Love ya Coach.
I wasn't thinking about the pause so much as I might be cutting the music short to get back to the face-off after a goal, because I can't tell when the music ends.
As for actual time-outs - I am of the camp that believes a time-out actually resets momentum in a game. If I've just had 2 or 3 goals scored on me in quick succession - I know that for the rest of the period, my guys will be running around full fire-alarm, and that winning a face-off will become an impossible feat. A timeout (beyond giving the coach a reset) more often than not can give you the next face-off, and an opportunity to hold onto the puck for a bit.
If I can say anything about changing player numbers - it's that there should be a hard/fast rule, no negotiating. In fact, maybe there should be a way to show that a common player has had his number changed in game. It would be cool if you could add a star, or an x to the players number on screen. s**t, could you ditch numbers for initials - or 3-4 letter acronyms? (Not asking for these roms to be changed, just wondering if it is possible).
Great stuff coach.