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NHLPA's Schneider: GM's approved competition committee suggestions, hybrid icing a work in progress

06/19/2013 at 2:54pm EDT

Updated 6x at 3:52 PM: Good news from the general managers' meetings per Yahoo Sports' Nicholas J. Cotsonika and the CBC's Elliotte Friedman:

Update:

Update #2:

Update #3: In text, per TSN:

NHLPA Special Assistant to the Executive Director Mathieu Schneider says all competition committee items forwarded from earlier this month have been approved by the league's general managers.

Hybrid icing, mandatory visors, shallower nets and video review on four-minute highsticking penalties will all be introduced next season, pending approval from the NHL's board of governors.

Five owners and five players reached a consensus to grandfather in mandatory visors, meaning that all current players will still have the choice but incoming ones must continue to wear them as they have in junior, college and in Europe.

The committee also voted to give hybrid icing a trial run during the 2013-14 pre-season, while shallower nets are effective for all of next season. All four-minute high-sticking penalties will be subject to video review, and Rule 81.5 that allows for linesmen to waive off icing on "attainable" passes would be eliminated as well.

General managers Ken Holland of the Detroit Red Wings, Steve Yzerman of the Tampa Bay Lightning and David Poile of the Nashville Predators, Toronto Maple Leafs coach Randy Carlyle and Philadelphia Flyers chairman Ed Snider were the team officials on the competition committee, while Ron Hainsey of the Winnipeg Jets, Michael Cammalleri of the Calgary Flames, Cory Schneider of the Vancouver Canucks and David Backes and Alex Pietrangelo of the St. Louis Blues represented the players.

Update #4: From NHL.com's Dan Rosen:

Update #5:

Update #6: From NHL.com's Rosen:

Schneider said the GMs were enthusiastic about having visors being mandatory for all players who enter the League beginning next season.

"I think the GMs are real excited about the visors being made mandatory for the rookies coming into the League," Schneider said.

Schneider said players will vote on hybrid icing toward the end of the preseason. If the players like the change, it will go to the NHL's Board of Governors for approval, with the hope that it could be implemented for the start of the 2013-14 regular season.

"I assume we'll know fairly quickly, we'll have a pretty good idea, a pretty good gauge, handle on things," Schneider said. "We get a lot of good feedback from all the player reps on an ongoing basis, so I imagine we'll have a pretty good idea before the end of training camp, before our Board call to decide."

Schneider said the exact definition for hybrid icing and how it will be implemented in the preseason still are being worked on.

"I think that will be an interesting experiment," he said. "I'm optimistic. I've learned more through these meetings watching videos and getting a better understanding, but I think it's really going to give our players an opportunity of what it's like to play and to watch the hybrid. We'll see. If it makes the game safer, it's a great thing."

Among the other recommendations the GMs approved are:

* All double-minor penalties for high-sticking will be subject to video review.

* The League will eliminate the attainable pass, which gave linesmen the discretion to wave off icing infractions on attempted passes that are deemed to be attainable. With the new standard, there must be contact with the stick.

* Beginning next season, the NHL could use nets that are 4 inches shallower. Nets will remain six feet wide by four feet tall, but they will be 40 inches in depth, down from 44 inches.

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