New York, NY – After experimenting with hybrid icing in the preseason, the NHL Player's Association has voted to implement the new rule for the 2013-14 season.
The rule change is viewed as a way to make the game safer by eliminating the dangers and potential injuries that may result in the full bore races to the end boards for the puck.
"After testing hybrid icing during the preseason games, the players participated in a survey and a majority of teams supported this rule change in an effort to make the game safer," said Mathieu Schneider, NHLPA special assistant to the executive director, in a statement Monday. "We are hopeful that the implementation of the hybrid icing rule, which is a middle ground between the old rule and no-touch icing, will help minimize the incidence of player injuries on icing plays."
In hybrid icing, a linesman is tasked with judging the race at the faceoff dots in the far zone. If the defending player is clearly ahead of the attacking player, then the whistle will sound and icing will be called. However, if the attacking player has the edge in pursuit of the puck, the icing is negated and the play will continue.
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