Penalty Problems: How Penalties Are Ruining The NHL

What you’re about to read is something I just need to rant about for a moment. These are my own thoughts and opinions, and not any of yours.

This past Tuesday night, I was watching a Detroit Red Wings game against the Winnipeg Jets, which I normally do. During the second period, Winnipeg defenseman Dmitry Kulikov tripped over Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard’s stick while going for a loose puck near the net. Quickly, the referee throws his hand up in the air, signifying a penalty. (which was for tripping)  The Detroit players and fans (and myself) wondered what could have possibly been a penalty. Upon further review, the viewers at home notice that Kulikov tripped over his stick, and that he was not tripped. The call was wrong. I was not pleased.

How have we gotten to this point in the league?

When did these kind of penalties start?

I couldn’t exactly pinpoint when the NHL started to enforce stricter penalties, but two times in the past 12 years particularly stick out. The first was in 2005, after the lockout, when the enforcement of obstruction calls caused scoring to increase by nearly a goal per game.

The second time was this past summer, when the league announced crackdowns on slashing and faceoffs. The spike in scoring we’re seeing now is on par with what we saw then.

So, to put it in perspective, more penalties = more powerplays = more goals. This may be what the NHL wanted, but this is not the way to increase scoring. More penalties cause the game to be choppy and slow, ruining the usually quick pace of a hockey game.

A slash on the stick is not a penalty in my eyes, and neither is a slight grab of a jersey. I have been seeing these called in almost every game. But in the league’s eyes, it is.

Let the players play, NHL!