The result was that opposing players became hesitant to get too close to the net, thus solving the problem somewhat. Hahaha this was my solution too

The result was that opposing players became hesitant to get too close to the net, thus solving the problem somewhat. Hahaha this was my solution too in floor/street hockey. I was not the best goalie in terms of sheer athleticism, to put it extremely mildly. So I took advantage of my size and the goalie equipment and got good at throwing my body into scrums around the net. I didn't even hit opposing players per se. But if there was a loose puck/ball I took advantage of the fact that I could make a beeline for it and if there happened to be an opposing player in my way... well, unfortunate for them! A possible solution could be to expand the goalie-only area around the net. That would, in theory, force opponents to focus more on shooting and not on piling around the goalie. This is a very surprising conclusion given that they tried this already in the 90s and it was a total disaster. Culminating in the infamous Cup-winning goal (against Hasek, from your clip above) no less. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/343121-one-final-thought-on-the-1999-stanley-cup-no-goal https://bleacherreport.com/articles/343121-one-final-thought... It was a boon for the goalies, not the scorers, and it turned every goal into a controversial mess. As a fan you couldn't even celebrate a goal -- you had to wait until the refs and/or replay decided if it was okay or not minutes later. Part of the problem is that attacking players can't really control their position in a precise way in a scrum, given all of the contact and the fact that everybody's, well, wearing ice skates. Half of the time the goals were called off for a player being in the goalie crease it wasn't their fault. And then there was Martin Brodeur, who absolutely broke the game for about a decade by skating around like an "invulnerable third defenseman nobody was allowed to touch." Effective, but really contrary to the spirit of the game and about as much fun as watching paint dry. I really cannot think of a solution besides larger nets. 4-on-4 makes for really exciting hockey but that feels like fundamentally changing the sport too much. It would also IMO place too much emphasis on penalties. A 5-on-4 advantage for two minutes is one thing but 4-on-3 is quite another. Refereeing in a mass action sport will always be highly imperfect and that would really put the game in the refs' hands.