NHL makes a change to the “puck over glass” rule that could have disastrous results

Earlier this morning, the NHL announced some pretty significant changes to all 31 of its arenas for the remainder of the 2021 season. As part of the league's mandate to improve air quality and air flow around the players' benches, the protective glass between the bench and the audience seating area will be removed. 

From NHL insider Elliotte Friedman: 

The most noticeable to everyone watching will be the removal of all glass behind team benches. Clearly, the league is worried about air flow in that area, where contact is closest and lengthiest during games. The NHL isn’t waiting on that directive, asking it to be done in time for Thursday’s games.

Makes sense, right? There are obviously no fans in attendance at most NHL buildings and the glass only serves to trap in stale air. Get it out of there and open things up a bit, right? 

Well... there's one major problem: The stupid "puck over glass" rule.

Typically if a player shoots the puck over the players' bench and clear over the glass into the crowd it's a 2 minute delay of game penalty. What now? What happens with no glass there? Well, get this... the same rule still applies but now it will be up to the referee's discretion of whether or not that puck would have hit the glass or not.

Are you kidding me? You're going to expect officials to make a judgement on a puck travelling at a high rate of speed that's 15 feet in the air? This... this has the potential to cause an absolutely disastrous situation. Imagine getting called for delay of game penalty when the puck would have otherwise hit the glass and stayed on the players' bench. Imagine that happening during a critical part of the game. Imagine that happening in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Now, maybe I'm getting ahead of myself here and there's a real possibility that this new rule will have no effect on the season but... why even open yourself up to that chance if you're the NHL?

There's an easy fix here, but the NHL never seems interested in taking the simple approach. Simply get rid of the puck over glass rule when it comes to the players' bench. Easy, right? If you find players abusing this (VERY unlikely) then you address that issue at that time. In the meantime though, the NHL seems content in over-complicating things once again.