NHL coaches need a time out
Adrian McMorris, SPORTS COLUMNIST
The NHL may never have a flawless system to make sure its officials get it right, but if a coach challenges a call and gets it wrong, he should lose more than a timeout.
The NHL Board of Governors approved an expanded video review for the 2015-16 season. This new rule allows coaches to challenge any offside or goalie interference that leads to a goal.
According to the NHL, there were 216 coach challenges this past season and 55 goals were overturned. Of those challenges, 138 were because of goaltender interference and 78 were because of offside.
Only 25% of challenges were successful, but coaches aren’t always counting on the goal being overturned.
Coaches seem to be challenging offside calls regardless if they think they’re right. Challenges have become more of an extended timeout for the team. If the coach loses the challenge, the timeout he’s lost was already made up by the time it took to review his challenge.
If there isn’t a harsher penalty applied, coaches can use the new rule as much as they want and not lose anything in the process. There’s no risk in challenging every goal.
The new rule has become a crutch for coaches to lean on when they have nothing else. In football terms, it’s a hail mary.
If the NHL wants the expanded video review to be effective they should penalize coaches who challenge a play and are wrong with a delay of game penalty. If their team lost a player for two minutes they would be less likely to slow down the game I love with a pointless challenge.
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When Adrian McMorris isn’t watching hockey, he’s travelling the world.
He’s backpacked through South America, Australia and Eastern Europe.
No matter where he is, he asks that people do their best Rocky Balboa impression and yell his name.
He’s on Twitter @AdrianMcmorris
