Coyotes coach Dave Tippett on possible NHL rule changes

Phoenix Coyotes coach Dave Tippett was part of the committee that examined a myriad of rule changes for the NHL coming out of the 2004-05 lockout. Ultimately, they settled on a handful of tweaks that most people agree made the game better.

Last week we shared some thoughts from Kings’ coach Darryl Sutter and goaltender Jonathan Quick about two of the ways currently being talked about to increase scoring in the game – either make the nets larger or decrease the size of goalie equipment. Both had strong opinions on the subject, read here.

Given Tippett’s involvement in past discussions of the sort, we checked in with him today after morning skate to get his views on the overall subject. Here’s what he shared…

– On if he is a proponent of larger nets or smaller goalie equipment: “No, I’m a fan of keeping the nets the same, and I still think there’s still ways you could look at decreasing the size of goalie equipment without sacrificing any safety of the goaltenders.”

– On his concern with making nets bigger: “Just the tradition of the game. The tradition of the game is very valuable to our sport, to the history of hockey. If you change the parameters of the net, that would change all the record books. It would change the integrity of the game.”

– On increasing the size of NHL rinks: “It would take the physical element of the game out of it. I’ve been fortunate, I played a long time in the NHL on the small rink, and I’ve played two Olympics on big ice. I prefer the smaller rink – the more action, the physical parts of the game. One thing, when you’re on a smaller ice surface, the physical parts of the game, what it does is creates more energy in a game. It generates more turnovers, and makes it a lot more exciting game.”

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