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NHL/NHLPA Competition Committee announces new rules recommendations including expanded video review

By Ian Oland

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June 11, 2019 8:37 pm

Ahead of Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Final, the NHL sent out a release announcing new rules recommendations for the 2019-20 season. The news comes following an NHL/NHLPA Competition Committee meeting Tuesday in Toronto.

Several nuanced changes could be coming to the NHL next season including expanded video review, stricter helmet rules, changes to faceoff procedure, and new regular-season tie-breakers.

Here’s the list of recommendations via the NHL.

Expanded Video Review/Coach’s Challenge – The Committee recommends changes to the Coach’s Challenge and expanded video review, including as it relates to a Referee’s ability to review some of his own calls on the ice. Recommendations will be prepared for the League’s Board of Governors, General Managers and the NHLPA’s Executive Board.

Helmets Off During Play – The Committee recommends work on a rule construct for implementation next season that would reasonably require a player to leave the ice in the event his helmet comes off during play.

Goalies Unnecessarily Freezing Puck – The Committee recommends that the defensive team not be permitted a line change when a goalie freezes the puck on any shot from outside the center red line. The offensive team will have the choice of which end zone dot the face-off will take place.

Face-off Procedure Changes/Line Changes – The Committee recommends: i) that following an icing, the offensive team will have the choice of which end zone dot the face-off will take place. ii) To begin a power-play, the offensive team will have the choice of which end-zone dot the face-off will take place. iii) That no line change be permitted for the defending team if, in the judgement of the Official, the actions of a skater of the defensive team caused the stoppage by unintentionally knocking the net off. The offensive team will have the choice of which end-zone dot the face-off will take place.

Puck Out of Bounds – The Committee recommends that when the attacking team is responsible for the puck going out of play in the attacking zone, all face-offs will be conducted at one of the two face-off dots in the attacking zone.

Regular Season Tie-breakers – The Committee recommends adoption of a proposal that would modify existing regular season tie-breaking procedures and adding additional criteria.

Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman reports that it is likely the first tiebreaker will become wins in regulation, as opposed to regulation and overtime.

According to the NHL, the new rules recommendations require approval by the NHLPA’s Executive Board and the NHL’s Board of Governors. Then, the language of the rules would be formalized.

The people involved in the meeting included the co-chairs of the NHL/NHLPA Competition Committee: Mathieu Schneider, the NHLPA’s Special Assistant to the Executive Director and Colin Campbell, the NHL’s Senior Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations. The NHLPA was represented by Ron Hainsey (Toronto), Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg), Connor McDavid (Edmonton), John Tavares (Toronto), and James van Riemsdyk (Philadelphia). The NHL was represented by Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold and General Managers David Poile (Nashville), Ken Holland (Edmonton), Doug Wilson (San Jose) and Steve Yzerman (Detroit).