There is a lot of dialogue around the state of the game of hockey these days.
How do we boost scoring in the NHL? Is goalie equipment too big? Is there still a place for fighting?
Retired NHLer Wendel Clark touched on all three in conversation with Dean Blundell & Co. Friday, but he also opined on another topic: Is today’s hockey over-coached?
“The game is, to a certain extent, a lot less entertaining because it’s not the all-going-for-it kind of style, either always big hits or fights or three-on-two or two-on-one line rushes, which is very exciting for a fan. If I’m a fan, that’s exciting to watch,” said the longtime member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. “The game today is very well coached. That’s what coaches do: they get the video, they break the game down, they put everybody in defensive positions.”
The more video a coach can get his hands on, the less exciting the game becomes.
LISTEN: Wendel Clark talks Maple Leafs and the state of the NHL
“You can change all the configurations of everything you want on the ice. Coaches are still going to make it so you can’t do certain things,” said Clark. “That’s what they do. And so the game is coached to a point now to take the excitement away.
“You can change the game. We keep adapting all the time to try to get ahead of it, but unless we take the video away from the coaches, they’re the ones that set up the defensive schemes.”
Clark also voiced his opinion on the size of goaltenders’ equipment, whether or not fighting belongs in the league, and how the Maple Leafs are looking as of late. Here’s what he said.
On the rebuilding Maple Leafs’ progress:
“[James Reimer] has had a great run here playing in net, and they’re playing very hard, which is a good sign. They’ve lost some close ones, now they’re starting to win some close ones… it’s going to be a little bit, but a lot of good things going in the right direction.”
On buying into head coach Mike Babcock’s game plan:
“Mike’s got them playing their roles and how he wants them to play. Everybody does their role, they’re going to be in every game, and by the end hopefully they can win. And with that, the confidence just keeps building with the team.”
On whether there is a place for fighting in the NHL:
“It’s just something that’s kind of phasing out a bit. It’s not a bad thing. Two guys have got to be mad at each other now to get in a fight, versus just standing on the ice and kind of asking each other politely if we’re going to fight.”
On whether he ever “asked politely”:
“I was usually knocking on the door, as I was asking.”
On making goalie gear smaller:
“We always have 30 goaltenders dictate how goaltender equipment should be worn, meanwhile there’s 700 players in the league. I think if you can make a bulletproof vest that a cop wears sitting in a cop car, you can make goal equipment that looks a lot smaller than it does on the ice.”