April 22 2015

April 22 2015----------

Hockey Rule Change Proposal: All penalties taken during the third period shall be played out even after the period ends if the team on the power play could score enough goals on the PP to effect the outcome of the game.

Discussion: Penalties are two, four or five minutes long.  A team taking a penalty (and thus possibly stopping a scoring chance) should not benefit from it.  Grabbing a player's stick or pulling a player down with 12 seconds left in a 2-1 game (as happened last week in the playoffs) should not result in a 12 second PP-it should be two minutes.  If the score was 3-1 and the winning team took a two minute penalty the team on the PP could only score one goal on the PP and thus it could not effect the outcome of the game and the game would end at the end of regulation. If, however, it was a one goal game (or a tie game in OT in the regular season) the penalty would be played out and the game extended until the penalty expired to give the non-offending team the value of the penalty and to prevent the offending team from benefiting from the penalty. A five minute major would ALWAYS be played out since you are allowed to score more than one goal on the PP.

Rationale: Rules are to insure fairness.  A rule which allows the offending team to benefit from breaking the rule is unfair and should not be allowed.