from Pierre LeBrun of ESPN,

When the NHL implemented a new rule for 2005-06 banning line changes on teams icing the puck, the idea of course was to try and take advantage of that tired team and create offense as a result.

But coaches being the smart creatures they are, they quickly adjusted and began using their one timeout in that specific situation to give their players on the ice some rest. So the NHL's 31 GMs decided Wednesday to counteract their own coaches, agreeing to a recommendation for the Competition Committee that starting next season teams could no longer use their timeout on icings.

"The discussion really was a genesis of when the timeout came into play,'' Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said after three days of meetings wrapped up. ``There were several gentlemen that were involved in those discussions back when they put the timeout in and the thought process was it was a strategic timeout, at the end of a game, trying to increase the goal scoring or heighten the dramatic effect there. Over time it morphed into using it as a way to rest.

continued, more topics too...