from Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe,

Brian Burke, middle name Truculent, is thinking expansively these days. He is convinced he has seen the game’s future and it is slightly bigger — at least bigger than the standard NHL ice sheet that measures 200 feet long by 85 feet wide that has been around since water first froze.

The game and its players would be better served in the years ahead, the former Maple Leafs general manager believes, if new NHL buildings coming on line were designed with the capacity to accommodate an ice sheet up to 92 feet wide. That little bit more room between the sidewalls, he thinks, would add to the game’s flow and cut down on injuries, while at the same time preserve much of the body contact NHL fans crave.

“By and large, we’re still playing on the same-sized surface on which the 5-foot-9 Leo Boivin was deemed the feared hitter of his day,’’ said Burke, summoning the name of a former Boston defenseman of the 1950s and ’60s. “Our players are bigger and faster now, and if that changes, it’s only going to increase.

“A wider rink should allow for more playmaking, more scoring, better power plays . . . overall, a greater emphasis on skill, but still with plenty of hitting. No one wants to turn hockey into a non-contact sport.’’

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