Nov 18, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins head coach Claude Julien reacts to a call during the second period against the St. Louis Blues at TD Banknorth Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Coaches challenges in the NHL. Is this their attempt to follow suit with what football has done for years now, and what baseball has recently implemented after over a hundred years of not using it? I’m not convinced it is a good idea, or a necessary one.
To give the coaches a chance to challenge the call of a referee for an offside play or goaltender interference is close to pointless. The coach stands behind the bench, and the linesman or referee is standing right on top of the play. Their job is to be that close to the play and make those calls, not the coaches.
The referees have the perfect vantage point to make those calls and the coaches do not, so why give them the power to potentially slow the game down even further. A penalty is something that cannot be appealed, so why should an offside be any different. The only plays that truly need to be reviewed are goals. There is no need for a coaches challenge in the NHL.
–Jacob Strozyk, Editor
I don’t think you are going to convince Jacob that there should be a coaches challenge in the NHL anytime soon. I also don’t think that the coach on the bench will be alone in making the call – assistant coaches in the press box will more than likely letting the coach know to make the challenge, especially during long change periods where the play is up ice.
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