from Bruce McCurdy of the Cult of Hockey,

Why can’t the zebras find a happy medium that sees them call actual penalties when they happen instead of pocketing their whistles on too many nights? The game hasn’t changed that much that players have legitimately cut their infractions in half over the past decade, as the powerplay opportunity numbers suggest. Too many nights the 5v5 game results in a virtual stalemate out there, and the occasional powerplay might have the desired effect of encouraging at least one of the teams to try to score.

It’s a sad state of affairs that in many games the only penalties that will be called down the stretch are non-discretionary ones. Somebody shoots the puck over the glass? No choice, that’s a penalty. Somebody puts an opponent’s face through the glass? See no evil, call no evil.

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