Improved Offense or Crippled Defense?

When the NHL changed its rules, one of the primary arguments they made was that they wanted to increase scoring. I never doubted that the rules could have an impact. What I did doubt was whether or not the changes would actually add to the game.

Let me move off topic a bit and discuss my issues with basketball. If scoring alone determined the entertainment value of a sport, the NBA would undoubtedly be ahead of the NHL. The first time I actually paid attention to an NBA game, I realized something. Basketball is boring. You have players walking across the court, making a few slow passes, waiting 24 seconds, and shooting. Despite the high scores, there’s very little action.

Take a look at defense in the NBA. They can try to position themselves to slow down the other team, but they can’t physically contact the offense. Any movement on their part means that they are responsible for contact, and they are risking fouls. There are blocks and steals, but these are not that common and generally rely on a big mistake from the offense.

This is the problem with basketball. The high scores aren’t nearly as much about the offense as it is the lack of defense. The nature of the game has players physically holding the ball with little opportunity to take it away. They had to create rules such as the shot clock because it was the only way that they could keep the game moving. Even with those rules, you can easily see the underlying problems of the sport.

When the NHL changed its rules, the offense did not improve. Zero tolerance penalties essentially turned hockey into a non-contact sport (unless the contact is dangerous, then there won’t even be a penalty called). You had defensemen standing around because they couldn’t figure out a legal way to stop players. Forwards exploited the changes. They have put less effort into their scoring opportunities. Bland goals are way up. Exciting goals are way down. Instead of improving the offense, the NHL crippled the defense.

I should also bring up the two-line pass (although I don’t think I can technically argue that they are crippling the defense on this point). By enabling these passes, forwards are putting more distance between them and the defense. We have seen a huge increase in breakaways that lack defensive pressure. Once they cross the red line, forwards on the breakaway are essentially gliding their way to the net. As a result, we are seeing some of the dullest breakaways ever.

When I first started watching hockey. I made it clear that I was primarily interested in the forwards. The things these people did in order to score were absolutely amazing. I also acknowledged the value of defense. It was the defense that made the offense exciting. It looks like the NHL is proving me right on this point. Without a strong defense, the offense has become dull.