NHL competition committee recommends coach's challenge
The NHL competition committee has recommended a coach's challenge for goals that may have been scored because of goaltender interference or offside plays.
The NHL/NHLPA competition committee met in New York City on Thursday to discuss possible rule changes for the 2015-16 season and has couple of new recommendations. Among the recommendations is for the introduction of expanded video replay that would also introduce a coach's challenge for goals that may have resulted from goaltender interference and offside plays.
The committee, through co-chairs Mathieu Schneider of the NHLPA and Colin Campbell of the NHL, released a statement in the evening to announce its recommendations.
From the NHL/NHLPA statement on the coach's challenge and expanded video replay:
The Committee recommends that a Coach's Challenge be adopted for expanded video review for goals that may have resulted from (1) goaltender interference and (2) offside plays. The video review process and all decisions on goals where goaltender interference may have occurred will be the responsibility of the Referees at ice level, in consultation with the NHL’s Situation Room in Toronto; similarly, goals that may have resulted from an offside play will be reviewed and determined by the on-ice officials, in consultation with the NHL's Situation Room in Toronto. In order for a coach to make a challenge, the team must have its timeout available.
Clayton Stoner's goal in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final is the exact type of play that would be up for review under such a rule.
The committee also offered a recommendation for a change to the faceoff rule for all faceoffs in the defensive zone that would require the player from the defensive zone team to put his stick on the ice first. For faceoffs in the neutral zone, the visiting team will be required to put his stick on the ice first.
Overtime rules were also discussed throughout the meeting on Thursday but no consensus was able to be reached other than the fact there will be no changes to the shootout format.
The two sides will continue discussions on potential changes to the overtime rules over the next couple of weeks.
The recommendations now require the approval of the NHLPA and the NHL's board of governors
