If there were a rule in the game today that drives you batty, what would it be? What rule needs to be improved for the coming season? I know a couple of mine will never be changed, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be!
Offside ruling challenges
Am I the only one fed up with this rule in the NHL Book? I suppose not the rule itself, but how it is handled. Half the time, the call is so close that they take 10-15 minutes to review it with a fine-tooth comb. If you need 10-15 minutes, then maybe it’s close enough to count. Or at least put a time limit on the process.
The other problem is teams calling a challenge on a winning goal as a last desperate move. I am okay with it if it’s close, but waiting for the mess to end when the play is not even close is frustrating.
However, there is not much I can do about that; the rule is in place, and you can’t complain that teams are exercising their rights to use it.
Oh yes, the phantom kicking motion
I want to know how Toronto determines whether a puck is kicked in. My wife covers her ears when there’s a challenge against my team. Toronto’s inconsistency drives me nuts. Sometimes I wonder if they’re watching the same game as I am.
The overtime experience
I hate the fact that the game can end in a shootout. A hard-fought game ending in a glorified skills competition. Maybe they could expand the overtime to seven minutes. Let the game end in a tie if it does not end. The NHL is a team game, not an individual skills competition.
Last Word
My wife tells me they can’t hear me when I find myself yelling at the game or an official. Yet I find myself continuing to beat that horse. Maybe I should try to be more supportive? I will answer that by paraphrasing Sam Waterston: If the league is not moving forward, it is falling back.
