NHL 2005-06 ... It's already getting old

You know what? I'm a fan of implementing rules to make a game better. So far, each NHL game is much more dynamic than the game that we saw two years ago. Now, even a two goal lead doesn't mean much anymore. Games are higher scoring, penalties are up, and there are more power plays. The shootout gives fans an ending to every game and there's not as much icing of the puck anymore (when you ice the puck, you can't change lines, so you don't get a break anyway).

Does this mean that the games are better though? In my opinion no. Sure, the league is "cracking" down on all of the hooking, interference and holding. But for the last couple of weeks I have seen more penalties called when there was no infraction than I've seen legit calls! The players are crashing the net and effectively blocking out the goalies, or taking them out of the play for rebounders. As soon as any defender touches the jersey of an opponent above the waist it's called as a hook, and I even saw the other night a Leaf defender dive to swat at a puck near the blue line and the ref called a penalty on the closest standing Islander. It's crazy.

Now, this begs the question: Are the refs at fault for calling bad calls because they've got a quota to meet, or has the league actually changed the rules so that if a guy loses his balance around you, YOU get a penalty? I just wonder when the fans are going to start to get annoyed at all of the crease violations that result in goals or injuries to their goalies. I wonder how many games are going to be decided by bad calls? When will the fans wake up and see not a better game, but a game that is decided by what the referee is imagining?

I hope it's soon, I'm getting tired of watching the crap on the ice.