Hockey R&D 2012 Part 2: Smart Benches

Figure 1. Proposed NHL rink layout for benches and penalty boxes

Part 1

So this idea I’ve nicknamed “Smart Benches” is something that would entail a very different rink layout, all for the purpose of creating additional premium seating for fans.

This won’t be popular with NHL officials, but I am essentially kicking the rink-side officials (and the game announcer and time keeper) to the press box. There are probably very good reasons to have these guys sitting rink-side, but I feel with modern technology there shouldn’t be any communication barriers with on-ice officials*.

What we are left with is just the player benches and penalty boxes by the ice. The benches are situated at opposite sides of the ice, for balanced line changes in all three periods.

For “Smart Benches”, I have merged the penalty with the player bench. This allows for players exiting the penalty box to quickly get back to their bench should the coach want someone else in the game.

What makes this bench “smart” is a sliding partition that can adapt to the displacement of the players between the bench and the penalty box. So if a team suffers many penalties, the partition can grab some of that vacated real estate on the bench.

It really makes sense because you’ll always have 13-14 guys on the bench, penalized or not. This flexible system eliminates overcrowded penalty boxes and vacant benches, an ongoing problem in Philadelphia. Kidding.

Usage:

By default the box can fit one or two players (and the penalty official). If the situation calls for more room to be added to the penalty box, it can slide over (during a stoppage in play, when the penalty is called).

Once a penalized player exits the box, the penalty official can slide the partition back at their discretion. This can happen at any time, as there is still ample room on the bench (the player exiting the bench would rejoin play or would go to the bench for a teammate to join play instead).

The sliding partition straddles the player bench, and its mobility is made possible by a couple of rails.

Not pictured: the penalty box official. He’d always be here.

For safety the glass on the partition would be a foot clear of the playing area (you can see the glass better in the GIF above). There would be no glass in front of the penalty box. I don’t think this would be an issue as the player within a penalty box is not going to be accosted with his all his teammates sitting beside him.

Pucks leaving play at the player bench is nothing new, so the adjacent penalty box would have to deal with this too.

This system could even be adapted to move the location of the penalty box to either side of the bench. This way it can be positioned near the defensive zone every period, allowing the exiting player a closer route to his own net to help out his teammates.

All in all I believe this is a system that would streamline the game and open up a lot more premium seating for the fans.

Bonus rule: Those blue lines by the benches (Figure 1.) are to indicate the safe change area, to help with ‘too many men on the ice’ penalties. This would be a helpful guide in my opinion.

*I am still a bit perplexed as to why they have to pass a giant rotary phone through the glass (for the referee to talk to the control room in Toronto). Why not a small Bluetooth earpiece?