I have to put my 2 cents in on this one.  I really like hockey on "Olympic"
ice.  The game on the big sheet is more about passing and skating and less
about clutching, grabbing, and checking. And throwing the puck at the net to
see if something happens.  Granted the game is slower but all the great
passing and the puck control makes the game better (for me anyway) to watch.
And I also suspect that it is harder to play the defensive system that
Detroit plays.  It's easier to go around the trap when there is so much more
ice.
The Russians always played on the big sheet and that's why their skating and
their passing was so superior for so many years.  I'm guessing that even the
Russians that are playing today have  benefited from having been "brought
up" on the Olympic sized arenas.

My grandfather played when the teams skated 4 guys and a goalie.  He always
said that when they added the fifth skater that it spoiled the game.

That's my opinion;  I'm interested in other's.

Have a great day everyone!

Clair

GO BLUE!!!


-----Original Message-----
From: Dan Doucette [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, October 16, 2003 4:45 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Changes at the Whit ?

There are minimums and maximums, but in between, you can size it any way you
want.

The Whit at present and several other NC$$ schools use the so-called
"Olympic" sheet at 200 x 100.  NC$$ "recommended" width is 100 feet (see the
rule book, it's actually in there !)  I'm not aware of anyone above possibly
the ECHL level of professional hockey in North America that, in an arena
they control, play on the larger surface -- certainly nowhere in the NHL.

One regulation brought in was, interestingly enough, that unless the rink
was "grandfathered" (built before enactment of the rule), that both teams'
benches have to be on the same side of the rink.  Referee has discretion to
have teams change ends in the middle of all or all three periods if it is
their opinion that "conditions are more favorable to play at one end of the
rink than at the other".

John G - do I have this right ?


On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 15:53:36 -0400, Jim Leinart <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:

>Aren't the size of ice surfaces standard or controlled by regulatory
>agencies such as the NCAA?
>
>
>"Never forget the legacy of Shawn Walsh".
>
>