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In the midst of “black ice”, the National Hockey League and Buffalo Sabres are trying out “electric powder blue” ice in the minor leagues as a more TV- and audience-friendly playing surface.
Supposedly, the blue-tinged ice makes it easier to follow that speedy puck. If the ice by itself doesn’t work, maybe they’ll bring back the infamous glowing puck.
Seriously, I’m sure the league has done all kinds of research into this; but I have trouble believing that the existing color combination — black puck, white ice — doesn’t provide the maximum color contrast for viewing the game action.
Still, if they have to change it, I don’t think I’ll have a problem with it. But it will require some redefinition of the game’s time-honored terms:
… To offset the new colored surface, arena officials decided to make the blue lines fluorescent orange, which is also the color used for the faceoff circles.
The center line, normally red, is now dark blue…
There’s only one question left if the new colors ever came into effect: what would you call a defenseman?
“Guess, I’d become an orange-liner,” Jeff Jillson said.
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This has always confused me. Sure I had trouble following the game on TV the for a bit but I saw one live game and suddenly it all made sense. You just pick up a sense of who’s obviously got the puck based on what any of the other players are doing. If everyone’s looking in the corner and there’s two or more guys down there playing footsies guess where the puck is.
If everyone moving down the ice and two guys are playing a little bump and grind guess where the puck is.
If you’re teams across the blue line but turning around to skate back over it while one of your players is hanging out in the neutral zone guess where the puck is.
If the blood bounces off the ice guess who cares where the puck is… …FIGHT! err…
It’s something you just gotta get a feel for and it took me one live game. For my money these days there’s no better sports entertainment value than a Hockey game. Bucs tickets are near impossible to get, Devil Rays games are near impossible to enjoy and the upper level of the St. Pete Times Forum (in Tampa, of course) isn’t a bad viewing area.
If they haven’t destroyed Hockey I’m getting season tickets.
Now, if they want to do something to improve the game don’t paint the centerline blue, get rid of it (at least in the rules)! Make the rink bigger (like in the Olympics) and come up with some rules to end the three minute long games of footisies they play in the corner. Corner play and the trap defense are what’s wrong with Hockey, not the fact that no one can see the puck.
Comment by Michael Conlen — 03/16/2005 @ 04:55:39 AM
When and Howe - Carnival of the NHL #9
Number Nine…
Number Nine…
Number Nine…
Number Nine…
It’s the Beatle fan in me trying to force the White Album on readers everywhere as I kick off the Howe of Carnivale — Carnival of the NHL Number 9. I guess it…
Trackback by Boltsmag — 09/23/2005 @ 09:22:59 AM