(Best question for me of the night) What change in the game could you see five ten, and 15 years from now?

Question

Hockey is constantly changing and tweaking itself. Look back 10, 20, and even 50 years ago and hockey was a MUCH different game. What could this mean?

Hockey will change- both in the near future and the far future. So what changes in the game do you believe will happen in the future? (Without being too silly like anti-gravity hockey)

Answer 1

Hopefully Bettman in less than that time frame...

Answer 2

I think no touch icing will be mandated

Answer 3

either the no-touch icing...honestly I see smaller goals coming into play with the faster and younger players coming up.  Another one may be neck guards do we honestly wanna see another richard zednik incident...i know i don't.

Answer 4

No touch icing. And for equipment, heated blades will probably be the norm before long.

Answer 5

They may make visors mandatory, as stated multiple times, no touch icing, and taking away 2 penalties for diving. (you know, one to each player.) Maybe they'll improve on the Zamboni making the ice clean quicker and intermissions shorter! Medical advances could make players play for a longer time, but that's probably more than 15 years from now.

Answer 6

I'd like to see the instigator rule disappear.

I know it's a new rule and all but I think it's so ridiculous that it needs to disappear.

Answer 7

I expect to see a re-shuffling of the current and past rules that have been used on and off throughout hockey's history.  We might see less room behind the net, or more.  We might see the no two line pass rule come back into effect, but probably only if the neutral zone is expanded.  If, with the growing number of both finesse players and bigger, faster, and stronger athletes capable of ending careers in a single hit, we start seeing more finesse players being injured due to these bigger, faster, and stronger athletes making runs at them, fighting (enforcing, as a real hockey fan understands it) may make a return.  Maybe if Gary Bettman is assassinated, we might see that aspect of hockey restored and thus, balance restored as well.  We might see increased scoring, or increased defensive measures after that.  Anything could happen, but I doubt it would be anything too out of the ordinary.  Mostly just small changes, season to season, that we see every year.  Crease size, dimensions of the zones, and ruling will continue to be varied.  It all depends on the size, speed, and skill of future stars as well as technological advances in equipment.  Anything could happen in 20 years.

The biggest change will be the Maple Leafs winning the Cup (that's an insult to Toronto, but also hope for the future).

Answer 8

Possibly a no touch rule for icing...It may be just called once it passes the line. This may protect players while racing back for a touch up.

Answer 9

bigger goaltenders, like 6"6 275, following football and basketball, where big doofuses reign.

Answer 10

No touch icing, no more trapazoid, goalie equipment might be a little smaller, but not much. It will be required to wear visors. And finally, the stick blades can be curved more than today.

Answer 11

I agree about the no touch icing rule. But I also see the rinks possibly going to international size. They players are getting bigger. They will need the room . As for the distant future Yes I can see zero G hockey. I can also see an alien league that will be trying to merge with the NHL . Expansion to another planet