We'll see if it sticks this year. Andy Van Hellemond vows that his officiating policy will stick. Consistency is the issue. What is a penalty in October will be a penalty in November and in March and into the Stanley Cup playoffs. But once March comes, the game changes.
Points take on a different meaning.
There is less room on the ice and once the Stanley Cup tournament opens, jungle law rules the ice. And history has shown that the best intentions don't stand the test of time. The players and coaches get very good at going to the edge of the line, and they adjust from there, being the consummate professionals that they are. And over time my guess is, the officials wear down a little and get a little more lax. But, in every instance we've raised the standard, the erosion has never gone back to where we started from.