NHL Announces Rule Changes For 2019-20 Season

[Roberts]

 

Quote

VANCOUVER (June 20, 2019) — The National Hockey League announced today a series of rule changes for the 2019-20 season which will include the use of expanded video review and enhanced player safety initiatives, as well as promoting even more offense and flow in the game. 

 

The rule changes were unanimously approved by the League’s Board of Governors, NHL General Managers and the Competition Committee over the past week. NHL Hockey Operations will work on the precise Rule Book language over the coming weeks.  Following is an overview of the changes:

EXPANSION OF COACH’S CHALLENGE

 

NEW CATEGORY: In addition to Coach’s Challenge for “Off-side” and “Interference on the Goalkeeper”, a third category will allow for the Coach’s Challenge of goal calls on the ice that follow plays in the Offensive Zone that should have resulted in a play stoppage, but did not.

 

This change will allow Challenges of plays that may involve pucks that hit the spectator netting, pucks that are high-sticked to a teammate in the offensive zone, pucks that have gone out of play but are subsequently touched in the offensive zone and hand passes that precede without a play stoppage and ultimately conclude in the scoring of a goal.  Plays that entail “discretionary stoppages” (e.g. penalty calls) will not be subject to a Coach’s Challenge.
 

Coach’s Challenges for these types of plays (and for “Off-Side” Challenges) will only be available if the puck does not come out of the attacking zone between the time of the “missed” infraction and the time the goal is scored.

 

PENALTIES FOR UNSUCCESSFUL CHALLENGES: The number of Coach’s Challenges that can be made will no longer be limited based on the availability of a team’s time-out.  Teams will be permitted to exercise a Coach’s Challenge at any time, but with escalating “consequences” for unsuccessful Challenges. The consequences of unsuccessful Coach’s Challenges will be made consistent across all three Categories of Coach’s Challenges: (1) minor penalty for Delaying the Game on a Club’s first unsuccessful Coach’s Challenge; and (2) double minor penalty for Delaying the Game for each additional Coach’s Challenge that is unsuccessful. 

 

The Situation Room in Toronto will continue to be responsible for initiating video review in the final minute of regulation time and overtime as well as continue to have final authority over all Coach’s Challenge video review decisions with input and consultation from both the On-Ice Officials and a former Official staffed in the Situation Room.

 

REFEREES REVIEW OF MAJOR/MATCH PENALTY CALLS AND DOUBLE MINOR HIGH-STICKING PENALTIES

 

MAJOR & MATCH PENALTIES: Referees will be required to conduct an on-ice video review for all Major (non-fighting) and Match Penalties they assess on the ice for the purpose of: (a) “confirming” the penalty; or (b) “reducing” the penalty to a two-minute minor penalty.  Referees shall not have the option to rescind a called penalty altogether.

 

The Referees will be provided with all available video to review their own calls but will not otherwise consult with the NHL Situation Room with respect to their review.

 

DOUBLE MINOR FOR HIGH-STICKING: Referees will have the ability to conduct an on-ice video review to confirm (or not) their original call on the ice, and, in particular, whether the stick causing the apparent injury was actually the stick of the Player being penalized.  The Referee’s review of all High-Sticking/Double-Minor Penalties will be discretionary and not mandatory and will be conducted without consultation with the NHL Situation Room.
 

OTHER APPROVED RULE CHANGES

 

HELMETS: Subject to further consultation with the NHL Players’ Association on precise language, a Player on the ice whose helmet comes off during play must (a) exit the playing surface, or (b) retrieve and replace his helmet properly on his head (with or without his chin strap fastened). A Player who is making a play on the puck or who is in position to make an immediate play on the puck at the time his helmet comes off, shall be given a reasonable opportunity to complete the play before either exiting the ice or retrieving and replacing his helmet. Failure to comply with the above will result in a minor penalty being assessed on the offending player. A Player who intentionally removes an opponent’s helmet during play shall be assessed a minor penalty for roughing.

LINE CHANGES FOR DEFENSIVE TEAM: The defensive team will not be permitted a line change when a goalie freezes the puck on any shot from outside the center red line. Similarly, if the actions of a skater of the defensive team cause a stoppage by unintentionally dislodging the net from its moorings, the defensive team will not be permitted to make a line change. In both of these instances, the offensive team will have the choice of which end zone dot the face-off will take place.

