The Evolution of the NHL

From Traditional Play to a Fast-Paced, High-Scoring Game

By: Liam Grealish

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5081263/2023/11/23/sidney-crosby-alex-ovechkin-nhl-legacy

The NHL has changed a lot over the past few decades. That much is not under debate. What used to be a game about grit, fights, and checking has turned into a faster, higher scoring sport, the excitement from which capturing the attention of many new fans. However, though it may feel that way, this change has been gradual and shaped by rule changes, standout players, and new strategies.

Up until the 80s and 90s, teams focused a lot on physicality. The New Jersey Devils, for example, gained league-wide recognition for their neutral zone trap in the mid 90s. Their strategy slowed down the game by clogging center ice, making it harder for teams to skate the puck into the offensive zone. Though proven to be effective (the devils earned three championships from 1995-2003), it wasn’t much fun to watch. Clogging the neutral zone took three to four players there while the opposing team tried to carry the puck in, often forcing turnovers or breaking up the play and forcing the team to dump and change. The strategy worked so well partly because of the league’s two-line pass rule, which forbade players from passing over any two lines in just one pass. In their 1995 Stanley Cup winning season, the Devils allowed just 2.52 goals against per game using this strategy, the fewest in the NHL. During their near ten year stretch of dominance, the Devils consistently ranked top five in fewest goals against. Though, what was good for the Devils was not good for the NHL: low scoring games make for boring games, in many fans' eyes.

To fix this, the NHL made big changes after the 2004-2005 lockout, which canceled an entire season. When the league returned in 2005, it introduced several new rules that sped up the game and increased scoring. The rules all generally cracked down on obstruction. Hooking or holding on an opponent now resulted in a penalty, and the two-line pass rule had been removed, allowing for longer, faster passes through the neutral zone.

These changes helped the games biggest stars like Crosby and Ovechkin shine. Ovechkin, who was a rookie in the 2005-06 season, took the league by storm with his scoring abilities. Teams started to focus more on skill and speed, drafting players who could skate and make plays better, rather than just be a big physical presence. Furthermore, the Penguins and Blackhawks embodied this new version of the NHL, winning five Stanley Cups between them from 2009-2017. Both teams were built around speed and skill, featuring players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Patrick Kane, and Jonathan Toews. Their combined success proved that skill and speed were the future of hockey. More recently, teams like the Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers have taken this even further. Connor McDavid of the Oilers is perhaps the fastest player in the league and can score goals that seem impossible. Similarly, the Avalanche, with players like MacKinnon and Makar, use their speed to create seemingly non-stop offense.

The NHL is still evolving, but one thing is certain: speed and skill define today's game thanks to rule changes, superstar talent, and creative team building. The game is more exciting than ever and is peaking in popularity, with the younger generation of players leading with skill and creativity rather than the games traditional grit.