What Was The Dead Puck Era?

To those of you who (like me) started following the NHL within the last 10 years, the term 'dead puck era' might mean nothing to you. Well, let me open up the NHL history books and tell you about one of the NHL's lowest scoring eras and why it saw so little goal scoring...
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[@hamonthecob]

You barely even touched on the 2 line pass rule, but in my opinion that was just as detrimental to scoring as the trap. It basically removed breakaways from the game and slowed everything down to a crawl because the puck almost had to be advanced by skating it rather than passing it. Another thing contributing to the dip in scoring in the 90s, in my opinion, was that for the first time in the league’s history, nearly all the goalies were butterfly style. Up to and through the early 90s, the vast majority were stand up goaltenders. The butterfly is vastly superior, and when the transition was made from a league of stand ups to a league of butterflies, scorers had a harder time piling up the goals. Lastly, this was the “clutching and grabbing” era, which you also barely touched on. Every player would get mugged as soon as he had the puck, and this further depleted the scoring chances. That had nothing to do with the trap, because it would happen everywhere on the ice. If you can’t pass the puck because of the 2-line rule, you have to skate with the puck. If you can’t skate with the puck because you have guys obstructing you, you surely can’t make it in for a scoring chance. And even if you did somehow overcome all that, you had a member of a new wave of effective goaltenders in your way whose means of stopping you went far beyond the traditional standing there and hoping the skater hit your legs. LoL

[@eila2088]

I grew up watching this so I like it. To me 2-1, 3-2 is a "proper" score and something like 5-4 just feels like something went wrong on goalie or defences end. I mean scoring is up but it seems the expectations in GAA for goalies are closer to dead puck era, while defensive defencemen get less recognition. Do not miss the dirty hits though, Scott Stevens was a top end player but still dislike him for hits like on Kariya.

[@pilotamurorei]

Stevens was a dirty player and can fuck right off.

[@adamfarmerjft9643]

暗黒騎士 Ankokukishi Stevens wasn't a dirty player. He played the game how it was meant to be played ( at the time) but the game has changed and fans now see him as "dirty"

[@pilotamurorei]

I watched Scott Stevens play, fool. He was a cheap shot artist and thug.

[@shanebernardfaulkner3574]

the hit on kariya wasn't dirty

[@adamfarmerjft9643]

Shane bernard Faulkner it was very very dirty. By today's sense. Back then it was probably just an interference penalty. Today your looking at close to 20 games for a hit like that

[@aaleta47]

Also interesting was the impact the dead puck era had on hockey sims around the time. I make particular note of goalies in the PC version of NHL 99. You could make it through the defense, but good luck beating the goalie more than once or twice a game.

[@bigsteed007]

Coincidence that the “greatest goalie” of all time played for a team that gave up very few quality chances?

[@hamonthecob]

bigsteed007 that’s my issue with him too, and he’s one of my favorites. In my opinion, the greatest of all time is Hasek, followed closely by Roy.

[@brandonmclean58]

no mention of the blue paint rules? OH god, it was so bad... It was like watching football (american), every goal you are wondering is it going to count, did someones skate touch the crease? Ughh thank god the got rid of that, I agree the trap game was a part of the lack of goals but I swear, at one point it seemed like every other goal was called off because someones skate touched the crease, could you imagine how many goals were disallowed because of that god awful rule?

[@dcrawford9258]

Love love love this channel!!!! Thanks so much!!! You put out a video title, stick with that title and get to the point quickly in an entertaining way! Even people who do not know hockey could follow after watching you!

[@andrewhosang7726]

Also goalies got better technique and equipment during this time too

[@fabianm2819]

butterfly got implemented with patrick roy in the 90's

[@hillfortherstudios2757]

They also didn't limit the goalie equipment to only be protective for the goalie like they do today. For example, goalie leg pads would extend much further outside of the perimeter of a goalie's leg then actually needed to.

[@KevinToddMusic]

Brrrrrrrrrrrrett hull

[@c95w13]

Actually each of the devils cups were won with a different coach . Lemaire won the first, then Larry Robinson won in 2000 and Pat Burns RIP won in 03

[@jordanhachey7476]

This was great and very insightful you should make more like these

[@OddManRush]

Jordan Hachey I probably will if many people agree with you! :D thanks for watching :)

[@TheSkylerMack]

I do personally love and enjoy watching low scoring hockey games. So 2-1 1-0 games are fun for me. Goalies standing on their heads are, for me personally my favorite moments

[@TheSkylerMack]

@E Clouston I don't. I love the fast pace back and forth in hockey, I love the defensive plays and hits. It doesn't have to be a high scoring game

