If a group of people love something dearly, and that something is on the verge of death, that group of people can either let it die and mourn or do everything it possibly can to save it.
The National Hockey League team owners and the NHL Players' Association let their inability to get close on a collective bargaining agreement kill the 2004-05 season. The owners locked the players out, claiming they were losing too much money because of a lack of national TV contracts and escalating salaries.
Last week, the players took hits to their pocketbooks, and a new agreement was struck. More importantly, new rules were put into place to increase scoring and to generate more support from casual fans.
NHL teams have watched TV contracts with ESPN disintegrate, leaving regional contracts as the major source of income. Ratings for national broadcasts were on a steady decline because the sport is not TV-friendly. Casual fans don't want to give up a few hours of their lives to watch a game that might end 1-0, or worse yet, 1-1. Casual fans want to see scoring, and they want to see a winner.
Among the rules changes for this year:
There will be no ties. A shootout will settle games that are still tied after a five-minute, four-on-four overtime.
There will be zero tolerance on interference, hooking and holding/obstruction.
An additional four feet will be added to each offensive zone to promote more offensive play.
Passes from behind the defensive blue line to the attacking blue line will be considered legal. The red line is taken out of play.
The dimensions of goaltenders' equipment will be reduced by about 11 percent.
Goaltenders will be penalized for delaying the game by unnecessarily freezing the puck.
Amarillo Gorillas head coach Joe Ferras, who was in Canada scouting Tuesday before heading to New York, is a defensive-minded coach.
He is also a hockey fan, and he said any changes that help resuscitate the sport are good.
"I think (the changes) are great for the game because I think they will really show off the speed and the skill levels of the players. You won't have so many stops and starts.
''It will be a little tough on defensemen, but it will be great for the game."
The changes also will open up the sport for smaller players. During the past decade, NHL coaches have implemented conservative styles, drafting larger, stronger players and using muscle to take advantage of the sport's archaic rules and keep scoring down.
Saturday, the Pittsburgh Penguins will have the first shot at taking advantage of the new rules. They have the top pick in the NHL's lottery draft and will select 5-foot-11 front-liner Sidney Crosby. Crosby's vision has been compared to that of Wayne Gretsky and his playmaking ability to that of Mario Lemieux.
Under the old rules, Crosby would have a difficult time living up to those comparisons because of his size. Under the new rules, Crosby will have a chance to make an immediate impact because of his speed.
"We want to open up our sport and show the fans just how talented some of these young guys are," Ferras said. "It will definitely be more entertaining for the fans."
Ferras said the fans in Canada are so rooted in the sport, the teams in Canadian markets shouldn't suffer. It's fans in the other markets the league must go out of its way to lure back to the sport.
"The sport is back out there, and now it's back in an economic realm where it can work," Ferras said. "These players had a pretty good ride, and they'll still be well paid. But the whole point is trying to make it work in all 30 markets, not just 10 or 12.
"Up here in Canada, hockey has been on TV every day. It's been in the papers every day. It's not the people up here in Canada we have to worry about. I think there are some people in some other markets who are going to say, 'Prove it to me.' It'll just take time."
Last year, the lockout left some NHL players looking for work in other leagues. That left players in those leagues looking for roster spots in lower leagues, creating a trickle-down effect. Ferras said it's too early to tell whether or not it will affect his recruiting.
"In the next month or so, we'll have a much better idea of how it's going to affect us," Ferras said.
Jeremy Heath is a sports writer for the Globe-News. He can be reached at 345-3314 or jeremy.heath@amarillo.com.
Amarillo Globe-News ©2011. All Rights Reserved.
Back 