But large ice also corresponds with more speed. If there is more room, you have to be faster to cover the distance, like the defenceman moving from the middle lane to the boards. His speed and acceleration must increase. The larger ice forces you to be extremely fast, because if you are not, you'll never get there on time. The time and space that becomes available to players on the large ice surface also allows them to hone puckhandling, passing and creative skills.
Players get better at passing and stickhandling, and they get more comfortable with the puck.
They are also faster, but they are still playing on the same-sized sheet of ice used 80 years ago. The result is a constricted, over-heated game that critics call pinball hockey. The forecheck makes everything happen quickly. The puck bounces off a player's stick onto another, or caroms off the boards. There is little time to carry the puck and limited space in which to make a play.