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Panthers GM Dale Tallon will propose coaches challenge during GM meetings

Dale Tallon

Chicago Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon speaks at a news conference Thursday, Oct. 16, 2008, in Chicago. The Blackhawks announced they have fired Denis Savard as coach after a 1-2-1 start and replaced him with Joel Quenneville.(AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

ASSOCIATED PRESS

It’s always easier to get involved in a cause if something affected you directly. You’ll see this happen often with celebrities; they will sometimes get involved in charitable efforts when their children or other loved ones suffer from a disease.

By that train of thought, it’s not shocking that Florida Panthers GM Dale Tallon is leading the charge to give NHL coaches the right to challenge one call per game (if they still have a timeout). After all, Tallon’s team would have benefited from such a rule after Toronto Maple Leafs forward Colton Orr more or less made a goal happen because he interfered with Panthers goalie Scott Clemmensen.

TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that the topic will be on the agenda for Tuesday’s general meetings and that Tallon sent the information to NHL Senior VP and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell. Dreger also shared the specifics of Tallon’s proposed rule change.

The introductory criteria for Tallon’s proposal for a coach’s challenge are as follows:

> Applies only to goal-related plays

> Challenge must be issued within prescribed time limit

> Team must have timeout left to issue challenge

> Unsuccessful challenge results in loss of timeout

> Successful challenge results in no loss of timeout

> One challenge per team per game


Addressing the coach’s challenge system is something we took a look at last week and hey, look at that, they want to check into it further.

Seems pretty straightforward and reasonable, right? Much like in the NFL, an unsuccessful challenge will cost a team a timeout, which means that the new rule wouldn’t really add that much time to a contest in most cases. Either a challenge will be successful (and therefore worth the time spent) or it won’t and there will be one less available break in the action.

One bonus is that a coach cannot challenge a play as frivolously as an NFL one would; they only get one opportunity as opposed to two chances like their pigskin counterparts. Let’s not forget that NHL teams only get one timeout per game, too, so losing that could be a big blow for teams that commit a poorly timed icing or need to draw up a play late in a game.

What do you think? Should coaches be allowed to challenge specific plays? Let us know in the comments.