Yesterday we told you about Panthers GM Dale Tallon’s big ideas to implement an instant replay challenge system in the NHL and it’s getting some talk thanks to some recently iffy situations where replay wasn’t allowed. It’s also coming up because NHL general managers are set to meet up next week to discuss the hot-button issues going on right now in the league and replay is near the top of the list. Also getting looked at will be how the new blindside hit rule is being implemented as well.
TSN’s Darren Dreger breaks down what else they’ll be talking about on Tuesday.Also expected to be a key agenda item: supplemental discipline, the process, the gamesmanship some GMs use to defend their player or encourage discipline against opposing players.
Confrontation in pre-game warmups is an issue that NHL Senior VP and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell loathes, and this topic will once again be tabled for discussion as the league considers options of how to better police the matter.
Currently, the NHL doesn’t have a game-by-game pre-game monitoring system, whereby either the assigned on-ice or off-ice officials strictly watch warm-up.
Having a referee on the ice during warm-ups never hurts, really, but if they’re going to try to put an end to just smack talking in warm-ups that’s a huge buzzkill. Save that kind of fun-killing nonsense for the NFL or college football. As long as you don’t have a 20-on-20 on-ice brawl in warm-ups like a scene out of “Slap Shot,” I think the NHL is doing just fine letting the yappers do their yapping before the game starts. It’s not as if they’re inciting a riot and as much as the NHL would like to pretend it doesn’t happen, talking crap at each other is definitely part of the game.
As for addressing the headshot and blindside hit rules, you have to expect that hits like Shane Doan’s big hit on Dan Sexton, Joe Thornton’s out of the penalty box hit on David Perron, and Dan Carcillo’s elbow-leading hit on Ruslan Fedotenko are going to get a lot of video play to discuss how well (or not) the new rule is working. It’s too early to tell what kind of effect the rule has, but checking in on progress is for the best.