NHL Falls Short of Primary Goal

NEW YORK —  A National Hockey League crackdown on obstruction and interference that was designed to increase scoring hasn’t worked.

In the 311 games since the NHL started more strictly enforcing the rules against clutching and grabbing after the break for the Olympics in February, teams are averaging 5.28 goals a game, down from 5.3 in the first half of the season.

The league instructed its officials to call more penalties for clutching and grabbing after a 42-year scoring low during the first part of the season. The change came after several high-profile NHL figures, including recently retired Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins and All-Star Brett Hull of the St. Louis Blues criticized the illegal hooking and interference that went uncalled.

“A lot of peoples’ perception is that this won’t last in the playoffs. It will. It has to,” said NHL Director of Officiating Bryan Lewis. The league will hold a conference call with its referees and linesmen on Wednesday, when the playoffs begin.

Including Friday’s game between Calgary and Vancouver, 18 games remain in the regular season, which wraps up Sunday.

This midseason attempt to give hockey’s superstars more room to shine came as the league was faced with disappointing television ratings that could hurt its next contract.

The NHL’s ratings have fallen 15 percent to their lowest level since News Corp.’s Fox network outbid CBS for the rights in 1994. Meanwhile, Fox’s five-year $155 million contract with the league expires this summer and the network must decide whether to extend the contract another two seasons. In its best year, the NHL drew 2.06 million viewers a game for its Saturday telecasts, compared with 2.8 million watching Fox’s Major League Baseball games on the same day.

Chicago Blackhawks right wing Tony Amonte said referees have neglected to be as consistent in calling the interference-type penalties recently.

“They started really strong and it’s fallen off,” Amonte said. “I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a lot of clutching and grabbing in the playoffs. Referees don’t want to call it --they don’t want penalties to decide the games.”

Amonte said besides staying consistent with its penalty calling next season, the league should consider removing the center red line. That would allow defensemen to make what is now an illegal two-line pass and possibly create more fast-break scoring chances.

While scoring hasn’t increased, the league said it was happy that goal-scoring chances are up.

“It’s not all about goals a game and the number of power plays,” Lewis said. “I was at one game recently where the teams combined for 81 shots. That’s what we want to see. The game has opened up and the players have told us that.”

Early on, it appeared the NHL’s crackdown was helping open up the game. In the first 30 games following the Olympic break, goal scoring rose to 5.8 goals a game and power plays were up to 12.8 a game from 8.7 in the 737 games before the break.

Since then, goal scoring across the league has sagged to a 5.23 average in 281 games. Similarly, power plays have fallen to 10.3 a game.

“The commissioner (Gary Bettman) is committed to making this work, he’s adamant,” Lewis said.