Could a morbidly obese goalie shut out an NHL team?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119143109983647814.html

by Poleris • 19 years ago

17 9 19 years ago

online.wsj.com

pius• 19 years ago

Haha, this is something I've been wondering for a long time.

gills• 19 years ago

Nice hack.

mynameishere• 19 years ago

Hey, why not an Siamese quadruplet? I might actually watch, then, or at least take a gander.

malkia• 19 years ago

But those are four people, already :)

optimal• 19 years ago

I just ordered an industrial-size vat of Crisco. See your future, be your future.

Traditionally it was "the fat kid" who played goal, since anybody who could skate would rather put the puck in the net than get whaled in the nords.

I believe this changed when modern netminders brought more skill, athleticism, and even dignity (really) to the position. Plus, people love all the cool-looking gear.

mrtron• 19 years ago

Being Canadian, we had this discussion many times.

You just couldn't get a goalie who was big enough to fill the entire net, so the increased goalie size would limit his mobility and make him worse.

It is nice having a 6'8" defenseman who has a longer stick than normally allowed though.

uuilly• 19 years ago

I played hockey for 22 years. The beautiful thing about it is that fighting is the great equalizer. There are unwritten rules that you must follow to avoid getting stomped by a toothless caveman. For example, if you shadow their star player, you will get dropped. If you are a 2000 lb goalie, you will get drawn into a fight and at least thrown out and at worst hurt. Allowing a little fighting makes the game better b/c the rules don't have to be so explicit. One goon willing to drop his gloves is a more effective way of toning down the dirty side-play than 10 more refs.

mechanical_fish• 19 years ago

This is a point that I wish the article had chosen to make: if someone figures out how to bend the rules to gain an immense advantage and unbalance the game, all that happens is that the rules get changed. It's not as if the size of a hockey goal is determined by the laws of physics.

And, indeed, unwritten rules are handy because they can be changed on the fly as necessary.

myoung8• 19 years ago

That was a hilarious article...not exactly typical WSJ fare...

Could a morbidly obese goalie shut out an NHL team?

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