of the New Jersey Devils against the Buffalo Sabres at the Prudential Center on April 11, 2010 in Newark, New Jersey. Chris McGrath While casual fans probably don’t really bat an eye at the league’s ...

If you buy something from a link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Coming out of the 2005-2006 season, the NHL, by recommendation of the Competition Committee chose to ...

The trapezoid rule stays, NHL general managers decided at their meetings yesterday, but the really hot issue - head shots - is expected to generate friction today. Head shots are the most contentious ...

You know how some people will just type, "First!" on a comment thread just to be first? That's not why, exactly, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League deep-sixed the trapezoid rule on Thursday, but it ...

If you look closely at the ice behind an NHL net, you’ll see two diagonal lines forming a four-sided shape. This is the trapezoid, and it wasn’t put there for decoration. It is a permanent tactical ...

If the GMs are ultimately going to do anything about head shots in the NHL – and there are certainly no guarantees they will – it will not include taking away the trapezoid behind the net. The ...