2010 Plympics on NHL size Ice

[-Helix-]

This is for the hockey players out there; do you really have to change your style of play when going from an European rink to a NHL rink and vice versa?

As someone with a Ferris State sig, I'm surprised you even have to ask... I suppose it's a bigger deal in the WCHA (where half of the ten teams have 200x100, and the other half are 200x85) than the CCHA (where only two are 200x100), but still, college is the biggest battle ground for NHL sized vs. Olympic sized rinks there is. Ask any college player (and for our Canadian frinends, I'm talking NCAA, not CIS), and he will gladly tell you that there is a huge difference. Enough that the university of Minnesota built a second hockey arena so their women's team wouldn't have to play at Mariucci, and an Olympic sized ice sheet; enough so that when North Dakota built Ralph Engelstad Arena, the practice rink attached to it was specifically built as Olympic sized, so that when they were going to play on the road at a Olympic sized team building, the team could practice all week leading up to those games on that sized ice.

To those stories, I can add my own. Northern Michigan University houses the US Short Track Olympic Education Center. As part of their upgrade to get the center, while I attended school there, they had to expand their on-campus ice rink. Over one summer, they widened the rink from 200x85 to 200x100. I had played intermural hockey on the old rink, and went out on the new surface for the first time, and thought to myself, "damn, this thing's huge!"

You wouldn't think that an extra 15 feet makes that much difference, until you realize that 15' is times 200' as well. That's an extra 3000 square feet of ice. Or, the size of a moderate four bedroom home...

Moose

I guess it's the higher level of play that allows for differences to be easily seen, but my local arena has both an Olympic sized sheet and an NHL sized sheet. We play on both and never change our style or anything.

Infact, I don't even notice a difference. Although this could be because I'm a goalie. Sometimes it's obvious when there's a battle in the corner and the puck squirts out yet still seems far away and you're like "weird, usually I could get that". But it's nothing BIG, like those NCAA schools seem to make it out to be.

Just more skating I guess. Gotta be faster to cover more ice. Though I don't have to worry about that obviously, so I probably just never notice.

[no97]

This is for the hockey players out there; do you really have to change your style of play when going from an European rink to a NHL rink and vice versa?

As someone with a Ferris State sig, I'm surprised you even have to ask... I suppose it's a bigger deal in the WCHA (where half of the ten teams have 200x100, and the other half are 200x85) than the CCHA (where only two are 200x100), but still, college is the biggest battle ground for NHL sized vs. Olympic sized rinks there is. Ask any college player (and for our Canadian frinends, I'm talking NCAA, not CIS), and he will gladly tell you that there is a huge difference. Enough that the university of Minnesota built a second hockey arena so their women's team wouldn't have to play at Mariucci, and an Olympic sized ice sheet; enough so that when North Dakota built Ralph Engelstad Arena, the practice rink attached to it was specifically built as Olympic sized, so that when they were going to play on the road at a Olympic sized team building, the team could practice all week leading up to those games on that sized ice.

To those stories, I can add my own. Northern Michigan University houses the US Short Track Olympic Education Center. As part of their upgrade to get the center, while I attended school there, they had to expand their on-campus ice rink. Over one summer, they widened the rink from 200x85 to 200x100. I had played intermural hockey on the old rink, and went out on the new surface for the first time, and thought to myself, "damn, this thing's huge!"

You wouldn't think that an extra 15 feet makes that much difference, until you realize that 15' is times 200' as well. That's an extra 3000 square feet of ice. Or, the size of a moderate four bedroom home...

Moose

I guess it's the higher level of play that allows for differences to be easily seen, but my local arena has both an Olympic sized sheet and an NHL sized sheet. We play on both and never change our style or anything.

Infact, I don't even notice a difference. Although this could be because I'm a goalie. Sometimes it's obvious when there's a battle in the corner and the puck squirts out yet still seems far away and you're like "weird, usually I could get that". But it's nothing BIG, like those NCAA schools seem to make it out to be.

Just more skating I guess. Gotta be faster to cover more ice. Though I don't have to worry about that obviously, so I probably just never notice.

Yes, a goalie would notice it less. As you mention, it certainly puts an emphasis on skating, which puts an emphasis on conditioning as well...

Moose

[Maz]

Just a though...

If they have an NHL rink would they have NHL rules to? Would this give an advantage to some NHL players in the Olympics?

[no97]

Just a though...

If they have an NHL rink would they have NHL rules to? Would this give an advantage to some NHL players in the Olympics?

The 200x85 benifits every team that is comprised of primarily NHL players in 2010, and hurts those that aren't. If the NHL doesn't participate in 2010, it doesn't matter...

Moose