Sports

Hybrid icing approved for the upcoming season

After years of campaigning by former Wild defenseman Kurtis Foster, the NHL has finally adopted hybrid icing

October 1, 2013 at 4:54AM

The NHL has experimented all preseason with hybrid icing after league GM's recommended the rule change back in June. After a survey among NHL Players' Association members (i.e. the players) this past weekend, hybrid icing has finally been approved in the NHL.

The NHL was the only league that had a full-on race for the puck.

As Wild fans know, former Wild defenseman Kurtis Foster sustained a horrific injury in March 2008 in San Jose when he was hit from behind accidently by now-Wild winger Torrey Mitchell as Foster went back to touch up an icing.

Foster broke his femur and it sent his career into flux. In a class move, former Wild GM Doug Risebrough re-signed Foster even though Risebrough knew Foster wouldn't be close to ready by the next season. But it gave Foster motivation to rehab and he indeed worked his way back to play the final six games of the 2008-09 season.

Foster's injury led to a slight rule change -- a two-minute minor if a player going back to beat out an icing hit his opponent with the sole purpose of not going after the puck.

But Foster, now playing in the KHL, had long campaigned for no-touch or hybrid icing, particularly after Carolina's Joni Pitkanen broke his ankle in several places late last season. If you remember, an angry Foster sent me a flurry of comments he asked me to tweet and write at the time.

Well, Pitkanen's season is over for Carolina and his career is in jeopardy. I texted Foster a little bit ago, but it's late out in wherever he is over the ocean. When I hear back, I'll add his thoughts.

Here is the press release:

NHL TO IMPLEMENT HYBRID ICING FOR 2013-14 SEASON
NEW YORK/TORONTO (September 30, 2013) -- The National Hockey League
Players' Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) announced today that
Hybrid Icing will be implemented for the commencement of the 2013-14 regular season. The
Hybrid Icing rule had been tested during the 2013-14 preseason.
"After testing hybrid icing during the preseason games, the players participated in a
survey and a majority of teams supported this rule change in an effort to make the game
safer," said Mathieu Schneider, NHLPA Special Assistant to the Executive Director. "We are
hopeful that the implementation of the hybrid icing rule, which is a middle ground between the
old rule and no-touch icing, will help minimize the incidence of Player injuries on icing plays."
The Icing Rule now reads Rule 81.1 – Icing:
For the purpose of this rule, the center red line will divide the ice into halves.
Should any player of a team, equal or superior in numerical strength (power-play)
to the opposing team, shoot, bat or deflect the puck from his own half of the ice
beyond the goal line of the opposing team, play shall be stopped. For the purpose
of deflected pucks, this only applies when the puck was originally propelled down
the ice by the offending team.
For the purpose of this rule, the point of last contact with the puck by the team in
possession shall be used to determine whether icing has occurred or not. As such,
the team in possession must "gain the line" in order for the icing to be nullified.
"Gaining the line" shall mean that the puck, while on the player's stick (not the
player's skate) must make contact with the center red line in order to nullify a
potential icing.
For the purpose of interpretation of the rule, there are two judgments required for
"icing the puck". The Linesman must first determine that the puck will cross the
goal line. Once the Linesman determines that the puck will cross the goal line, icing
is completed upon the determination as to which player (attacking or defending)
would first touch the puck. This decision by the Linesman will be made the instant
the first player reaches the end zone face-off dots with the player's skate being the
determining factor. Should the puck be shot down the ice in such a manner that it
travels around the boards and/or back towards the end zone face-off dots, the
same procedure shall be in effect in that the Linesman shall determine within a
similar distance as to who will have touched the puck first.
For clarification, the determining factor is which player would first touch the puck,
not which player would first reach the end zone face-off dots.
If the race for the puck is too close to determine by the time the first Player reaches
the end zone face-off dots, icing shall be called.
The puck striking or deflecting off an official does not automatically nullify a potential icing.