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[hockeygod]

NHL notes: Bettman not a fan of stalling tactics

QMI Agency, Nov 11 2011

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Thursday the league's general managers will probably want to discuss the stalling tactics employed by the Philadelphia Flyers Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning when they meet next week .

With the Lightning playing a passive 1-3-1 system and clogging the neutral zone, the Flyers opted to hold the puck in their own zone for an extended period a few times during the game. At least twice play, which came to a virtual standstill, was whistled down by the officials.

Bettman denied the notion that the hyper-passive tactics by the two teams were an embarrassment to the league.

"While we had an interesting night in Tampa, I'm not exactly sure it was the grand moment of the season that everybody's speculating," Bettman said on his weekly radio show. "Did I like it? No. Is it the most horrible thing I've ever seen on the ice? No. But I do think it has now added another agenda item to the general managers (meetings) next week.

"I'm kind of enjoying the fact that there's some outrage when something that tries to take the game out of its normal flow gets this kind of reaction."

Bettman backed up the game officials, saying they "reacted appropriately" by whistling the play dead when the Flyers held the puck.

Dean
M.Ed (Coaching)
Ch.P.C. (Chartered Professional Coach)
Game Intelligence Training
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