Stop the Smothering

Historically hockey fans have never been overly receptive of basketball and vice versa. Notwithstanding this fact one would have to be certifiable to deny that basketball has latched onto a few good ideas. No, not Gary Bettman; basketball was smart enough to give him up. I’m talking about their rules that prevent the game from becoming a boring, defensive minded, low scoring affair. From three second violations to the shot clock to back court violations, basketball players are forced to play a little offense from time to time whether they want to or not. Hockey players on the other hand, can resort to defensive tactics that would put a six year old on a sugar high to sleep before its even bedtime. Yes, I’m talking about the trap.

A few nights ago I made the mistake of tuning into the Canadiens at Red Wings game having duped myself into believing I was going to see a classic original six match up. Little did I know the most exciting part of that game was going to be the intermission, spent reading about the study of Chinese Politics throughout the 1990’s. The Wings had a 1-0 lead going into the third and through employing the trap, clung to it like Tom Cruise to a spaceship.

Then there was two nights ago when the Devils hosted the Rangers. Hockey’s Hudson River rivalry, who wouldn’t expect that to be exciting? That is until one realizes that it’s the Devils, the champions of the trap, who were playing. Yet again, another 1-0 yawn-fest (though at least the officials didn’t ruin that particular game with 20 phantom penalties). Sometimes people wonder why the Devils, a strong team with a storied history, have trouble drawing fans. The answer is actually quite simple. It’s much cheaper, safer and more comfortable to take an afternoon nap at home than at Continental Airlines Arena.

So how does one go about fixing this neutral zone trap? That is the $64,000 question. I have some crazy ideas that would take an entire post in themselves to explain, but a small taste of one possibility would involve reinstating the two line pass while forcing all forwards to attack when the puck is past the opposition’s blue line, sort of similar to basketball’s back court violation, or even their defensive three second violations. And of course exceptions would be made to this rule while teams were killing penalties.

This isn’t necessarily about high scoring either. It’s about having some flow to a game beyond a “dump and defend” mentality. The bottom line in all this is that the trap is one of the major factors that is killing hockey. Finding a solution won’t be easy, but it should be one of the NHL’s top priorities. If a large contingency of hockey’s best minds got together and threw around a few ideas I’m sure they could come up with something. Right now pretty much anything on that front would be more than welcome.

Update Jan 18 210pm: For the Devils fans, Kara Yorio wonders Why do opponents treat the Devils with kid gloves? Just having some fun with you. I’m actually rooting for a healthy defense, so Cam Janssen can get out of Lowell. - David

Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on Jan 18, 2007 at 03:40 AM
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I doubt something like parking is holding back anyone from going to Devils games more than any other team around the league. Devils parking is $10, league average is a little over $11. It doesn't mean it's a fair amount, I'm just saying it's a problem every fan has around the league and a good amount of arenas surprisingly don't have mass transit options. Tickets are too expensive (a good amount above league average, but that generally doesn't stop people from attending a successful team).
Posted by David M Singer on 2007-01-19 01:00:37 This guy knows absolutely nothing about the sport of hockey. The Devils lack attendance because of what Nordon said, it is an arena in the middle of a construction site, and the parking is extremely expensive for the average fan. When the devs move to newark it will be much easier to attend games because of nj transit. Whenever a senator fan feels the need to bash the new jersey devils, all i have to say is....2003. Who won the cup that year? As bad as the attendance is at the meadowlands....they still have 3 banners hanging from the rafters...one of the most dominant teams in the NHL since 1994....
Posted by Evan on 2007-01-19 00:34:01 "I think people are missing the point here. Kyle doesn’t like the trap, it wasn’t an anti-Devils rant." You hit the nail on the head with this one. I seem to have struck a nerve in some Devils fans, which is more than understandable. But as David stated this little rant isn't against the Devils. I was even certain to point out the Devil's storied history, which over the past fifteen years is one of the greatest. While some of the above comments in regards to my post do raise valid points, I'm sure if a survey was conducted the vast majority of hockey fans would prefer to watch a game without the trap, myself included. Similar to how this isn't against the Devils, this is not against low scoring games either. As I stated in the original post this isn't necessarily about the amount of goals, nor is it about shots on goal. A team can have a ton of boring perimeter shots that mean nothing and pose no real threat of scoring, unless you're Patrick Lalime in the playoffs versus Toronto. What I am looking for, as I stated, is some flow to the game. Some 1-0 games are great to watch. If they have flow, i.e. offensive opportunities, great saves, hardnosed play, etc, then it doesn't matter if it's a 1-0 game with the teams combining for 30 shots because it's still exciting. However if it's a 1-0 game filled with "dump, one man in, trap, defend, dump, one man in, trap, defend, etc" then it is quite boring to watch. If you enjoy watching the trap then that's great for you. There's nothing wrong with that either. However you are most certainly in the minority in those reards. I feel that it would be to hockey's benefit to attempt to do something to cut down on or eliminate trapping. I think it would bring more fans out to the arenas, not only in New Jersey, but league wide.
Posted by Kyle Simourd on 2007-01-18 16:41:22 Dr. Nordon, while I'm as happy as anyone else to see the Devils get a new arena (all the local teams could use modern arenas), moving over to Newark doesn't look like it's going to be a permanent solution. They were Cup champs quite a few years, any other team sells out during those years, or at least the year after and the Devils didn't. As you point out, it's not like people were going to Islanders games. Mass transit isn't completely out of the picture, I've taken the bus from the Port Authority a few times, and it's a pretty quick ride (much easier than getting to Islanders games). The key factor for lack of attendance and overall interest in the area, even when succeeding, looks like style of play. Pat, the Rangers did have a good number of shots, but I don't know if I'd say they had as many "scoring chances" as one would assume they did with that shot total. I think people are missing the point here. Kyle doesn't like the trap, it wasn't an anti-Devils rant. The Devils are one of the best at it and easily the most disciplined team in the league. It's why he pointed out the Devs along with the Wings-Canadiens game and could have easily chucked in the Wild of yesteryear. Everyone could play it, but it's only those who are almost perfect at it that really dull out a game.
Posted by David M Singer on 2007-01-18 14:54:09 "You about as funny as testicle cancer on a Bruin. Also your team employs a murderer on the wing. You stink and I don’t like you." Okay, that's sort of funny. Probably the *dumbest* counter-argument in the history of hockey arguments, but still funny. About the trap, it does suck. But I don't agree that it can or will be completely eliminated by rule changes -- I think the only thing that will make a difference is economics. Trap-hockey does not fill buildings (except in Minnesota, apparently) and eventually every team who uses it should figure that out. (Hey, I'm an optimist.) Meanwhile, I'd like to think that the Detroit/Montreal game, while mind-numbingly dull - wasn't a typical affair for those teams. Detroit has become a lot more defensive this season, but that's the worst I've seen all year. And Montreal has had many better games before this current slump. That particular game was just a Perfect Storm of Awful, and I choose to pretend it never happened. And just in case it does happen again, I'll keep cocktails on hand...
