Wilderness Walk: RIP Spin-O-Rama

In case you missed it, the NHL came out with some new rule changes for the 2014-2015 season on Thursday.  The impact of the changes, which range from expanding the trapezoid to increased penalties for diving, remain to be seen.  Remember how excited we were last year for shallower nets?  Yeah, it really didn't make much of a difference.

One change that will have an immediate effect, however, is Rule 24:

The 'Spin-O-Rama' move, as described in Section 24.2 of the 2013-14 NHL Rule Book, will no longer be permitted either in Penalty Shot situations or in the Shootout.

People have mixed feelings on the Spin-O-Rama.  Personally, I loved it.  Sure it was silly and cheap and unfair for goalies, but watching Pierre-Marc Bouchard continually make goalies look foolish never got old.  Here's one of my favorite moments, all the way back from 2006:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Z2U0NUjHwms" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Farewell Spin-O-Rama.  May you spin to your heart's content in hockey heaven.

On to the Walk:

Wild News

Wild falls to Columbus in prospects tournament | Star Tribune- The Wild lose their first game of the Traverse City Tournament, but many prospects shine including Matt Dumba and Christian Folin.

Harding's Hope makes donation to National MS Society programs | Russo's Rants | StarTribune.com- Always good to hear as Harding's Hope continues to grow.

Managing Suter's Time on Ice - Gone Puck Wild

Hashtag Hockey Podcast ep. 29 with Dan Ginter 9/11/14- The guys at Hashtag Hockey are back with a new podcast.

Off The Trail

What does NHL’s new rule mean for ‘intent to blow’ calls? | Puck Daddy- We won't know the extent of these rule changes until we see them in action.

Dishonor For Connor: Analyzing race to bottom for Connor McDavid (Trending Topics) | Puck Daddy- Is Buffalo the NHL's worst team?  Yes, but not by much.  Let's hope the Winnipeg Jets don't get lucky and win the draft lottery.

Agent: Tomas Vokoun declines 2 contract offers, will only play 'in the right situation' | theScore- If the Wild's goaltending situation goes south quickly, Vokoun could be a solid backup.

Senators to try soccer-style fan section for 10 games this season | theScore- This has the potential to be really awesome or a complete disaster.

NHL waiting on World Cup announcement, Olympics decision | ProHockeyTalk- Expect a decision soon on a hockey World Cup for 2016

Be A GM: Make 5 Potential Pre-season Trades- Time to play armchair GM.