NHL finally fixes ridiculous offside Coach's Challenge rule

About time!

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 3 years ago
NHL finally fixes ridiculous offside Coach's Challenge rule
TSN

In case you missed it yesterday, amidst all the hoopla surrounding its return to play plans the NHL announced that it was tweaking Rule 83.1 better known as the offside rule. More specifically, the rule change will have a big impact on the Coach's Challenge. Previously, the rules stated that a player's skate had to be in contact with the blue line in order to be on-side, this is no longer the case. The player's skate only has to stay onside either on the air or on the ice, it does not HAVE to be in contact with the blue line

More details:


(NEW) - A player is on-side when either of his skates are in contact with the blue line, or on his own side of the line, at the instant the puck completely crosses the leading edge of the blue line. On his own side of the line shall be defined by a "plane" of the blue line which shall extend from the leading edge of the blue line upwards. If a player's skate has yet to break the "plane" prior to the puck crossing the leading edge, he is deemed to be on-side for the purpose of the off-side rule.

If nothing else, this new tweak to the offside rule should have a big impact on the amount of ticky tack Coach's Challenges that we see where a coach is just hoping to get a goal reversed on a technicality. I would have preferred if they just got rid of the Coach's Challenge altogether, but at least this is a step forward. 

 

Source: NHL