NHL Declines Coach's Challenge on Replay

According to ESPN, the NHL has shot down Florida Panthers' GM Dale Tallon's proposition of giving NHL coaches an NFL-style challenge system. Under the NFL's current system, coaches are given two challenges per half, and charged with a timeout if the play is not overturned.

Tallon's proposition was giving coaches one goal challenge per game, and charging them their only timeout if the play does not go overturned.

This issue came to the forefront several weeks ago when Toronto's Colton Orr bumped into Panthers goalie Scott Clemmensen, allowing the Leafs to score, and eventually win the game, 3-1.

"It's a dead issue," Tallon said at this week's GM meetings. "That's the way it goes. You win some, you lose some, right?"

This is a big mistake on the NHL's part. Too many games involve a costly goaltender interference call and lead to disallowed goals.

Last night in the New York Rangers game against the Washington Capitals, the Rangers took the lead on a Ruslan Fedetenko goal which was overturned due to accidental goaltender interference.

The replays that followed clearly showed that Fedetenko made little-to-no contact with the Capitals goaltender, and it was more a Washington defenseman who interfered with the goaltender.

Washington went on to win, 5-3.

The league currently reviews goals depending on if a puck goes into the net or not, but does not review goals due to contact.

Allowing the coach to challenge one goal a game would not slow the game down, and probably would not occur very often. If the point is to get games and calls correct, then this should be a no-brainer.