Time to fix the offside rule

[nystromshairstylist]

It really angered me in the finals a few years ago with Nash, and now I see it happen where a player's toe is over the line by an eight of an inch, and 16 minutes after they enter the zone, they score - but it is wiped out because of the BS offsides.

I have two ideas/proposals to fix this abomination of a rule:

1-if the offensive team scores a goal within 10 seconds of entering the zone, then that goal can be overturned; after that the goal cannot be and will count as a good goal.

2-if the encroaching team scores immediately on its oncoming rush, then the goal can be overturned. If the puck gets passed around and the defensive team is able to set up and defend, then the goal cannot be.

I'm open to other suggestions if anyone has a better one, but this rule is one of THE stupidest things in hockey right now, and with the officiating hitting bottom this year overall, it needs to be fixed soon.

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[CantLoseWithMatthews]

I agree. Getting the call technically right is secondary to doing what's best for the flow of the game. The rule is designed to stop unfair zone entries from leading to a goal. Not subtle technicalities that had no real effect on the goal being scored. I'd say getting rid of the challenge would be best. if the offside is obvious, it'll be called

 

[JoVel]

I've seen too many times a stupid coach's challenge absolutely kill any momentum of a game because someone was offside by a millimeter. It's a dumb rule and should be abolished. The NHL already realized how dumb it is but didn't want to take it out just yet but rather reduced them by handing out the two minute penalty for a failed challenge.

 

[Vegan Knight]

It's an inherently imbalanced rule that only works to take goals off the board. The defense gets the benefits both ways.

You can't challenge an offside call that is onside that may have lead to a goal so how can we accept that human error margin there but not the other way around?

 

[ijuka]

I think that the offiside is an outdated rule and shouldn't exist. It's the primary culprit when it comes to making trap viable / beneficial.

I honestly would replace it with 2 line pass. That helps with the stretch pass-type plays that Offside wants to prevent, but completely removes "keeping the puck in the zone"-type stuff which honestly just helps the defending team unnecessarily. This change would increase goal-scoring. Three-line pass would also work as an alternative but I feel like that might be a bit much.

 

[Pizza!Pizza!]

It really angered me in the finals a few years ago with Nash, and now I see it happen where a player's toe is over the line by an eight of an inch, and 16 minutes after they enter the zone, they score - but it is wiped out because of the BS offsides.

I have two ideas/proposals to fix this abomination of a rule:

1-if the offensive team scores a goal within 10 seconds of entering the zone, then that goal can be overturned; after that the goal cannot be and will count as a good goal.

2-if the encroaching team scores immediately on its oncoming rush, then the goal can be overturned. If the puck gets passed around and the defensive team is able to set up and defend, then the goal cannot be.

I'm open to other suggestions if anyone has a better one, but this rule is one of THE stupidest things in hockey right now, and with the officiating hitting bottom this year overall, it needs to be fixed soon.

Quit whining, the NHL already fixes the games and now you want them to fix the rules too?

 

[tom_servo]

Gotta say it's interesting how many times the Pens have successfully challenged offsides calls. I know there was no disincentive to challenge before, but it feels like they often see that quarter inch between skate and blueline.

 

[DearDiary]

 

[RandV]

I think that the offiside is an outdated rule and shouldn't exist. It's the primary culprit when it comes to making trap viable / beneficial.

I honestly would replace it with 2 line pass. That helps with the stretch pass-type plays that Offside wants to prevent, but completely removes "keeping the puck in the zone"-type stuff which honestly just helps the defending team unnecessarily. This change would increase goal-scoring. Three-line pass would also work as an alternative but I feel like that might be a bit much.

This would fundamentally change the game. You're thinking about the rush here but the blueline sets where the D setup in the offensive zone and where the battle is for the defending team to exit the zone. If dmen have no line to hold on the offensive who knows where they may start setting up.

 

[AvsFan29]

I don't understand why icings are mostly up to the refs discretion at the red line, and at the hashmarks.

When looking at offsides, they use a video replay and measure it down to the millimetre.

If the refs miss the offside call, get better refs. The Avs have had a ton of disallowed goals because of this nonsense.

 

[Machinehead]

Get rid of the challenge altogether.

Offside is a proxy rule to prevent camping. It was never meant to be called down to the centimeter.

If it's onside to the naked eye, it's onside.

 

[SI90]

The problem is where do you draw the line?(no pun intended)

It’s either black and white or it isn’t.

Oddly tonight my islanders had a huge goal taken away because of an offside challenge. The call was correct but the players back skate was off the ice just before the puck entered the zone. By the rule this was offside but it wasn’t egregious and was so minuscule that it didn’t give the islanders an advantage on the goal.

The conflict is how do you determine how much offside is too much and a clear advantage? The rule has to be black and white to be effective. I agree it can affect the flow of the game but many feel it’s better to get the call right.

 

[Dr Black]

It really angered me in the finals a few years ago with Nash, and now I see it happen where a player's toe is over the line by an eight of an inch, and 16 minutes after they enter the zone, they score - but it is wiped out because of the BS offsides.

