Hockey fans have anxiously awaited the implementation of several new NHL rules to improve the quality of the game. Let’s just say NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and company need to look no further than the KHL Junior Hockey League.
It’s been nine years since the NHL rules for overtime were adjusted. Beginning in the 2015-16 season, regular season overtime sessions were moved from 4-on-4 to 3-on-3. Not only does this make the game product far more entertaining for fans, but it also reduces the chances of a game being decided in a shootout.
As popular as NHL 3-on-3 overtime is, there’s one change that countless fans have called for that the KHL Junior Hockey League is experimenting with.
Last month, the KHL announced on X/Twitter that their Junior Hockey League would try a new rule for the 2024-5 season for 3-on-3 overtime:
“Players are not allowed to skate with the puck back to their half of the ice in OT. A minor penalty shall be imposed upon the team starting the 2nd violation of the rule.”
Yesterday, the KHL posted a clip of what the new 3-on-3 rules will look like in the Junior Hockey League. The officials hold up the rule by blowing the whistle immediately after an offensive player crosses the center line:
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After seeing the clip, hockey fans started calling for Bettman and his league to change their overtime NHL rules as well:
Before the 2004-05 NHL season was canceled because of a lockout, the NHL had a single five-minute 4-on-4 overtime session for regular season contests. If the game wasn’t decided after 65 minutes, the contest would end in a tie with each team getting one point.
From 2005-06 to 2014-15, the league scrapped the tie and implemented a shootout to settle tied games after overtime. Will another significant rule change be added to their overtime sessions? Stay tuned.
New NHL Rules For 2024-25 Season
The NHL adopted four new rules for the 2024-25 season. For starters, coaches can now challenge delay-of-game penalties if “the puck is determined to have deflected off a player, stick, glass or boards.”
A defensive team also cannot make line changes if their goaltender accidentally dislodges the net. After an icing call, the center on the offensive zone team will get one warning for a face-off violation.
And finally, officials will issue a warning to a team if their players are sitting on the boards along their benches. A second violation will result in a penalty.
Also Read: Hockey Fans Are Losing Their Minds After Wayne Gretzky’s Younger Brother Was Mentioned In The Strangest NHL Rumor
