From seemingly obvious advances like mandatory helmets for players to the deployment of painfully boring defensive systems, various innovations over the years have altered the way we play and watch hockey.
For better or for worse, here are the top 10 innovations in NHL history.
Cooperalls
The thing about hockey pants is that they’re actually shorts. Hockey equipment manufacturer Cooper introduced Cooperalls in the 1970s, a tight-fitting girdle worn beneath a nylon pant that went all the way down to the ankles. The alternative hockey pants aren’t so much a game-changing innovation as they are a hilarious hockey fashion crime.
Cooperalls were worn by the Philadelphia Flyers for two seasons beginning in 1981-82, and by the Hartford Whalers wore a similar full-length pant, “CCM Pro Guards,” for the 1982-83 season. The Flyers and Whalers gave us the “all-Cooperall” game on December 11, 1982.
The FoxTrax “glow puck”
In an effort to make hockey broadcasts easier to follow for an expanding American audience, the Fox television network introduced its FoxTrax “glow puck” at the 1996 NHL All-Star Game.
This innovation was nothing short of a disaster, but one of the games most unforgettable technological missteps.
Curved blade
Hockey sticks featured straight blades until the 1960s when Chicago Black Hawks legends Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull began using curved blades. Puck physics were never the same after curved blades became commonplace in hockey.
Instant replay
The NHL introduced instant replay in 1991 in an effort to ensure goals were called correctly. It’s come along way with the institution of a coach’s challenge system for the start of the 2015-16 season. Instant replay isn’t perfect, but it’s helped officials get the call right most of the time…sorry Buffalo Sabres fans.
Composite sticks
Wooden sticks are a rare site in today’s game. Composite, or one-piece sticks rule the game. In addition to an increased price tag for a new twig, composite sticks also provide the game’s snipers more options in terms of flex, lie, curve, grip, kickpoint, and weight.
The helmet
Given the speed and physicality of hockey today, it’s hard to imagine players taking to the ice without protection for their head. Until 1979, helmets were optional for players entering the NHL. Head protection was grandfathered into the league, with Craig MacTavish being the last player to go helmetless up until he retired following the 1996-97 season.
Butterfly goaltending
For decades, stand-up style goaltending reigned supreme. Innovations in equipment and the popularization of the goalie mask allowed netminders to drop to their knees and cut down scoring opportunities with athleticism and flexibility. While he wasn’t the first goaltender to employ the “butterfly” style of goaltending, Patrick Roy certainly helped perfect the method with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1980s.
The goalie mask
If you thought players were insane for eschewing the use of helmets for years, consider the fact that goaltenders stood in the line of fire without masks up until Jacques Plante ostensibly proved face protection did hinder vision beginning in 1959.
Talk about finding yourself in a vulnerable position…
The neutral zone trap
The neutral zone trap, a defensive strategy that attempts to cut off access to the offensive zone by stacking defenders between the blue lines to force turnovers, is most commonly associated with the New Jersey Devils teams that won three Stanley Cups between 1995 and 2003.
It’s partly to blame for the dead puck era, and it’s drawn heavy criticism from offensive stars and fans alike for years. In some cases, teams have resorted to outright mocking its use. Still, Devils fans of a certain vintage aren’t complaining.
Forward passing
It wasn’t until the start of the 1929-30 season that forward passing was permitted in the offensive zone. Prior to the implementation of the forward pass, players were only allowed to move the puck ahead in the defensive and neutral zone. The first year of the forward pass also led to the institution of offside rules for entering the offensive zone.
As a result of more creative freedom with the puck, goals scored per game jumped from 1.46 in 1928-29 to 2.96 in 1929-30 (per hockey-reference.com).
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