What are the NHL rule changes for the 2022-23 season?
Regardless of where you stand, it would appear that the league is trying to improve the accuracy of the calls made during games.
The 2022-23 NHL season is upon us and in case you missed it there has been a small, but significant change to the rule book. We’ve got you covered with an explanation of exactly what it is and what it means. Let’s go!
NHL referees can now void major penalties
With the 2022-23 NHL regular season now underway, a lot has been made of a change in the league’s rules and while one could be forgiven for thinking it’s just folks being dramatic, the reality is that the alteration does in fact warrant explanation. Indeed, this is not like last season when the NHL noticeably increased the enforcement of cross-checking penalties. This is quite literally a change to the rules themselves. In short form, NHL referees can now overturn major penalties, but what exactly does that mean and how will it work?
As we understand it, during the 2022-23 NHL regular season, referees will now be allowed to rescind major penalties after a review of video. Something like the VAR system that is now being used in soccer if you’re familiar with it. This is of course, dramatically different from what rule 20.6 previously allowed, which is to say that referees could downgrade from a major penalty to a minor one, but they couldn’t completely erase it.
What exactly does the new NHL rule say?
If you’re a stickler for details - we know we are - here is a look at just how the new rule stands in writing according to the league’s documentation:
“The Referee shall have the following options after video review of his own call: (i) confirming his original Major Penalty call; (ii) reducing his original Major Penalty call to a lesser penalty; or (iii) rescinding the original Major Penalty altogether.”
Worth mentioning, is the fact that aside from the nullification of a penalty at their discretion, referees can also change the type of penalty as well. Needless to say, the change has been met with widely contrasting views. Yet, it must be said, if it increases the potential for accuracy in officiation of games, isn’t that a good thing?