Clement offers different view of game for those watching on TV

Bill Clement is an encyclopedia of hockey knowledge. Having played in the NHL for 11 seasons and having served as a television analyst since 1986, Clement knows the game.

A center on the Flyers' 1974 and '75 Stanley Cup title teams, he has been teaching even the most minute details of the game to hockey fans in living rooms and bars around the country for a long time. And with throngs of new fans jumping on the Flyers' bandwagon during their Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup finals, Clement has some outside-the-box advice for viewers.

"While the play is actually happening - Versus' coverage is tighter than CSN's - try to watch things that are in the corners of your screen as opposed to dead-center," said Clement, who currently serves as a panelist on Comcast SportsNet's Flyers pregame and postgame shows. "Follow the puck on the first couple replays, and then on the next ones watch the players around the play, not the ones that are on the puck. You'll see a lot of interesting things.

"You'll see things that actually influence the play, and often things that will influence goals. They might be subtle or they may be obvious. You'll see things that could've altered the course of history."

Clement, who was a gritty player in his day, also pointed out that fans should take note of the amount of sacrifices players make in a game (for more, search "Ian Laperriere" on YouTube).

"There's so much to it," Clement said. "Instead of watching the puck when it's being shot from the blue line, watch the players and where they're coming from. It's interesting to watch players make decisions on how and when to block shots. There are going to be a lot of players doing that."

After the 2004-2005 lockout ended, the NHL instituted several new rules, including the elimination of the two-line pass, which Clement believes has benefited the game.

"I really felt [taking away the two-line pass] would open up the game and it has," Clement said. "The breakaways and two-on-ones, they're exciting. The increase in odd-man rushes is exponential since the red line was taken out. It's created more action.

"Half of the games [before the lockout] were played between the blue lines. It was like watching a game of Pong. There wasn't much entertainment value to it. The game has become a 200-foot game; it goes from end to end."

Although, he'd like to see the trapezoids - the areas behind the goals that restrict goalie and player movement - removed.