 

FACE-OFFS FOLLOWING AN ICING & TO BEGIN A POWER-PLAY: Following an icing as well as at the beginning of any power-play, the offensive team will have the choice of which end zone dot the face-off will take place. 

 

AWARDED GOAL: If the goal post is deliberately displaced by a goalkeeper during the course of a “breakaway”, a goal will be awarded to the non-offending team.

 

PUCK OUT OF BOUNDS: When the attacking team is responsible for the puck going out of play in the attacking zone, in all instances, the face-off will be conducted at one of the two face-off dots in the attacking zone.

 

https://media.nhl.com/public/news/13393?utm_source=general&utm_medium=twitter&sf104452379=1

Edited June 21, 2019 by Roberts

[Phil_314]

Hmm this selection of which face-off dot after stoppages could have some potential to be impactful.  Giving the team with its top center out the choice of taking draws on their stronger side in the offensive zone could help with puck possession and increase their scoring.

[18W-40C-6W]

Good to see the NHL admitting they need to get the calls right on goals and majors. Helmet rule is a good idea, others are tweaks. All in all nothing bad, all smart moves

[HKSR]

Hmm... New play in the playbook for matchups -- have player skate hard into offensive zone straight towards goalie while teammate dumps puck right to goalie.  Goalie freezes puck.  Faceoff in offensive zone with ideal matchup against defensive team's current line that is not allowed to change.

[FaninMex]

12 minutes ago, HKSR said:

Hmm... New play in the playbook for matchups -- have player skate hard into offensive zone straight towards goalie while teammate dumps puck right to goalie.  Goalie freezes puck.  Faceoff in offensive zone with ideal matchup against defensive team's current line that is not allowed to change.

Could become Virts bread and butter with his size and forecheck.

[Baer.]

Penalizing coaches for getting a wrong challenge is ridiculous.

[Twilight Sparkle]

26 minutes ago, Baer. said:

Penalizing coaches for getting a wrong challenge is ridiculous.

i think its a good rule. pick your spots or get burned

 

in regards to the helmet rule: "Subject to further consultation with the NHL Players’ Association on precise language" i would hope they further address goalies who intentionally shake their helmets off to stop plays

[Fateless]

36 minutes ago, Baer. said:

Penalizing coaches for getting a wrong challenge is ridiculous.

Really? I found that to be the best change. It forces coaches to only use challenges when there was a clear mistake made rather than where they're just hoping for a goal to be overturned by chance. It'll result in fewer challenges therefore speeding the game up.

[Fanuck]

Basically get ready for considerably more stoppages for challenges and forwards helmets 'mysteriously' falling off in the offensive zone.  OK then,  guess we're making the NHL great again I see.

Edited June 21, 2019 by Fanuck

[xereau]

Endless challenges at the end of games could be comes a thing. If the most you can go down is two guys.. if the season is on the line, maybe you get a 5 on 3 shortie. Momentum trolling.

[Odd.]

So the helmet rule is basically the junior rule where you gotta leave the ice asap if it falls but if there's a play to make you can do it.

 

I kind of like that actually. With how fast paced the game is nowadays, better safe than sorry.

[Drive-By Body Pierce]

#1 seems to be an obvious response to the hand pass incident leading a goal, in these playoffs

[DADDYROCK]

As a fan of this beautiful game I like to see a fair game,

meaning the outcome should be left to the players to decide through good clean fast paced skilled hard hitting hockey,and referees or video getting the calls "right"

 

I watched this years Stanley Cup Playoffs as I have for decades and I was shocked at the poor ,no, atrocious job the refs did for a number of games.They actually sent some refs home due to such a poor lack of control over the situations that arose throughout some games.

If you can't do a decent job, then get help,,and this is what the league is doing for the refs with some of these rule changes because they obviously needed it.

.

,

[Miss Korea Bob.Loblaw]

2 hours ago, Fateless said:

Really? I found that to be the best change. It forces coaches to only use challenges when there was a clear mistake made rather than where they're just hoping for a goal to be overturned by chance. It'll result in fewer challenges therefore speeding the game up.

