In short, nothing that follows qualifies as earth-shattering, seismic change — the goalie interference debate will continue, and Ken Holland’s 3-on-3 overtime dream remains unrealized — but they’re all positive moves.
Here are the 10 changes, ranked according to how interesting they are. Needless to say, this is largely objective. And, personally speaking, it’s good to see no alterations to fighting rules — Steve MacIntyre hadn’t heard about them last year, and breaking the news to him was less than pleasant.
- Rule 23 – Game Misconduct Penalties
A new Game Misconduct category will be created. Clipping, charging, elbowing, interference, kneeing, head-butting and butt-ending move from the general category into the same category as boarding and checking from behind (“Physical Fouls”), whereby a player who incurs two such game misconducts in this category would now be automatically suspended for one game.
Given the amount of injuries that seem to occur on all the new game misconducts, this is a no-brainer. Raising your elbow or butt-ending someone isn’t much less dangerous than boarding them. Safety is good.
- Rule 1.8 – Rink - Goalkeeper’s Restricted Area
The trapezoid will be expanded by two feet from the goal post on both sides of the net.
Goalies have more room to legally play the puck. It’s either a nice parting gift to Martin Brodeur or an impressive knife-twist, depending on whether he signs with a team.
- Rule 76 – Face-offs
To curb delay tactics on face-offs after icing infractions, in situations where the defending team is guilty of a face-off violation, following an icing, the defending player who is initially lined up for the face-off will be given a warning, but will be required to remain in the circle to take the face-off. A second face-off violation by the defending team in such situation will result in a two minute minor bench penalty.
This had become a bigger deal in recent years: Have a player who’s bad at face-offs line up and then deliberately get tossed out to buy some cheap recovery time for your center. That’s effectively been eliminated.
- Rule 57 – Tripping
The rule relating to “Tripping” will be revised to specifically provide that a two minute minor penalty will be assessed when a defending player “dives” and trips an attacking player with his body/arm/shoulder, regardless of whether the defending player is able to make initial contact with the puck.
But, in situations where a penalty shot might otherwise be appropriate, if the defending player “dives” and touches the puck first (before the trip), no penalty shot will be awarded. (In such cases, the resulting penalty will be limited to a two-minute minor penalty for tripping.)
Ah, classic bait-and-switch. It really seemed like we were going to get more penalty shots after that first paragraph, didn’t it?
- Rule 1.9 – Rink – Face-off Spots and Circles – Ice Markings/Hash Marks
The hash marks at the end zone circles will be moved from three feet apart to five feet, seven inches apart (international markings).
This pushes players farther apart outside the circle, which means less pre-faceoff … jostling. Yes, let’s call it “jostling.” That one will be tested in the preseason and potentially approved for the regular season.
- Rule 85 – Puck Out of Bounds
There have been further rule changes made relating to face-off location to avoid penalizing teams for plays intended to create bona fide scoring opportunities. Specifically, the following are “categories of plays” where face-offs will remain in the attacking zone despite the fact that the attacking team was technically responsible for the stoppage in play: Shots at the net by a player on the attacking team where: (i) the shot breaks the glass; (ii) the shot goes off the side of the net and deflects out of play; (iii) the shot goes off the dasher boards or glass and deflects out of play; (iv) the shot is tipped or deflected out of play by a teammate; and (v) the shot becomes wedged in or on the exterior of the goal net.
In short: More face-offs in the offensive zone = more attempted shots = more goals.
- Diving / Embellishment
The supplementary discipline penalties associated with Rule 64.3 (Diving/Embellishment) will be revised to bring attention to and more seriously penalize players (and teams) who repeatedly dive and embellish in an attempt to draw penalties. Fines will be assessed to players and head coaches on a graduated scale outlined below.
“We understand players try to draw penalties,” Colin Campbell said at the Stanley Cup Final. “We feel it’s out of control.”
Publicly shaming players with press releases for those fines should help. The fines themselves won’t. Less than $30,000 total gets you eight dives. In a league where the minimum salary is $600,000, that’s not a ton.
- Rule 38 – Video Goal Judge
Video review will be expanded in the following areas:
Rule 38.4 (viii) has been modified to allow broader discretion to Hockey Operations to assist the referees in determining the legitimacy of all potential goals (e.g., to ensure they are “good hockey goals”). The revised Rule will allow Hockey Operations to correct a broader array of situations where video review clearly establishes that a “goal” or “no goal” call on the ice has been made in error. The new expanded rule will also allow Hockey Operations to provide guidance to referees on goal and potential goal plays where the referee has blown his whistle (or intended to blow his whistle) after having lost sight of the puck.
In reviewing “Kicked in Goals,” Hockey Operations will require more demonstrable video evidence of a “distinct kicking motion” in order to overrule a “goal” call on the ice, or to uphold a “no goal” call on the ice.
There’s a lot of judgment tie up in that last paragraph, and judgment calls are usually interesting. The distinct kicking motion now needs to be distincter. That should be fun. And using video to get things right is always a positive thing.
- Penalty Shot
The ‘Spin-O-Rama’ move, as described in Section 24.2 of the 2013-14 NHL Rule Book, will no longer be permitted either in Penalty Shot situations or in the Shootout.
Fare thee well, Spin-O-Rama. Physics, specifically the concept of forward motion, has killed you. No fun.
- Rule 84 – Overtime
Teams will switch ends prior to the start of overtime in the regular season.
The entire ice surface will undergo a “dry scrape” prior to the start of overtime in the regular season.
The procedure requiring the head coach to submit a list of the first three shooters in the shoot-out has been eliminated.
The overtime long change has arrived. It’s not 3-on-3 overtime hockey — yet — but it does put the benches closer to each team’s respective offensive zone. Then, defensemen have further to skate to get off the ice. Then, there are more breakaways. Then, more games are decided in overtime, rather than the shootout.
And really, that’s what the NHL is after; about 14 percent of all games end in shootouts, and the league wants that to drop. Given that the USHL’s introduction of fresher ice and the long change led to a 10-percent drop in that league’s shootout-decided games, this should be a decent incremental step.
