RALEIGH - The National Hockey League is back on the ice after a year-long lockout between the owners and players wiped out last season.
Fans flocked to the RBC Center in Raleigh Oct. 7 to check out the new-look NHL in the Carolina Hurricanes' home opener against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The NHL fan base was dwindling leading up to the work stoppage that forced the cancellation of the entire 2004-05 season. To make the game more exciting upon its return, the league added new rules and regulations aimed at increasing scoring.
Carolina fans-often referred to as Caniacs-saw first hand the effects of the new policies as a tie game led to a shootout in the home opener. A late third-period goal from the Penguins knotted the score at two and earned both teams one point in the standings. After five minutes of overtime failed to determine a winner of the second point, the sell-out crowd of 18,787 rose to its feet to witness Hurricane hockey history.
In the three-round shootout that followed, 21-year-old Carolina goalie Cam Ward turned away future Hall of Fame forward Mario Lemieux and youth-phenom Sidney Crosby in his team's 1-0 shootout victory. Cory Stillman netted a goal for the Hurricanes to give the team a coveted point in the standings that would not have been awarded in the old NHL.
"If you get into 15 shootouts over the course of the season and you win 10 or 11 of them, that's 10 or 11 points," Pittsburgh head coach Eddie Olczyk said. "That's possibly the difference between home-ice advantage and maybe missing the playoffs."
While the shootout is the most radical part of the new NHL, five other major changes have taken effect this season. When Caniacs flooded into the RBC Center, the ice markings were unfamiliar. The blue lines, which signify the end of the offensive zone, were both moved two feet closer to center ice and the goal line moved two feet back. The additional four feet to the attack zone is designed to allow offenses to spread out more and operate more efficiently.
"I really like the opening up of the offensive zone," season-ticket holder and Durham resident Mark Schnee said. "It makes for a faster and more exciting game."
Two lines, forming a trapezoid behind the net, were added between the goal line and the backboards. Goaltenders previously could stymie offensive attacks by leaving the net and handling the puck in the corners, but now they will be called for a delay-of-game penalty for touching the puck outside the trapezoidal region.
Aside from restricting their range, the new regulations will affect goalies by reducing the maximum size of their pads by 11 percent.
Two plays previously outlawed by the NHL were also made legal under hockey's new rules and regulations to encourage scoring.
Players were called offsides prior to this season for entering the offensive zone before the puck. An amendment was passed to the rule that now allows the player a chance to leave the offensive zone and not be called offsides as long as no teammate has contact with the puck. After approving the new regulation, Commissioner Gary Bettman said it should improve the flow of the game and end unnecessary pauses.
The two-line pass-when a defender passes the puck from his defensive zone to an attacking forward past the mid-ice red line-is also no longer enforced and the NHL said the repeal of the rule should lead to more breakaways.
Carolina immediately proved the benefit of the two-line pass as captain Rod Brind'Amour hit Stillman in stride across center ice near the end of the first period of Friday's home opener. Instead of the play being blown dead, the forward had a breakaway and beat Penguin goalkeeper Sebastien Caron for the Hurricanes' second and final goal of regulation.
"We had over 18,000 fans in the building tonight and we have to give them a reason to get out their seats and cheer," Carolina head coach Peter Laviolette said after the game. "I think we accomplished that."
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.