Major League Baseball does it. The National Football League does it. Tennis players can do it too. What is “it”? Challenge a call made in a game. While peer pressure has a negative connotation, I firmly believe that in this instance the National Hockey League should follow suit.
In today’s NHL the game is so fast that it is impossible for officials to see exactly what happens live, while nearly everyone else has the luxury of slow motion replays. Although it’s understandable that officials make mistakes, it’s still an issue that needs to be addressed in order to maintain the integrity of the game.
Too many incidents have occurred over the last few seasons in which a coach’s challenge would’ve been unequivocally beneficial to coming to the right decision. These situations have made a difference on the outcome of the game and, therefore, encourage the implementation of a coach’s challenge.
Puck Prose
Last season, for instance, the Detroit Red Wings scored a tying goal against the Los Angeles Kings off of a puck that hit the netting and should’ve been called dead. The referees didn’t see it and allowed the goal. This, in turn, cost the Kings a regulation win and instead they got one point for losing in a shootout, while Detroit got two more points than they deserved.
Just last month those same Detroit Red Wings were playing the Washington Capitals and the Capital’s goalie Braden Holtby caught an edge and fell over while a Red Wing was in close proximity. The Wings then scored a goal into the empty net; however, none of the four officials on the ice saw that no contact was made with Holtby and subsequently the goal wasn’t counted. The Red Wings went on to win the game, but the principle of the matter is that the goal shouldn’t have been disallowed.
In both of the aforementioned events the outcomes of games were altered by the lack of ability to review plays. This simply cannot happen going forward in the NHL. The game is only going to get faster as players become more and more talented and in the event that the officials remain at their current level of ability it just plain won’t be sufficient.
Those opposed to a coach’s challenge fear that this rule change is unnecessary because the NHL has been around for so long without it, while others are concerned about the additional amount of time it will take to double-check the plays in question. No, having one challenge per team per game would not drastically change the sport, nor would it make the time between plays exponentially longer. Coaches would merely be able to have Toronto, or the referees themselves, challenge the play in question and either stick with their initial decision, or reverse it. Easy as that.
Furthermore, these are the kinds of plays and events that can enrage and confuse fans to the point of no return; thus losing revenue and attendance for teams and the league as a whole. That reason alone should encourage the implementation of a challenge. One can only hope that the General Manager meetings will employ this necessary rule that will make the NHL calls more cohesive with today’s play.
What is your opinion on coach’s challenges place in the NHL? Comment down below so we can talk about it.
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