[@VonOzbourne]

Funny, this is the main reason why I like the short IIHF tournaments more than the long NHL season these days. To start, the big ice means you see players with room to carry the puck rather than dump and chase. You may see a drop in big hits due to positioning concerns, but then you also get a reduced likelihood of head shots so that's really a good thing. Also you have less parity, so the weaker teams are actual underdogs as opposed to just horribly run. And of course the most exciting games are the ones with tonnes of back and forth, stretches of 4-5 minutes without a whistle, turnovers and chances galore, an underdog goalie that stands on his head stopping 40+ shots and multiple lead changes despite the 3-2 score. Obviously the casual fans don't get the same excitement from watching those fantastic nuances in the game and only care about pucks in the net, but if you really learn about the game, [and the two teams are capable of playing a good game] you'll likely hold your breath a lot more and feel more excitement during that 2-1 OT game regardless of which team wins, than you would watching your home team walk away with a 10-2 blowout.

[@Lacoste9277]

I agree. I hate high scoring games. The fast-paced back and forth with good offensive plays and good defensive place as well as some good amazing saves makes for a more enjoyable, excitement and entertaining game.

[@dcrawford9258]

Best hockey talk of any comment sections! Not a ton of nonsense, but actually chatting up what the video is about!

[@fusoya6544]

No doubt the trap was the biggest to blame. The NHL was also much more physical in this era with enforcers and a checking line playing a role along with big players like Hatcher, Pronger, Stevens and Bourque all helping teams see consistant playoff action. Also there were many elite goaltending superstars in their prime during this era - Hasek, Brodeur, Roy, Belfour, Joseph etc.

[@innercityprepper]

I'm almost 50 and a lifelong hockey player in Minnesota. The two-line pass rule was absolutely the reason for this.

[@standingthegaff]

Goaltending is the key reason for the Dead Puck Era, which it has to be said never fully ended with the 2004-5 lockout. Despite some upticks in average goal scoring, most of the 2010s was equally low scoring. Stand-up goaltending started to die in the late 1980s as technique and equipment improved. Roy's Cup-winning rookie season in 1985 was the beginning of the end of stand-up goaltending. Average goals per game start to decline in the 1987. The butterfly became dominant with new generations of goalies coming into the league in the wake of Roy's revolutionary achievements in 1985. By the late 1990s, the technique had evolved further, along with better training and helped a bit with bigger equipment. Goaltending got better. The talent dilution argument doesn't make sense because the talent pool was massively expanded in the 1990s with the end of the Cold War. If anything, talent dilution was the cause of the Live Puck Era as the restricted North American talent pool was massively diluted with the NHL go from 6 to 21 teams between 1967 and 1979. As for the Neutral Zone Trap, yes this was important but it was always backstopped by Brodeur. And the Red Wings employed the similar Left-Wing Lock and had great goaltending, too. It's not obvious these defensive strategies would be as effective with stand-up goaltending.

[@gregorchina]

Great content keep it uo

[@CJbrinkman602]

Came of age in the height of the dead puck era, still loved the game regardless.

[@goose3246]

I’ve stop watching hockey a couple of years ago but went back this year, not missing one habs game because we finally have interesting game to watch ! I hate watching a game that finish in overtime by the count of 1-0 -.-... now it’s often 5-2 ! Newer player are making the game so much more interesting

[@BloggerMusicMan]

I probably watched my first ever hockey game in the late '90s, but I didn't start seriously watching until 2001, which was right in the middle of this era. I think the video narrator basically gets it right, but I would also attribute other causes of lower scoring to changes in goaltending during that time. If you take a look at the pads that goalies wore before about 1990 and then look after, the pads are much larger during the '90s. There's a huge difference in terms of the space the goaltender covers in the net and how difficult it would be to score under those circumstances. This is particularly taken advantage of with the widespread adoption of butterfly-style goaltending. Patrick Roy came into the league in 1986 and set the standard for most goaltenders who came after him with his butterfly style, which kept goaltenders more steady and covered more net, especially when you take into account larger pads. It's true that some great goalies of that era, like Dominik Hasek and Martin Brodeur, who played on the Devils, didn't play this way. But most did, and it changed the game. Despite a certain nostalgia, in general, I don't miss that era. The hockey was slower and much more brutal at that time. I like that the game is faster now. I like that there's less fighting. I like that concussions as well as player mental health are taken more seriously. I like that there's a more even split of the pie between owners and players. It's a better, fairer game now than it was 15 years ago. But I do miss certain things. Despite the speed and excitement of the game, it's very overcoached now. There's too much emphasis on systems and it can make watching a game feel a bit mechanical. The question now is much less "how is this team going to enter the zone and score" and more "is this play that they ran 200 times in practice going to break through and be effective." There was more spontaneous creativity allowed on a play-to-play basis in those days, especially because you had to be creative in order to get past the red line, and I do miss that a bit.

