Shoutout

To Tim Panaccio of the Inquirer for his thought provoking, and ultimately correct, assertion about the relationship between increase in goal scoring and a decrease in goaltender's padding:

HockeyBuzz

Isn't it just like the NHL, always missing the trees for the forest?

The reason goal production has gone down each of the last three years is three-fold:

A) Despite talk of opening up the game after 2005, coaches are letting defenses tighten and man-to-man play chokes off a lot of passing, puck possession and individual play.

B) Power plays are also down, and with a equal man-power increasing throughout games on average, it's tougher to score.

C) Despite all the talk about clubs going for the smaller, lighter, quicker skater to adapt to the "New NHL," a majority of draft picks in the last four drafts are over six foot, over 200 pounds and just plain take up too much room on the ice when there's 12 on the rink at any one time.

Of course, it's just like the NHL, lost in the morass of groupthink, to look at cosmetic changes rather than root causes. It's just easier that way, with 30 owners and a bumbling commissioner.