We've heard it before.

Most recently, we've heard it from Gary Bettman. Before that, we heard it from Brian Burke, back when he was the league's top cop in the early- and mid-1990s). Heck, those who are old enough probably heard it from Clarence Campbell.

The NHL is going to crack down this season. The league is going to stop the obstruction that has been choking the excitement out of a great game for years. They're going to do something really radical -- enforce the rulebook.

Despite the assurances, it's hard to believe they'll stay the course. After all, it wasn't too long ago the league produced videotapes which detailed a stricter standard for enforcement. But, by November, the standard reverted back to the old clutch-and-grab, hook-and-hold way of doing business.

This time, though, the league insists it is serious about creating permanent change. To that end, the NHL's upper management, the general managers, head coaches and on-ice officials will hole up at the lovely Regal Constellation Hotel on Tuesday for a first-of-its-kind, three-hour meeting to discuss the standard of enforcement for the 2002-03 season.

Actually, according to a league spokesman, it won't be a discussion. Rather, it will be a one-way laying down of the law by the league. The league wants to ensure its new guidelines are very clear (repeat: very clear) to the refs and the team officials, who are supposed to pass along the message to the players. We can only hope nothing gets lost in the translation.

The new law includes a rule, the hurry-up faceoff, which proved to be a hit during the Olympic hockey tournament and was experimented with successfully during the second half of the season in the American Hockey League.

More importantly, though, the league will inform its clubs that players will no longer be able to use their sticks to impede a player who doesn't have the puck. Simply, if a player places his stick on an opponent who doesn't have the puck, it will be a penalty. This change will make it a more black and white call, leaving little room for an individual referee's discretion or judgment.

And, if the game referees fail to whistle the infraction, league officials (who now monitor every game via satellite in the Toronto office) will be in touch via e-mail after the game with a friendly reminder that they missed a call.

Now, all of this is well intentioned. After all, no one pays to see overmatched forwards or defenders slow the game's fast-paced flow with intentional interference. But, in the past, the league has taken a stand, then backed off when the first wave of games got bogged down by penalties. However, its the price that must be paid to restore flow to the game.

Still, players are pretty smart. Once they figure out that the league isn't kidding around, they'll adjust to the new standard. If, however, the players sense that the refs are backing off, they'll look to regain an on-ice edge with a hook or a hold.

So, will the league stand firm this time? Again, we've heard it before. We can only hope it will have a new -- and happier -- ending.

E.J. Hradek writes hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.