Video review process, expanding coach's challenge discussed at GM meetings

MANALAPAN, Fla. -- The process for video review and the potential to expand the coach's challenge rule are again topics of discussion at the annual March meetings of the NHL general managers that began Monday and will run through Wednesday.

It was among the topics talked about in small group breakout sessions Monday and will be brought to the entire group of general managers and League executives here Tuesday for further discussion.

"We talk about that every meeting," said Colin Campbell, the NHL's senior executive vice president of hockey operations. "I talked to the NFL at one point at the outdoor games in Jersey and their challenge is like ours and all sports, where do we go in trying to make our game perfect with video review and how long does it take to make those reviews?"

Campbell said the discussion Monday included a conversation about allowing coaches to challenge plays involving pucks shot over the glass from the defensive zone that should or should not result in a delay of game penalty.

The coach's challenge rule is currently allowed to be utilized on plays involving goals scored off a potential offside, goalie interference or missed stoppage.

Adding a challenge for pucks shot over the glass would be allowing coaches to initiate a video review for a potential penalty.

"We talk about it all the time and we discussed that pretty thoroughly today," Campbell said. "Should we look at taking the penalty down and adding a penalty, or just taking a penalty down?"

A delay of game penalty is assessed to players who shoot the puck directly over the glass from the defensive zone.

However, there are rare times when replays show a penalty was called despite the fact the puck hit something, be it a skate, stick, glove or even the glass, before exiting the playing area.

It also has happened be that the no penalty was called even though the puck was shot directly over the glass from the defensive zone.

"There's always going to be subjectivity in our game, but if we can get calls right that arguably everybody sees what's wrong, that's the intention of the coaches challenge," Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said. "When you can determine that it's black and white, those are the ones that if they are wrong, we should fix. There aren't a lot of them, but if we can, we should."

Campbell said there is concern about how far to go if the NHL starts allowing video review for penalties.

"It always goes to that," he said. "You get the odd play where the stick is right there, and the guy trips up and it looks like a tripping penalty. We get the cross-check, but is it a cross-check or a push? How far do you go? We don't want to go there, you're just going to have to suck that back and it is what it is, but maybe at some point in time. Baseball is talking about balls and strikes, it's the same thing. We've always moved slowly on video review, but we want to get the game as right as possible."

The time it takes to conduct video reviews is a key part of the discussion too, Campbell said.

"We had a player this year that suggested it took us 15 minutes one night," he said. "It didn't take us 15 minutes, it took us four minutes and 15 seconds. We try to make the right call. We try to get as many of the right views as we can with technology, and it seems to be improving constantly.

"It might linger for five or six minutes in that game, but if you get the wrong call it could linger for five or six weeks or longer."

That goes to the balance the NHL is trying to strike with video review, how much is too much, a question that will be debated again Tuesday.

"The thing we keep hearing is we want to get it right, but we also want to keep the game going," Philadelphia Flyers general manager Daniel Briere said. "What's the fine line with getting it right and losing momentum and boring our fans to death because it takes too long? We're in the entertainment business and we have to entertain our fans while the game is going."