I am happy to announce that the SHL has been picked up for ESPN8: The Ocho and with that agreement and for the announcement in the OSQ: Obscure Sports Quarterly, there will be a few changes to the game to present the game of hockey in a different light.

The first change:
Shrink the Rink. The rink which had once been a standard 200 x 85 foot rink will be shrunk by nearly half as it will be dropping to 120 x 50 to provide for much less spacing on the rink, more fast paced play and more scoring action. With that there needs to be an additional change as well.

One less player:
With the shrinking of the rink, there is not enough space for 5 skaters on each side and instead will be dropping to 4 skater lineups which could lead to interesting strategy choices. The standard will be 2 forwards and 2 defensemen but also you could do 3 forwards and 1 defenseman or 1 forward and 3 defensemen. The standard lineups could eliminate the need for centers but they would become wingers more than likely.

More hitting, less penalties:
The game needs their players on the ice to get views and penalties sometimes take these players out for 2 minutes at a time. Refs will look for more egregious penalties but slight hooking or cross checking will be let go. The smaller rink should emphasize a lot of hits, a lot of goals, and the stars shining.

These will all be implemented within the next few seasons, enjoy hockey fans!