100 years of records in an attempt to have hockey games end with football scores.

How would you enforce a no-lie-down-while-you-block-shots rule? Should the refs be sending players to the penalty box for protecting their net? How would they distinguish between intentional shot blocks and players falling down? Would players resort to even more diving if they were tied up with a player in front of the net before a shot came in?

Pierre McGuire, an analyst with CNN says the plan just doesn't make sense. And he's right. He says players have made it to the Hall of Fame based on their shot-blocking ability.

Make no mistake, blocking shots requires more than just reckless abandon. It's a skill like any other. That's why you'll see the same guys at the top of the blocked shots list year in and year out.

Bob Gainey is a good GM, but this idea is ridiculous. It should be laughed out of the boardroom in Chicago where this week's meetings are being held.

The game is fine just as it is. League revenue is up, attendance is up, and the league is only a few years past introducing major changes--tightening up on obstruction calls and introducing the shoot out. Just leave the game alone for a while.

That heroic shot block in overtime shouldn't give the other team a powerplay.