After the 2014-15 lockout, coming out of the clutch-and-grab era, the NHL approved a series of rule changes that emphasized ‘‘entertainment, skill and competition on the ice’’. The primary objective of those rules was ‘‘to reduce the scope of defensive tools a team may effectively employ [...] allowing skill players to use their skills and increase the number and quality of scoring chances in the game.’’
One of those changes made was to the rink. The neutral zone was reduced in length, which in turn increased the dimensions of each end zone.
The number-one duty of a winger is to cover the opposing defencemen at the blue line in their defensive end.