from Mark Lazerus of the Chicago Sun-Times,

Despite all his offensive gifts — his pure skill, his otherworldly hands, his remarkable vision — Patrick Kane isn’t sure he’d even be a professional hockey player had he been born in the 1970s instead of the 1980s. Not at 5-11. Not at 177 pounds.

“In the early 2000s, or the late-90s, it seemed like it was a bigger man’s game, and it would be tough for guys our size to end up even making the NHL,” Kane said. “But I think with the rule changes, and the way the game has changed as far as what you can do defensively, I think smaller guys are able to get away with a little bit more, and are able to be a little bit more productive.”

A little bit, yeah....

The changes that came out of the 2004-05 lockout were designed to open up the game and kill the neutral-zone trap that slowed the game to a crawl in the 1990s and early 2000s. The red line was eliminated, opening up the two-line stretch pass that the Hawks have since mastered, and the league cracked down (for the umpteenth time) on obstruction and the clutching-and-grabbing that made teams such as the New Jersey Devils so effective.

Without a mass of humanity to muscle their way through in the neutral zone, smaller, faster players suddenly had a chance again. And now they’re often making the big guys look silly.

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