Posted by alanah on 2007-01-18 14:50:49 So answer me this--if the Devils were so focused on a boring, smothering neutral zone trap in that game then why did the Rags get 32 (including misses) open shots and 14 more that were blocked by the Devils AFTER the Lukowich goal? So a team that was being "smothered" still managed to get 46 shots off. And to that end the Devils, you know the ones you said were so busy sitting on a 1-0 lead and trapping (in the neutral zone) ended up with 28 (including misses) open shots and 6 more shots that were blocked AFTER the Lukowich goal. Seems a LOT odd to me.
Posted by Pat on 2007-01-18 14:30:25 Are the 70's Habs "Boring"? You probably weren't alive to witness all of those cups won playing the trap? Every team in the East plays a variant of the trap/left wing lock. The difference is we've got the best goalie of his generation between the pipes. The Sens haven't won a cup since pre Depression, the Modern Sens have gone bankrupt and into receivership. Also you guys have replaced the Flyers as the choke team. If you like Cherry picking hockey with no defense, I suggest you use your flimsy press crenditials and call 2k sports for the newest copy of NHL 2k7. You and your friends with their salad bowl haircuts can knock yourselves out. Also NJ is getting an new Arena to "nap" in. You about as funny as testicle cancer on a Bruin. Also your team employs a murderer on the wing. You stink and I don't like you.
Posted by Jimmy Robinson on 2007-01-18 13:00:31 Do the Senators have the Rangers, Flyers and Isles in there backyard to compete for ticket sales? No. Ottawa is a hockey hub, hockey is HUGE in Canada, people will walk barefoot over coals to see the Senators/Leafs/Habs. My point is that its not the style of hockey that is to blame for the Devils woes at the gate, its the location, lack of mass transit and the fact that attendance is down league wide. The Devils averaged 17,500 a night in the mid to late 90s, which to some critics was the "height of the trap era". As a person who attends 10-15 Devils home games a year, I can tell you that this team has a fan base. The Newark Arena will improve the attendance on novelty alone, not to mention that its easier to get to, has places available to have dinner afterwards and is located in an area where millions of people travel through weekly.
Posted by James T Nordon on 2007-01-18 12:30:53 I'm really tired of people complaining about the trap, and the fact the Devils are experts at it. To compare hockey to basketball is ludicrous. In basketball, if the game is tight, the last three minutes are nothing but flagrant fouls and foul shots. Talk about boring. In hockey, an early goal, such as Brad Lukowich's against the Rangers, can end up being the game-winner. As was the case the other night, everything that happened after that goal was intensified because of the rivalry and importance in the standings. Don't kid yourself that basketball has done a great job forcing players to play offense. Overall, scoring is done in the NBA from 15-20 years ago. What does that say about the players and the systems they use? Basketball is a selfish game now. You cannot say that about hockey. Hockey is a team game first and foremost. I would encourage you to sit back and watch the intricacies involved of playing as a team and enjoy a tight game, even if it is 1-0.
Posted by Larry Leech on 2007-01-18 12:25:09 The Ottawa Senators play miles and miles away from the city. It routinely takes fans in Ottawa an hour to drive to see the Senators play. There is no mass transit that goes out to Scotiabank place either. And when leaving the game it is not uncommon for fans to sit and wait in the parking lot for 45 minutes before they can even get on the highway. It has the worst transit/infrastrucure of any professional sports team in North America in that senese, and it is well documented. Many visiting teams will even cancel their practices there on game day to avoid the hassle of driving all the way out there. And yet the Ottawa Senators still average over 19,100 fans per game, which is more than capacity. If a team has a solid fan base and is playing exciting hockey the crowds will come. I guarantee the hassle of getting to the arena is a lot worse for Ottawa hockey fans than fans in Jersey, yet they still come. On an unrelated note I can't believe you have "never seen a boring hockey game" and I'd have to assume it may be because you haven't watched much hockey. I watch at least five or so games every season where the commentators are discussing how boring the game they're broadcasting is. I've talked to NHL, AHL, and junior players after their games and they state that not only was their game boring to watch, but it was even boring to play. I love hockey a lot more than the average Joe, but to deny that games can be boring from time to time is borderline asinine.
Posted by Kyle Simourd on 2007-01-18 11:40:13 Actually the Devils have attendance problems because they play in an arena that is in the middle of a construction site with no mass transit. They also have to compete with 4 pro NHL teams in there backyard in a league that has attendance problems in general. There is a reason that the Devils are moving into a new arena next year, they will draw more fans and they will have mass transit available. I have never found any hockey game boring and its people like you who bitch about low scoring who will be responsible for Gary Bettman turning this league into a circus with bigger nets. Ted Nolan says that his "Islanders" are exciting yet they are dead last in attendance, again.
Posted by Dr. James T Nordon on 2007-01-18 11:14:11

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