I have two ideas/proposals to fix this abomination of a rule:

1-if the offensive team scores a goal within 10 seconds of entering the zone, then that goal can be overturned; after that the goal cannot be and will count as a good goal.

2-if the encroaching team scores immediately on its oncoming rush, then the goal can be overturned. If the puck gets passed around and the defensive team is able to set up and defend, then the goal cannot be.

I'm open to other suggestions if anyone has a better one, but this rule is one of THE stupidest things in hockey right now, and with the officiating hitting bottom this year overall, it needs to be fixed soon.

I like both your suggestions. I'll add some more.

1 Eliminate that insidious technicality that the back skate has to be on the ice. Rather the back skate just could not break the plane of the blue line before the puck.

2 Give a team a 5 minute major for delay of game if they are wrong. The 2-minute penalty isn't deterring teams from using this as a cheating tactic by calling for a forensic analysis on a close entry.

3 Have a neutral off ice official initiate challenges and NOT coaches. The caveat here is that this neutral official is under strict orders to only challenge more obvious egregious missed offsides. If this neutral official has the discretion to challenge any close entry, we would be no further ahead.

These 3 suggestions along with the suggestion of a 10 or 5 second time period after zone entry would definitely help. Anything is better than what we have now. Although the IDEAL solution is to abolish this abomination of a rule altogether. But these tweaks would be better than nothing.

 

[SladeWilson23]

Get rid of the challenge altogether.

Offside is a proxy rule to prevent camping. It was never meant to be called down to the centimeter.

If it's onside to the naked eye, it's onside.

Man we can only imagine the number of goals Gretzky scored that were actually offside.

 

[Hasa92]

I agree, I also hate offsides that kill the flow of the game, a player enters the zone 0.0001 second before the puck and that get's stopped? Come on that's stupid.

I even made a thread similar to this few years back.

I get that offside is in the game to prevent cherry picking but there must be better way than the current one to stop that.

 

[Machinehead]

The problem is where do you draw the line?(no pun intended)

It’s either black and white or it isn’t.

Oddly tonight my islanders had a huge goal taken away because of an offside challenge. The call was correct but the players back skate was off the ice just before the puck entered the zone. By the rule this was offside but it wasn’t egregious and was so minuscule that it didn’t give the islanders an advantage on the goal.

The conflict is how do you determine how much offside is too much and a clear advantage? The rule has to be black and white to be effective. I agree it can affect the flow of the game but many feel it’s better to get the call right.

The rule is black and white.

I just think it's best left up to the human touch as far as calling the rule.

 

[SI90]

The rule is black and white.

I just think it's best left up to the human touch as far as calling the rule.

I know the rule is black and white. That’s my point. It has to be black and white in order to challenge.

I thought the OPs two suggestions were interesting.

 

[AvsFan29]

I've seen no-goal offside calls when the offside player (who's off by a millimetre) didn't even touch the puck, or even get involved in the play. Stupid rule

 

[SotasicA]

Let video ref use discretion. If it wasn't a blatant offside, he can evaluate whether there was advantage gained.

In fact, scrap video ref and just get rid of the challenges. Linesmen are there to call offsides. Let them do their job. No video. Game is much more fluent that way.

I think that the offiside is an outdated rule and shouldn't exist. It's the primary culprit when it comes to making trap viable / beneficial.

I honestly would replace it with 2 line pass. That helps with the stretch pass-type plays that Offside wants to prevent, but completely removes "keeping the puck in the zone"-type stuff which honestly just helps the defending team unnecessarily. This change would increase goal-scoring. Three-line pass would also work as an alternative but I feel like that might be a bit much.

This is interesting. Might change the game somewhat. I'd like to see it tested in a game.

 

[Hennessy]

Just get rid of the challenge. It is tedious and ridiculous.

 

[Spirit of 67]

I'd do 3 things.

1) If the defending team gains control of the puck (but fails to clear), the zone entry is no longer an issue.

2) I'd make the entire blue line on side. Right now, on zone entry, it's the inside edge. If a player crosses over that inside edge before the puck, it's off side. With my rule, if the player and puck are both touching blue paint, it would be on side.

3) I wouldn't worry so much about a skate being on the ice. If the player makes the effort to drag the skate, call it good. No need to check to see if toe was 3mm off the ice.

 

[Marky9er]

The answer is rather simple. RFID chips in skate heels, and in the puck. Now if the puck preceded attacking skates a green light could come on, or alternatively if the skate came first a loud and shocking buzzer.

 

[truthbluth]

Way simpler. No slow motion replay in offsides review. If you can't obviously identify the infraction in real time, it didn't matter.

 

[Yackiberg8]

Get rid of the challenge altogether.

Offside is a proxy rule to prevent camping. It was never meant to be called down to the centimeter.

If it's onside to the naked eye, it's onside.

I wonder if they could adjust it so only blatant offsides are overturned. Still tough to enforce that way but I think that was the original desire of this rule.

 

[truthbluth]

I wonder if they could adjust it so only blatant offsides are overturned. Still tough to enforce that way but I think that was the original desire of this rule.

See my reply above.