Puck8, as a current board member and player and coaching development committee member of a larger northern association, as well as the head coach of a Pee Wee B team, I have to take exception with much of what you propose. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but, most of your proposals seem aimed at reducing the "dead time" in youth games played under a strict time limit. Guess what, we don't have that issue in most of the outstate. It's obviously why metro teams enjoy traveling to our tournaments. So, no offense but, most of us in the outstate get a bit cynical when metro people/leaders propose or get Minnesota Hockey to make or change rules that generally only benefit people in the metro. For instance, the absolute worst rule change in the last 30 years that significantly and negatively affected the core of our "community based" model is Minnesota Hockey's Board choosing to change the eligibility rule from a strict "play where you live" to, "play where you live OR play in the association located in the geographic area of the school you attend". The greatest example of unintended (or heck, maybe even intended) consequences is the monster it created in Hermantown. Are you aware -- and Elliot can confirm this -- that rule was enacted about 10 years ago based on a survey where only 7% of respondents replied that they favored the change? What happened to the concept that the "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few"? (and no, don't get me started on our country's current political leadership in that respect
![Rolling Eyes :roll:](./images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif)
). Having said that, allow me to comment specifically on some of the ideas you raise.
1) Implement touch-up offside at all levels. Too much time is wasted on a rule that isn't even present at the higher levels. The idea that it forces teams to regroup and learn puck control is moot. That is necessary with touch up as well, and I would argue that touch up requires even more discipline and hockey sense. Assuming each team has 5 automatic offsides per game and 20 seconds are wasted for the face-off, that's about 3.5 minutes they could be skating.
There's actual research that USA Hockey did prior to enacting this change that definitively proves it actually does improve puck handling/decision-making/regrouping skills at those levels, especially if coaches actually spend some time coaching it in practice. With all due respect, how can you say that having a player simply dump a puck back deep into the attacking zone without having to think about or consider where his teammates are or what his opponents are doing requires more discipline and hockey sense versus, having to first assess the situation in a moment about where his teammates are, whether he can or can't dump the puck in if he wants to -- meaning, are his teammates on or offside -- all the while having to probably skate backwards while handling the puck AND being pressured by an opponent? I'm sorry but, my 45 plus years as a H.S., USHL, DIII college player/college coach/administrator/official at the youth,high school, collegiate, and professional levels tells me your logic doesn't fly.
2) Icing - Something needs to change. If the puck is within the defensive players reach, goes through their legs or over their stick without being touched, or the D-man is pinching, should not be icing. Way too many icing calls per game due to a D-man not handling an errant pass or clearing attempt. If there are 3 of these per game (which is way low) and it's 30 seconds to get the face off done, that's another 3 minutes of wasted time that they could be skating.
The current rule is already interpreted so that if the puck IS ALONG THE ICE when it passes within the normal reach/effort of a defensive player and the player doesn't play the puck, then icing is waved. However, any puck that is shot in the air OR is traveling along the ice BUT bounces over a defending player's stick when that player makes the required effort to attempt to play the puck, then icing is still in effect as the onus for icing always falls on the team that iced the puck. And, that rule will certainly never change at the high school level and above, nor do I ever see USA Hockey allowing that change at the national level. If true, do you really think it makes any sense for Minnesota to adopt a rule that is opposite of how players will have to play under that same rule when they get to high school, juniors, or college? And no, I don't want to hear about the rule Minnesota has whereby the short-handed team is still called for icing at the Bantam level and below because it's very likely USA Hockey adopts that nationally, along with the Federation and NCAA. Also, a point regarding your comment about players "stepping up" on a player as a possibly playable puck goes past both players. Again, the onus is always on the team initiating the puck down the ice. Now, if the puck passes the player "stepping up" right along the ice and within normal reach, then yes, that icing should be waived. However, again, if the puck is bouncing or is in the air at the moment it passes the player "stepping up", the same interpretation applies and the fact the player "steps up" has no bearing on the official's decision to call icing. Obviously, since this particular situation requires greater judgment from the officials and, since youth officials tend to have the greatest variance in experience and ability, especially at the Squirt and Pee Wee levels, you will never achieve the level of consistent and accurate application as any of would prefer.
3) Periods - We do not need 3 periods at the youth level. There isn't enough strategy to discuss with Squirts and PW's that require 2 breaks. Go with 2 halves and save at least 3 more minutes.
If Minnesota Hockey wants to give districts the option to do this, especially for league play, I don't see any significant issues with it.
Totaled up, these could add close to 10 minutes of game play to every game. When you only have 1 hour for game time, we should be focusing on how to keep the game flowing so there is more play time for the players.
First, at the Squirt level, we never have an issue playing three, 12 minute stop time period games in under an hour. No, we don't flood between any of the periods. Nor do we have any issues finishing any level of pee wee game with three 15 minute stop time periods with a single flood between the 2nd and 3rd periods in under 90 minutes. I get it, there's limited ice availability in the metro. So, your choices are a hard time limit that probably allows for better practice times for everyone else but, frustrates everyone during the games that are played, or....you can always move to an outstate community where your player never has any time limits for games
![Cool 8)](./images/smilies/icon_cool.gif)