NHL GMs back coach's challenge, add blueline cameras for playoffs

BOCA RATON, Fla. – NHL general managers voiced their support for the coach’s challenge system after the first day of their annual meetings at the Boca Raton Resort and Club.

The new rule, which enables coaches to challenge offside and goaltender interference plays on goals, was the most discussed topic on Day 1, and GMs didn’t see any need for wholesale changes to the system.

“For all of us the coach’s challenge has been a very useful tool. I think it’s going to prevent the egregious mistake and there’s always going to be stuff we disagree on but I think it’s been terrific,” Edmonton Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli said.

“You can get down to the nitty-gritty on all these things but I think if you look at the big picture, we’re in a better place than we were a year ago,” Chicago Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman said. “The whole point of the coach’s challenge was to get rid of those ones that were egregious and I think we accomplished that. In the process now you talk about every single thing.”

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For the playoffs, league director of hockey operations Colin Campbell said the NHL will install cameras to help with offside calls as part of the challenge.

“That’s the one in-season tweak we can make. It’s not a rule change, it’s just helping make the process better,” Campbell said.

He noted that the league used such camera angles at the last two outdoor games: ”It’s been great.’’

Said Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford, "We think adding the two cameras will speed up the process on the offside reviews,"

NHL coaches have publicly mentioned the small size of the tablet used by the referee in the coach’s challenge as an issue. This is something that could be looked at moving forward, but wasn't viewed as requiring an immediate update.

“I think there are some optics on that,” Nashville Predators GM David Poile said. “They talked about other tablets that may be available. I can see that being changed. If bigger is better maybe there will be a change in that area.”

Said Chiarelli, “Technologically we’re trying to do the best we can.”

There was also a question on whether the league should cut out the referee and use the situation room in Toronto as a way to rule on calls. The league said that using the official in conjunction with the situation room has been going about as well as expected.

“Well I think it’s too early to judge that,” Campbell said. “We said maybe. We have debate internally with our group in Toronto on calls. … We’ve had close to 100 goalie interference calls (with the coach’s challenge) this season and we might have disagreed with our officials six or seven times. And this is the first year of the process, so that’s pretty good.”

Said Chiarelli, “It’s a decision that the refs make and gets help from the war room. We talked about that a little bit but I don’t see that happening. I think we’re getting it right for the most part and I look at it like it’s almost the cost of doing business. It was 50-50 calls, it’s the cost of doing business to prevent the egregious mistake.”

Some coaches use the challenge as a strategic timeout at points in the game. At this stage of the challenge that seems to be considered more of an occupational hazard.

“The timeout stuff, I don’t really understand that line of thinking,” Chiarelli said. “It was more about ... we went through a lot of the 50-50 calls and those are going to happen and if those aren’t reviewed then there are still going to be disgruntled parties on either side. I look at the 50-50 calls, those calls that could go either way as the cost of doing business to have this in place and to have the right calls on the egregious mistakes."

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper