The Edmonton Journal's Jim Matheson focuses on the Dallas Stars' play in his Hockey World column, but this "Short Shift" raised both of my eyebrows:
The NHL didn’t think there would be anywhere near the 70 or so coach’s challenges made so far this season. They felt the coaches wouldn’t risk losing their time out if they were wrong, but that’s piddling stuff to them. The challenge takes three times as long as the time out and that benefits the coaches. Here’s what the NHL may well do next year: they will allow the coach’s challenge for offsides on goals and goalie interference on goals but if the coach loses a challenge they will get a delay-of-game penalty rather than lose their time out. They can challenge more than once but it’s the same rules (two-minute penalty if they guess wrong). The NHL figures there will be about 200 coach’s challenges by season’s end.
Matheson continues, and I understand that the league and fans aren't thrilled about "experimental" coach's challenges, but the concept of linking one coach's challenge to a penalty, never mind unlimited coach's challenges to penalties, seems to defeat its purpose.
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