[@nathanbrisebois8756]

I grew up watching hockey in the dead puck era, and I think it's some of the most entertaining hockey there is when I go back and watch older videos and highlights

[@PhyuckYu619]

Same here. It was more physical and the goals seemed to have more meaning.

[@hypn0298]

Broadcasts also changed during this time. Digital scoreboard graphics began to be shown 24/7 in 1995, standard definition broadcasts were slowly stored in film less, and the first HD Stanley Cup Final was in 2004, with select games being broadcast in HD during the early 2000s.

[@wingnutwillie]

Goalie equipment size plays a huge role, these guys are all over 6’ and have huge pads, blockers and cheaters. I think the changes in the last year are going to pay off big.

[@Buffalosabskis]

I fell in love with hockey during the dead puck era

[@randylayhee2427]

unpopular opinion: I miss this era

[@oldfrend]

if you've ever watched a game from back then, you'd notice that the refs basically stopped calling hooking and holding unless you took a dude down with it. it took a long time for the league to get the refs to call it properly cuz the players and refs were so used to it not being called, they would complain endlessly if they weren't allowed to obstruct opposing players. i was a huge kings fan back then (cuzza gretzky) and i remember a play where i believe jarri kurri had a breakaway and the opposing defenseman hooked him and basically waterskied him all the way down the ice. so kurri grabs the dude's stick and pulls it off - and HE gets a penalty for holding the stick. that was how bad the hooking and holding got back then.

[@haydengodek2134]

Was a very interesting video

[@OddManRush]

TexasHockey Thanks man, glad you liked it! :D

[@TheJerseyNinja]

Lol I love that people hate on the 1-3-1 because it limits offensive opportunities and therefore goals. Like ok so what you expect the team to use something less effective so that they aren’t doing everything they can to win? Just so there’s more goals scored? That’s idiotic, why not just have the team stand still to let the other team have a 5-0 until they score? That’s essentially what you’d be saying you want to see since you want to see more goals. Sure I enjoy a high scoring game now and then, but 1-0 games are sometimes some of the best games to watch because it shows the insane skill of both teams, in terms of play style, skill level, defending, goaltending, and everything else. Do you realize how difficult it is to get a shutout? Especially at the NHL level? Not only does the goaltender 99% of the time have to play amazingly, but so does the rest of his team to not allow easy shots and rebounds and odd man rushes. It’s an ultimate performance by 1 team most of the time. I’d rather see something like that than a 6-5 game where it seems like both teams are just letting in goals left and right because both defenses and goalies suck and the forwards are just scoring with ease. That’s boring. So a 1-3-1 is just a smart formation to have your team keep the other from getting as many chances allowing your team to get the win. Which isn’t winning the fucking point? Like it’s just so dumb to hate the 1-3-1 because it limits scoring, that’s the fucking point, to limit the other teams scoring so your team can win, that’s the point of the game so I just don’t get it. The real thing people should hate is the Flyers when they played the Lightning and just sat back with the puck not moving it because they didn’t like the 1-3-1. That’s just embarrassing. When you’re on offense you’re supposed to try and score not hold on to the puck because you want to make the defense come after you to break up their formation. That’s easily a delay of game for refusing to play the puck. The defense are trying to defend so they have no expectation to go after the puck carrier in his own defensive zone but the offense does have an expectation to advance the puck to try and score. That’s what you should be hating on, not the effectiveness of the 1-3-1 at giving your team a better chance to win because you limit the other teams chances.

[@30AndHatingIt]

Paying hundreds of dollars for tickets, gas, parking, food and drinks, then you might not even get to celebrate your team scoring even one goal? No thanks...

[@TheJerseyNinja]

30 And Hating It it’s the same as in any other sport. You aren’t paying that much to see your team win or even score at all, you’re paying to watch the live event. Sure sometimes that’s what that means, but I bet you love when you pay all that money and your team WINS and doesn’t let the other team score huh? Well guess what, there’s fans of both teams at every game so some people won’t be happy regardless. If you worry that may happen then don’t pay all that money to go to the game.

