What’s The Big Idea? — Changes To The NHL

Could someone like Hayley Wickenheiser play in today’s speed-oriented NHL?
Photo by Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press

Welcome to ‘What’s The Big Idea?’ week here at TPOP. We’re going to do an article each day from our writers about what they’d like to see changed in Baseball, Football, Hockey, and Pittsburgh. Next up is hockey:

Nick Vucic — Let Women Play

When I was asked about what the one big idea I had to change the NHL for the better, I ran through the usual suspects: bigger nets, bigger ice, less equipment, glowing pucks, overtime formats, international rules, actually enforcing the rule book as written (novel concept, I know, good job Leah!), etc. What I’m proposing is much bigger than any of those incremental changes, and probably, as a result, far less well-received by many.

Here’s my proposal to transform the NHL: Let them play. Who ? Women.

Not just in pre-season games or practices, but encourage teams to sign the best players available in the world, even if they are of a different gender. At this point, I can already hear the keyboard of an angry commenter typing away about tradition or physical ability or size or locker-room logistics/cohesion. The fact is that the NHL could open the game up to an entirely new audience and do so in the most revolutionary way in professional sports, becoming the first truly co-ed major league in North America. We’ve seen it work in the military (not without its problems) and in high school sports across the country. So why not professional hockey? Unless you didn’t notice Tampa Bay’s Tyler Johnson (5′-9″, 175 lbs) tearing it up in the playoffs or Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau (a generous 5′-9″, 150 lbs), among many others, size is no longer a determining factor in whether one can and should lace them up. The NFL, not often the beacon of progressive idea and/or action, recently announced the hiring of their first female referee. The NHL could change the game and sports culture by opening it up and letting them play.

Leah Blasko — Enforce The Rulebook

There’s a lot of things that could be improved in the NHL. I can think of probably five things off the top of my head, but today I’m going to focus on one. Follow the rules. I know that probably sounds silly but think about it. Rules are written to keep things safe, fair and honest. Yet somehow the Coyotes were able to trade for current NHL-employee Chris Pronger. How is that okay? I still don’t know.