NHL Has New Rules on Sticks

The NHL will allow players a greater curve on sticks and tinkered with shootout procedures, part of a handful of rule changes approved by the board of governors Thursday.

Players can now have a three-quarters of an inch curve on sticks, up from half an inch, which might cut down on the number of stick challenges and could help increase scoring by allowing players to use previously banned sticks.

“This conforms to [the International Hockey Federation] and I expect it to increase velocity, which means increased scoring,” said Ducks General Manager Brian Burke, a member of the board of governors.

A player found to be using an illegal stick during regulation or overtime will receive a minor penalty and a $200 fine for the first offense. The fine for a second offense is $1,000. A third offense brings a game misconduct penalty and an automatic one-game suspension. The suspension would double in length for any subsequent violations.

The league also will try to cut down on the number of stick challenges during shootouts. A team may request a measurement, but if the stick is found to be legal, the team would forfeit its next shootout attempt and the player listed for the challenging club’s next attempt would not be permitted to participate until all other eligible players have participated. The team would be fined $5,000 and its coach $1,000.

If the stick is illegal, the player would become ineligible and the team would forfeit that attempt and be fined $5,000. The player would be fined $1,000.

Also enacted Thursday:

* The home team will be given the choice of shooting first or second during shootouts.

* Punishment for diving -- an embellishment in the attempt to draw a penalty -- will be a $1,000 fine for a second offense and a possible suspension for a third offense. The length of the suspension would double for any subsequent violation.

chris.foster@latimes.com