NHL Picks Right Time for a Change.

I believe in following the rules, I’m a stickler for them...and this morning Dave Rothenberg and I had a very good discussion on when rules need to be changed and why. If you missed it, here are my thoughts on something that the NHL actually did right.

The NHL playoffs should gather recognition for great plays by talented players; but the big story line goes to one of the biggest pests, Sean Avery of the New York Rangers. On Sunday night Avery stood in front of New Jersey Devil goalie Martin Brodeur and flailed is arms and stick as if he were on fire in an attempt to distract the goalie and help his team. It was such an odd sight and no penalty was called. The reason there was no penalty to be issued against Avery for his odd attempt at screening Brodeur was because there was no penalty on the books for his action. Upon further review, the league decided Monday to say that Avery’s act is a form of unsportsmanlike conduct and will be a two minute penalty.

For all of the things the league has done to mess up a great product, they made the right call by adding this rule now. From how well this was executed and how smart a decision this is, I know that commisioner Gary Bettman had nothing to do with this. Sorry, that is for a different blog.

Some people will think that if is was not a rule at the start of the season it should not be a rule now, which is something I could understand if people did not think that the change was needed. No one has thought that Avery’s act was something that is part of the game. The callers this morning to a person agreed that it should be a penalty, so if we all agree there is no place for it, make sure it doesn't happen again. Here is where this issue changes for me. More leagues need to be proactive the way the NHL was in this instance…change the RULE right now, there is no reason to wait!

The NHL decided that there is no room for that play in their league, let alone the playoffs so instead of watching someone else wave their stick and distract a goaltender without trying to score; that player now is issued a penalty which is the correct thing to do. There is a safety issue here, and of course the spirit of the rule.

A league has the right to change a rule if someone is taking advantage. If commissioners, players, general managers and fans agree that it should not be part of the game, and it has not yet had an effect on a game, then change the rule immediately. Why wait two months and allow someone to get away with an act that is not in the spirit of the game? Being that this incident did not have a bearing on the final outcome of the game, and that the league had time to discuss that this is something that should not be allowed, then by all means change the rule today.

What about the “Pandora’s box” effect? Where would leagues draw the line at changing the rules? That is easily explained, as long as the rule change does not change the integrity of the game or how it is played (example: making a touchdown worth 12 points in the final 2 minutes during the playoff) then make the change. In this case the NHL makes an amendment to the unsportsmanlike conduct call, and then takes any chance that it could it happen again away by easily removing it from the game.

It would have been silly to see other players try to improve upon Avery’s tactic - now we don’t have to worry. Something that was not a part of the regular season will not be a part of the post-season, and the NHL deserves some applause for that.

Hopefully this won’t come into play in other leagues, but I wouldn’t want to wait three months to change something that clearly needs to be changed.