[@30AndHatingIt]

@@TheJerseyNinja No, you pay to celebrate your team making plays and scoring goals... it's supposed to be entertainment, paying admission to be entertained. That's what every single person I know who pays to go to the games is doling out the money for. You go back to a dead puck era level of scoring and you don't even get to hear the goal horn go off even once? It won't get my money, won't get any of my friends, family or coworker's money, period. Just like none of us are going to pay movie tickets with the chance they won't run the movie at all. Good news is, those days are over, scoring is up where it should be.

[@TheJerseyNinja]

30 And Hating It no, you don’t. That may be what you think you’re paying for, but that’s not what they’re charging you for. And again, there’s fans of both teams at every game so some people aren’t gonna be happy either way, that’s how it works. You pay for the live view not guaranteed goals and celebrating. Shutouts are usually remarkable to see, yes it sucks if your team gets shutout and you paid money to see it, but that usually doesn’t happen

[@WarReport.]

Dont forget after the lock out the offensive zones were increased in size as well which made the neutral zone smaller

[@leoberget750]

I liked the stanley cup finals! So many goals per game😍

[@superninja3751]

It’s called goalies are getting better

[@Idontwantahandle6669]

Super Ninja yeah he never mentions the influx of future hall of fame goalies that rose to stardom in the late 80’s and through the 90’s.

[@superninja3751]

Sjamsucks you’re right

[@pilotamurorei]

You forgot to mention that the Two line pass rule was the largest reason for the Neutral zone trap being implemented. I dont remember exactly when the two line pass was implemented, but it was after it's implementation that Jacques Lemaire realized he could use the trap. this is why Martin brodeur had some many wins, was because the trap kept the number of shots against to like 20 per game, which is why I personally call bullshit on Brodeur's records, since Patrick roy began his winning ways during the prime of superstars like Mario Lemieux, Jagr, Gretz, etc.

[@alainsoucysergerie9879]

Absolutely! I don't hate Brodeur per say, but he clearly benefited the most favorable context a goalie ever had, period. Add to this their backup was always so bad that Brodeur was in the net for 72-75 out of 82 games a year.

[@mpaszyn1]

I think the 2 line pass rule was implemented to slow down Gretzky because he was such a dominant player in his day and just a level above everyone in the NHL during his prime. I’m glad that the 2 line pass rule is gone since it makes the NHL more fun to watch and gives it that risk/reward factor. Also, the NHL now forces goalies to rely more on their actual athleticism which makes the game more fun to watch for the fans. If only the NHL could expand the rink sizes to hybrid ice sizes like in Finland then I feel the product would be awesome.

[@Idontwantahandle6669]

m p the 2 line pass rule always existed in the nhl and was removed for the 2005/2006 season.

[@JaredtheRabbit]

I saw that NHL 94 cameo.

[@Skoall69]

God forbid if there is defense, in our sports.

[@jonathandesmarais]

Jacques Lemaire in 95 only... Robinson was using the same strategy... But Pat Burns Devils was clearly more offensive minded

[@CodiakWisergreen]

Larry Robinson coached the Devils to their first two cup wins

[@OGT4204]

I’ve never heard the dead puck era, I do however know about the obstruction era, which was caused by excessive hooking and neutral zone trap. I don’t disagree with what he’s saying but the neutral zone trap is still effective today but less so without excessive obstruction. So I would label it’s the obstruction era, not dead puck era. Just a thought

[@Jay9999]

Neutral zone trap was so boring to watch. The NHL lost alot of hardcore fans in those years. Never got them until now in 2018. My mom actually started watching hockey again and going to games

[@90sgrungefan51]

Being that the avs won 2 cups in this era I loved it. And going back and watching how outrageously physical these games were it was my favorite to watch. Every playoff game was simply an absolute war. No one touched the puck without getting hit. I understand the change by the league as goals are more marketable but this era was a joy to watch.

[@thedarkhorse100]

How about in the 70’s when they’d blow the play dead for tying the puck up in the corner, the tag up rule and two line pass rules we’re great additions. But how about the great foot in the crease debacle. I know I’m all over the place here

[@fabianm2819]

you're also neglecting to mention that at the same time you also had the likes of Roy, Brodeur and Beezer absolutely killing it between the pipes

[@VonOzbourne]

The rise of the butterfly certainly led to a lot less goalies flopping over after a low slapper breezed by their feet.

[@olney28]

The trap only worked because of the rule against the two line pass.

[@davidtuttle7556]

And yet the DPA has returned. And as for the trap, my CAPS exploited it brilliantly all the way to the Cup...finally.

[@jakeybonz]

it actually started in 96-97. 95-96 was a really high scoring year. and not mentioning the crease rule as one of the biggest goal limiting factors is demented.

[@GradyRoy]

Dead puck era was some of the best hockey!

