New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-12-12
HOCKEY TEAMS AT
SKIES AND SEVENS
OVER NEW RULES
s;y,Man Game To Be Tried Out
TO Provide Demonstration
of Its Value.
A COMPROMISE is LIKELY
Five CluXMay Yet Meet in the
Championship Series of
the League.

Indications point to a compromise being
rsached at the meeting of the executive
committee of the Amateur Hockey
League tonight and that the champion
chip series will be played with all the
ave teams taking part in the title race.
Roth sides Yesterday were considering a
man whereby the much talked about six
man game will be given a trial during the
second half of the double championship
round robin.
The plan will permit the delegates to
thrash out the siX-man playing rules for
more than a month and arrive at some
definite understanding regarding what is
reouired II is stated that il will take at
least dozen meetings 10 draw up the
six-man rule.
The majority believe that the siX-man
game will be neither faster nor more
strenuous than the seven-man game. They
think however. it will be easier for the
defence, as these players will not>haVe
so many opponents TO watch.
Tom Howard, coach Of Yale and the
Hockey Club, who is considered one OF
The best authorities in the country, sizes
ND the situation i'm the annual hockey
Guide i'm the following manner:
While the officers Of the American ANA
tom Hockey League and those others m
,crcstcd Inn fostering the great winter
game i'm New York can he well sausneu
with results the last season, II cannot be
aid that the quality of the playing was
of very high Calibre or up TO the stahdatu
II some former years and 1t IS undouot-
zdly a fact that the local teams nave
fallen off i'm class.
Primarily. the reasons for this have
been the many and frequent chanSes OF
late i'm the personnel OF the teams the
retirement Of veteran players and the re-
moval OF some good players 10 other To-
The best teams that We have had here
we're composed OF players the majority
of whom had played together Tor SeNeral
seasons OF course, that Is generally
found TO bc the case wherever hockey is
played While there are some veteran
PLAYERS Of merit still i'm the ranks OF the
local teams ana number OF young play
erS OF promise, there are at present 100
few experienced and nniShed players 10
make up a number Of well balanced teams
having the necessary skill TO produce
good hockey.
Considering the not oVerabundance Of
good PLAYERS and other local conditions
reducing the number of players compos-
ing a team from seven 10 six, the position
of rover being eliminated might be tor
the betterment of the game in New 1ork'
Certainly the necessity for the seventh
man has meant of late the having on a
team at least one player who was mol
qualified TO hold down his position, lower
Ing the standard of team as WhOle
y siX-man team would undoupteuiH
work better on an ice surface as sllaII
as the St. Nicholas Rink, on which all the
local teams play: il would allow OF less
erowding, consequently putting higher
premium on speed and clean-cut WORK,
and while the dropping OF one man might
tend to create too much individual enort
that fault is not beyond guarding against.
The siX-man-a-side game was adopted
two years ago by the National Hockey
Association of Canada, composed or pro-
fessiOnal teams and has met with APP
proyal by both their players and follow
ers and while IL is open 20 argument
whether seven or six men on side makes
better or more Sclentinc game, local
conditions and the need for Improvement
in the quality Of hockey shown OF late
by the New York teams would warrant
the siX-man idea being at least given
trial
While Howard believes that the six
man game might be given trial in New
York. he is of the opinion that the seven
nah team is real hockey. This is the
stand taken by the Hockey Club and st.
Nicholas. Both organizations contend
that the Amateur Hockey League Is not
writing rules for local conditions, but for
the entire country. and that the passing
Of the six-man rule would mean the sew
srng Of all hockey relations with other
teams They furthermore contend that
such a radical change should come from
Canada, where the seven-man game is
still played In all leagues but the pro-
The Ontario Hockey Association, with
more than two hundred teams, turned
down the six-man proposition this winter.