OK, I don't watch hockey, and now I have even less reason...
>> Monday
A really brief, pointless post...
When did NHL teams become capable of scoring 10 goals in a single game? Who would want to watch a hockey game like that? Are the NHL's rules so ridiculous now that teams are able to score 6 goals in a period?
As a very passive, nearly oblivious observer of NHL scoring trends, it seems that the scoring creep has been on the rise for years. However, I can't find an efficient way to compute the number of goals that have been scored each season. Nonetheless, I did find this moderately geeky analysis of NHL goal trends which seems to suggest that goal scoring isn't on the rise.
In conclusion, I don't care about the NHL but was surprised to see a 10-2 score.
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5 comments:
I like a high-scoring hockey game, but "He shoots, he scores!" kind of loses its flair after goal five, I think.
I would imagine that goal totals have trended back upward (after the dead-puck late '90s and early aughts) with the rule changes a few years ago and this new space-age fancy-pants uniforms. Scoring is still nowhere near where it was in the '80s, I don't think.
And that's all I'll try to contribute to that subject, since I'm probably over-generalizing.
I watched most of this game. It was fucking awesome. Alex Ovechkin is the shit. It's not like 10 goals a game has become common or anything, it's just that the new rules open up the ice a bit for more offense. Also, Boston's two goalies in this game were insanely terrible, as was their defense around the net. If you see any of the highlights, watch the Bruins' D kinda just passively float around and let Ovechkin keep getting to the slot. It was brutal.
I think Matt nailed it. It's the ice has opened up, enabling more offense, more shots on goal, and as a corollary, more goals.
The last three NHL games I have been to since the lockout ended have had scorelines of
5-1
3-2
3-1
Take it for what you will.
Thanks for that fantastic research, Mike. When Paul requested "an efficient way to compute the number of goals that have been scored each season," I think that's exactly what he had in mind.
The NHL is poised to expolde like the A-bomb on Japan. With all the new stars, more open ice and the demise of the NJ Devils lock down defence; the increased speed of the game will drawn more fans than will be lost due because some people want to see 0-0 games end in shootouts. People who only see this one game and make sweeping negitive assumtions about the direction of the sport, need to spend more time watching the Peoria Rivermen, minor league affiliate of the St. Louis Blues and the Alaska Aces, and less time studying for medical school.
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