A couple things here.  First is that I dont see the point of timeout forfeit if the first failed challenge penalizes the team.  Then you've just lost your timeout AND you're down a man.  Seems harsh.  Which leads to my second point.  If they're gonna burn coaches that harshly, you need to give them an extra 15 seconds on their tablets to make a challenge decision.  Raising the stakes should mean more time to decide.

6 minutes ago, DADDYROCK said:

As a fan of this beautiful game I like to see a fair game,

meaning the outcome should be left to the players to decide through good clean fast paced skilled hard hitting hockey,and referees or video getting the calls "right"

 

I watched this years Stanley Cup Playoffs as I have for decades and I was shocked at the poor ,no, atrocious job the refs did for a number of games.They actually sent some refs home due to such a poor lack of control over the situations that arose throughout some games.

If you can't do a decent job, then get help,,and this is what the league is doing for the refs with some of these rule changes because they obviously needed it.

.

,

You can see that a lot of these rule changes are almost completely reactionary to the playoffs.  The Eakin-Pavelski high stick play can now be reviewed.  The Eriksson goal can now be reviewed.  The Perron goal with the Bozak hit cannot be called back, though.  This is going to happen again, and I can see the NHL putting that rule in next summer.

[khay]

These rules would suffice in the regular season but maybe all goals should be subject to FIFA style VAR review in the NHL playoffs. After each goal is scored, video room should look for a potential violation of rules such as puck out of bounds/hand pass/offsides and call the goal back if any rule was violated along the process with or without the coach's challenge.

Edited June 21, 2019 by khay

[khay]

1 hour ago, DADDYROCK said:

As a fan of this beautiful game I like to see a fair game,

meaning the outcome should be left to the players to decide through good clean fast paced skilled hard hitting hockey,and referees or video getting the calls "right"

 

I watched this years Stanley Cup Playoffs as I have for decades and I was shocked at the poor ,no, atrocious job the refs did for a number of games.They actually sent some refs home due to such a poor lack of control over the situations that arose throughout some games.

If you can't do a decent job, then get help,,and this is what the league is doing for the refs with some of these rule changes because they obviously needed it.

.

,

I agree. This is the first time where I basically tuned out the NHL playoffs after 2nd rounds of the playoffs. Couldn't bear to watch and lost interest in the outcome.

 

The game is getting way too fast for these refs. I think FIFA style VAR review is definitely going to be needed in the playoffs.

 

 

[khay]

1 hour ago, xereau said:

Endless challenges at the end of games could be comes a thing. If the most you can go down is two guys.. if the season is on the line, maybe you get a 5 on 3 shortie. Momentum trolling.

I don't like the increasing consequence. Like WTF? If there is going to be a penalty, then minor is enough penalty.

 

And in the last few minutes of the game, there should be a careful assessment of every goal by the video room for any hand pass/offside to see if the goal should be nullified.

[Baer.]

8 hours ago, Fateless said:

Really? I found that to be the best change. It forces coaches to only use challenges when there was a clear mistake made rather than where they're just hoping for a goal to be overturned by chance. It'll result in fewer challenges therefore speeding the game up.

Imagine it's late in the third and it's tied. Your

team scores but it was waived off. You use your challenge because the referee is CLEARLY wrong. Toronto, being completely unreliable as the playoffs showed, muffs the call. Your team is not only penalized but you lose a goal. The other team scores on the powerplay and you lose. Losing a time out was bad enough. Coaches are rarely ever going to take the risk of a 2 goal swing. Makes the challenges useless.

Edited June 21, 2019 by Baer.

[PlanB]

Is this going to become like basketball where coaches just keep calling challenges  (time outs in nba) in last minute so the last 60 seconds of clock time takes 35min in real time? 

[goalie13]

8 hours ago, Twilight Sparkle said:

i think its a good rule. pick your spots or get burned

 

in regards to the helmet rule: "Subject to further consultation with the NHL Players’ Association on precise language" i would hope they further address goalies who intentionally shake their helmets off to stop plays

I've never been an NHL goalie, but the only time I have ever been able to just shake my mask off my head was because a buckle broke.  I say that's a fair reason to stop a play.