CHICAGO – Ron Hextall says it’s time the NHL did something to curb the excessive use of the coach’s challenge for offsides after a goal.
A new rule change proposes that instead of a team losing its timeout if the call on the ice is upheld, it gets to keep the timeout but the club is tagged with a two-minute delay of game penalty.
“I think there is some validity to it,” Hextall said.
That’s the proposal NHL general managers voted upon on Thursday. The measure will now go before the NHL competition committee and then the league’s Board of Governors for final approval.
“The players don't like the offside like the fans and media,” said league senior vice president Colin Campbell. “So we're trying to temper it a little bit and take care of the obvious offsides, but the close ones, hopefully, this will eliminate [excessive challenges].”
The goal is to have the rule change in use for this coming season.
Hextall said he foresees less challenges and more power plays.
NHL
“Challenges should be for a reason,” he said. “I’ve said all along, quietly to myself and our people, 'we’ve got to be careful how many challenges there is' and I don’t see enough of a deterrent now.
“Now you’ve got a harsh deterrent. You’re not going to do it if there’s a 10 percent chance we gonna challenge this. All of sudden, now you’re going, ‘boy, it’s got to be 50 or maybe 60 percent.’ I like the concept, I like the idea.”
Thirty of 31 GMs supported the measure.
The Governors already approved a rule change on Wednesday in Las Vegas that will no longer allow a team icing the puck to use a timeout to rest tired players on the ice.