EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - How do you put a crimp in the ever-expanding size of goalie equipment?
The NHL has been trying to crack down by enforcing the existing rules. But commissioner Gary Bettman said maybe less regulation is the answer ... and a bigger net.
"And by the way, we have had that discussion," he said. "I said to (NHL vice president Colin Campbell), "Let the goaltenders wear whatever they want. At some point, it will become too cumbersome. Just make the nets bigger, and that will take care of any issues that anybody has about whether or not the equipment is too big or too small.' "
Nets are 6 feet wide and 4 feet high.
"That's silly," Mighty Ducks goaltender Jean Sebastien Giguere said when told of Bettman's suggestion. "You change the whole game around if you do that. It would be like basketball making the hoop bigger. You change the whole record book."
Devils goalie Martin Brodeur said he agreed.
"How can you justify a guy who had a great career like Wayne Gretzky and scored so many goals in a net that's a certain size, and the next thing you know, somebody comes in and shatters all the records?" he said.
As for actually implementing the change, Brodeur said he wouldn't mind.
"My net is not going to be bigger than somebody else," he said. "If it's fair for (everybody), that's fine. I'm pretty tall (6 feet 2). I'll be all right."
PART II: That exchange led to a discussion about the perceived necessity of getting more scoring into the game.
"There is no magic about an 8-1 game," he said. "I'm not sure who on the politically correct police ever said that the number of goals you score translates into how exciting your game is."
Said Brodeur: "I think there are some different ways to improve some offense, but don't tell me this hockey in the playoffs is not exciting with all the tight games. I know we had two tight games, Games 6 and 7 against Ottawa (in the East final). Everyone I talked to enjoyed the show we put on."
GIGUERE A LIGHTNING?: Panthers general manager Rick Dudley said he pursued that while he was GM of Tampa Bay.
"I'd seen him play in the minors," he said. "He turned out to be a little better than what I'd imagined."
Dudley said he originally tried to trade for Giguere while GM of Ottawa after Giguere caught his attention and the attention of Ottawa scout Phil Myre.
"But Pierre Gauthier is a very sharp guy," Dudley said of the former Mighty Ducks GM, who acquired Giguere from the Flames for a second-round draft pick. "I believe he saw what Phil and I saw, a kid with a lot of potential."
NATURAL TALENT: Where does Devils defenseman Scott Stevens get his awesome ability to hit?
"It comes naturally," he said. "It's not something you can really work on. It's about seeing the play and anticipating."
Stevens played in his 228th playoff game to set a record for defensemen.
ODDS AND ENDS: Devils center Joe Nieuwendyk (groin/hip) was scratched. ... Ducks coach Mike Babcock got tickets for 14 of his former teammates at McGill University in Montreal, where he played defense. ... The Devils have won seven consecutive series in which they won Game 1.
