EVERETT — The first-round playoff series between the Everett Silvertips and Spokane Chiefs shifts to Spokane Arena beginning Wednesday, and that means one thing:
Get ready for the long line change.
Spokane Arena is the only building in the WHL in which the teams have to deal with the long line change twice a game instead of once, and it’s something the Tips will have to solve in Games 3 and 4.
So what exactly is the long line change?
In nearly every hockey arena the benches are located on the same side of the ice. The direction the teams play is based on the benches. The teams play the first and third periods with their bench in front of their own zone, then play the second period with their bench in front of the opponent’s zone.
The direction of play has a profound effect on teams’ ability to change their players on the fly. Teams want to make a line change when the puck is safely away from their own goal. Accomplishing that is much easier when the bench is in front of a team’s own zone. When the bench is in front of the opposing zone, players are required to skate a greater distance to get on and off the ice and still maintain sound defensive positioning. That extra distance is why it’s called the long line change.
But while every rink in the league with the benches on the same side of the ice has the long change in the second period, in Spokane Arena the long change comes in the first and third periods. It’s been that way since before Everett entered the league in 2003.
“It’s the only rink in all of hockey, anywhere in the world, that does that. The only one,” Everett coach Kevin Constantine said. “In every level of hockey, in every country of hockey, it’s the only one. It’s just silly. There are so many solutions you could do that could appease whatever reasons.”
Why does Spokane Arena break tradition and have the long change twice? The reasons are nebulous. Online research uncovered no documentation explaining the phenomenon. Media inquiries sent to the Chiefs asking about the subject went unanswered.
Legend has it that when the current Chiefs locker room was installed, it was moved to the east side of the building, which is the end the Chiefs shot at twice in previous seasons. The suites — including the owner’s box — and the majority of the season-ticket holders were located in the east end, allowing them a better view of goals scored by Spokane. The Chiefs allegedly wanted to keep their bench in line with their locker room, but still shoot twice toward the suites and season-ticket holders.
Their solution was the two long line changes. Constantine, who exhibited his displeasure during Everett’s first ever game at Spokane in 2003 by switching his goalies at every whistle during the first period, would have found a different solution.
“You can put the players on the other bench,” Constantine suggested. “There’s the comment that the way the locker rooms are set up you couldn’t do that. But in Kamloops the locker rooms are set where you have to cross underneath the stands like you would (in Spokane). That’s a pretty easy solution, put a security guard or have one team go out first.
“I made my protest 12 years ago, but everybody’s been aware of it for 20 years and no one seems to want to do anything about it, so what are you going to do?,” Constantine asked. “You play with the rules put in front of you.”
Do the two long line changes represent added home-ice advantage for Spokane? After all, it’s not like the visiting team is the only one that has to deal with the situation, as both teams are constrained by the unusual configuration. A breakdown of home/road splits since Everett entered the season shows the Chiefs’ home-ice advantage (.096) is actually less than the Tips’ (.104).
However, a team that plays with more long changes is inevitably going to prepare more for the long change.
“They have their strategies of how to catch teams on line changes,” Everett captain Kohl Bauml said. “They’re quick moving the puck up, they get their goalie involved a lot at home. They have an advantage just from doing it more often. But at the same time it’s just two second periods and a normal period. We’re not worried about it, but we’re aware of it.”
There’s no doubt Spokane had a home-ice advantage against Everett in recent years. Between March 14, 2010 and March 12, 2014, the Tips lost 18 straight games at Spokane Arena. Everett was 7-11 at home against the Chiefs during that stretch.
But ever since breaking the curse by winning 4-2 at Spokane late last season, Everett has fared better at Spokane Arena as the Tips have won four of the past five road meetings with the Chiefs.
“Maybe a couple goals here or there (during the losing streak) were caused by (the extra long change),” Bauml, who experienced defeat the first 13 times he visited Spokane Arena, said. “I don’t think they ever cost us games. The days of the Spokane curse are behind us now, this year we did pretty well there. It’s nice to know going in there we’ve won a couple games.”
But to continue that success into the postseason, the Tips will have to master the long line change.
Check out Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog at http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog, and follow him on Twitter at @NickHPatterson.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
