League ponders rules at meetings

HENDERSON, Nev. -- NHL general managers met as a full group for three hours Monday before breaking off into four rooms to discuss potential rule changes.\nNo topic was too taboo to talk about, including awarding three points in the standings to team's winning in regulation to having a shootout to eliminate tie games.\n"I think we have to look at everything," Los Angeles general manager Dave Taylor said. "We owe that to the players and we owe that to the fans."\nThe desert wouldn't seem to be a place to solve hockey's on-ice ills, yet the league's general managers convened at a scenic, expensive resort for a three-day meeting that could result in major adjustments to the sport.\n"I think there'll be some changes," said Colin Campbell, the NHL's director of hockey operations. "You try to do things to make the game better, you better examine everything.\n"My experience in this job is be careful what kind of can of worms you're opening up here because it may invoke something else."\nToronto GM John Ferguson was also slow to endorse a rules overhaul.\n"I don't sense that there is a great need for change," he said.\nEach of the four split groups were given different topics to discuss.\nOne group discussed the issues of the ice surface and the lines, including eliminating the red line, creating passing lanes to open room in the neutral zone, and widening the blue lines.\nAnother batch of GMs was given the charge to debate the role of goaltenders. One issue was whether the width of their pads should be further reduced -- maybe even back to the 10-inch standard that was raised to 12 in the 1989-90 season.\nThe maximum length was cut to 38 inches before this season.\n"We talked about the goaltender's equipment again -- it always seems to come back to that in this day and age, and things as far-reaching as making the nets bigger," Campbell said.\nA third group talked about instituting no-touch icing, which would call for an automatic whistle once a team ices the puck. Now, a player from the opposing team must go back and touch the puck in order for the infraction to be called.\nThe other issue discussed by that group involved reinstating the tag-up offsides rule, which would allow an offsides player to get back onside by just touching-up at the blue line.\nCampbell said that will be put to a vote Tuesday.\nThe final group, led by Campbell, discussed the idea of making regulation wins worth three points, instead of two. In that scenario, an overtime win would garner two points, and an overtime loss would still be worth one point.\nIf a shootout was added to the mix, ties would be eliminated. Those wins would be worth two points and a shootout loss would earn one point.\n"We've asked everything and we'll take it back to the general group (Tuesday) and see what their opinion is," Campbell said.\nWith labor unrest on the horizon, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is taking steps to try to produce a better product. Scoring has dropped by two-and-a-half goals per game in the last 15 years to an average of five per game.\nSo, the commissioner has charged GMs to come to this Las Vegas suburb with ideas on how to create more offense.\n"Their mandate from me is to take a look at the game and begin the discussion," Bettman said in his state of the NHL speech. "There are a whole list of aspects of the game that they are going to discuss."\nBettman is participating in the meetings concluding Wednesday. He wants whatever suggestions the GMs come up with to be presented to a committee of hockey experts this summer.\nAny rule changes must then be approved by the league's board of governors before being implemented next season.\nAny change recommended will likely have to pass an on-ice test in the AHL before it ever becomes NHL law.\nSteve Larmer, Mike Gartner and Al MacInnis of the NHL players association were also in on the meetings. Larmer and Gartner are former players. MacInnis is still active, but the St. Louis defenseman has been off the ice since an eye injury in October.\nHall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman will address the full group Tuesday and is expected to present a comprehensive list of changes he is recommending.\nIn separate discussions, Philadelphia GM, Bob Clarke, pulled off two trades.\nHe acquired a much-needed goaltender when he sent center Mike Comrie to Phoenix for Sean Burke and young forwards Branko Radivojevic and Ben Eager.\nEarlier in the day, the Flyers sent defenseman Eric Weinrich to St. Louis for a fifth-round pick in this year's draft.\nOne GM lessened some of his duties Monday when Florida's Rick Dudley relinquished his coaching job.