[@jermichaelsmith3908]

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrett hull

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

The no play area for goalies too.

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

Was added and players touching up so game not stopped.

[@TheSandrock8]

Dont forget the better goalie equip.

[@abowla7187]

The expansion team theory is wrong because they got raked when other teams played against them. I've seen plenty of games where expansion teams got lit the fuck up lol sorry Brett.....

[@hellaacapella]

Oyy think knott!!

[@kevinso187]

So the clutch and grab wasn't a contributing factor?

[@thecedex]

I do not buy Expansion Era theory while it's true you will have more less skilled Forwards in the roster. Isn't that also true for Defensemen and Goalies? Meaning the team's ability to be less effective in defense or goaltending will even out the less skilled forwards.

[@hotdogwater7037]

The worst. Waaay too many 1-0 games. Way too many "pest" players, guys who didnt go on the ice to score or fight, just there to annoy and clog up lanes, guys like ville nieminen, travis moen, or jamal mayer. Too many stoppages in play, from offsides, icing, and easy glove saves, which led to a lot more faceoffs, which led to yet another type of player that didnt go on the ice to score or fight- the faceoff specialist. Guys like mike sillinger, andrei nikolishin, and to a lesser extent, scott mellanby. Not too mention the advent of the butterfly-style goalie and bigger goalie pads coincided with the dump-and-chase era

[@Zaaaaaaaaaaaaa1]

Spot on analysis !

[@reillyrifenburgh7687]

Clutch and grab era

[@ryant3922]

I don't agree with the theory about the expansion teams. Because if that theory was true wouldn't it mean less skilled d and tendys? 🤔

[@fabianm2819]

tendys less so, with only 2 per team it's easy to have nhl quality goalies floating around the minors, leafs atm for example, and malcolm subban

[@VonOzbourne]

But that also comes with higher numbers of less skilled forwards as well. That meant that most teams only had one big name line [that could be checked by the other team's one good D pairing] and the better teams were the ones lucky enough to sign a halfway decent second line. Since defensive systems are easier to coach than offensive skills, the remaining two or three lines were basically just checking lines that could hopefully mount an occasional counter-attack against the other team's checking line.

[@andrebobowicz6856]

Lemaire didn’t win all 3 cups with the devils

[@reppepper]

fewer goals

[@Jay9999]

Talented players were targeted for injury

[@dgb921]

Defense not being aloud to hit anyone

[@jordanwedzinga7042]

Please don’t roll the R on Bret Hull

[@georgeinfante1106]

More Goals. Mate. ######## Aaa

[@11DNA11]

The reason for dead puck era. New Jersey Devils. Thanks for destroying hockey for the next 2 decades.

[@Chrisman77]

The game is way over coached now. With the advent of new technology to review tape and what not... There's literally no creativity most of the time and goalies technique has improved.

[@coldsnap5742]

So rather than let players get better on their own, as in the natural evolution of the game, they changed the rules to kill defense and artificially inflate scoring. Why is the answer always "fuck defense?"

[@TerryBollea1]

The thing is, the "trap" era also helped out the goons, and most of the nasty hits you see in highlight packages are from this era. So do you like hits and fights, or goals?

[@theemonkeymo]

Give me 2008 style hockey. Enough of high separation between top end talent and bottom 6 forwards allowed for more hitting and physicality. Now every kid coming out of junior is a finesse player, dont kid me wrong i love high skill stick work/foot work but Rockemsockem Cherry hit classics I miss alot.

[@weatheredtome]

Man am I glad you stopped opening videos with that obnoxious greeting

[@dr.loomis4221]

Right? I hated it

[@maxwellcarlscott]

all they have to do is call penalties for defenseman laying down on 2 on 1's

[@neojay80]

That's just wrong, can't penalize a team for playing defensively.

[@alexleblanc5926]

Why should that be a penalty?

[@Huckster2367]

Best era of hockey.

[@kevnoxious]

Jacques Lemaire only won one Stanley Cup with New Jersey as coach that was in 1995.

[@theemonkeymo]

Minnesota had no reason to get to the conference finals with only Gabborik, they beat the highest scoring team that year in the Canucks and the star studed Avs.

[@11DNA11]

He still implemented the dreadful neutral zone trap. Which everyone tried to play. Only way to break that defense was with extremely skilled defensemen. 1993-1994 season, the Rangers had Zubov and Leetch as puck carriers, so they didn't pass it through the trap, but just played through it. And it shows, Zubov had an 89 point season in 1994.

[@ChrisHonowayOFFICIAL]

That was the worst boring NHL finals ever