A couple days were needed to truly believe it really happened. It was first proposed back in June that a two-minute penalty for an incorrect offside review be assessed. Earlier this week, it came to fruition! A two-minute penalty for an incorrect offside review will be assessed which is the smartest move the NHL has moved since 1991, when they went away from the shoulder separating goalpost moorings to the “Marsh Peg“.
For all the good instant replay brings to professional sports, there are obvious pitfalls. We are not talking about a review where the officials clearly get the call wrong, we are talking about coaches using the reviews to stall the game. A delay of game penalty for incorrectly asking for a review will swiftly eliminate at least half the offside reviews. No more “lets look at the tape and hope the goal gets called off” review. No more “the ice is tilted toward our end so let’s slow down the game and ask for a review”. Hallelujah!
Ever the optimist that is our Spencer Love sees more red lights in the league’s future:
Challenges are a burden to hockey. Does nothing but slow the game down and reduce scoring in a goal-starved league.
Ever the pessimist (in regards to hockey), our Kail Schofield downplays the rule change:
Whatever speed this adds to the game will almost make up the 10 minutes it takes to review it!
It is wonderful to strongly suggest we will not see memes like the one above anymore. “The spirit of the game” which gets battered and disrespected by all NHL coaches just got rejuvenated.
The implementation of this delay of game rule is the equivalent of going to bed feeling frisky with aspirin in the dresser drawer to cure any headache you may hear about. The game still has issues - increasing stick work now being called “hockey plays” and a player safety department that has not addressed any safety issues anywhere near adequately - - but at least now the coaches have one less method to slow down the game.
A note on the perspective hiring of George Parros to head the NHL Player Safety department - this author is holding out any opinion until the man lays down his first suspension.
We are all far too trained to celebrate a goal then wait to see what excuse the other team comes up with to review it and try to take off the board. I’m excited to celebrate a clear cut goal without having that nervous hesitation of seeing the opposing teams captain being sent over to talk to the referees.
No More Timeouts After Icing
Somewhat lost in the excitement of the elimination of needless offside reviews is the elimination of the ability to call a timeout after your team has iced the puck. Last season it felt as if more timeouts were called to “rest” players stuck on the ice due to an icing call rather than in the final minutes of regulation to draw a play to tie or win the game. A common practice that is now barred until teams and coaches inevitably designate players to go down with “an injury” to create a stoppage of play.Though,the NHL has given us confidence through the new delay of game call they introduced this week that if teams find a method to usurp the no timeouts after icing calls that they will nip it in the butt (during the off-season).