Most Important Innovations That Helped the NHL Get to Where It Is Today

Hockey has come a long way in the sporting world.  In last decade alone, hockey has gone from a "nobody cares" sport to one of the top four sports in the United States.

The reason for this sudden interest in hockey?

Superstar players, unbelievable goals and overtime thrillers.

Players like Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby have resurrected this sport from what it was when Wayne Gretzky and the like played.

The NHL has reaped these rewards and will continue to do so as long as young, talented players keep entering the league and competing with the best.

Here are the most important innovations that helped the NHL get to where it is today.

Separate Penalty Boxes

Believe it or not, there used to be one penalty box for both teams to send their penalized players.

What happened?

As assumed, the players continued their fight in that one box.  Something had to be done, and the creation of separate boxes was born.

One could argue that the game would be so much better if the innovation was simply never created.

Goalie Mask

Hall of Fame goalie Jacques Plante was once called a coward for wearing a mask during a hockey game, which goes to show how far the game has come since the 1950s.

Plante introduced the innovation back in 1959, revolutionizing the game forever.

Today, a goalie mask is so much more.  It is a protective shield against high-flying pucks as well as a fashion statement.

Curved Stick

The game of hockey was changed forever when curved sticks began being created back in the 1960s.

Before the curved feature, sticks were positioned at a 135-degree angle.  It gave off the look of the letter "L."

The created curve in the stick gave players a whole new range of shots, allowing them to adjust speed, as well as direction.

It gave goalies a whole new aspect to think about, and made the game that much more exciting to watch.

The creation of the curved stick could be the primary catalyst for the re-birth of the sport of hockey.