NHL talks review process at annual GM meetings
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Kristen Shilton
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The NHL’s operations department pulled back the curtain on their process assessing how and why on-ice calls are overturned — or not — for the league’s general managers to kick off their annual meetings on Monday.
The 32 team executives gathered at Eau Palm Beach to hear from a panel of league hockey ops members who step into action when there’s a coach’s challenge for goalie interference or offside. The group reviewed several examples from this season and solicited manager feedback on whether they agreed with the original call or the extra layer of assessment.
Primarily, though, the goal was to provide clarity on what goes on between the refs — reviewing those infamous iPads in the penalty box — and the league figures connecting them with more information.
“When you get on the headset [in the Situation Room], the first thing you’re asking the referee when you give him the overhead [view], is, ‘is there anything you see here you didn’t see in real time,'” said Stephen Wolkom, the NHL’s senior vice president and director of officiating. “He’s going to [look] and be blunt. And that’s a tell right there on where we’re going to go [with our decision].”
Wolkom, along with Kris King, senior vice president of hockey operations and Colin Campbell, executive vice president and director of hockey operations, explained what their group is looking at when it comes to dissecting a potentially incorrect call. There’s a checklist of sorts they’ll go through on a goaltender interference question that serves, ideally, to be a consistent baseline if a goal is to be called back.
The league is looking at whether the contact from a player is deliberate or incidental, where it happened on the ice (in the goalie’s blue paint or out in white ice), if the goalie had a chance to reset, was able to do his job, and if the actions by the offensive or defensive player led to any part of the contact. And of course, there’s whether the referee sees anything differently on the provided replay that they missed in real time.
It’s often a fine line deciding which way the challenge goes. Perhaps that’s why the NHL has seen an uptick in coach’s challenges for goalie interference this season, rising to 105 already from 88 last year.
Campbell has one theory on that stat.
“There’s been maybe 10-15 really dumb challenges,” said Campbell. “We look at each other and go, ‘What are they doing? This is crazy by them.'”
Goal scoring is at a premium, though. And getting into a goaltender’s face while attempting to redirect pucks in front of the net is often the cost of netting one. So how can the NHL ensure goalies have a chance to stand tall without inhibiting a player’s right to try and beat him?
That’s at the forefront of the league’s decision-makers when they’re breaking down a challenge.
“We told the goalies we’d protect them in the blue,” said Rod Pasma, vice president of hockey operations. “How do we tell the position players when they’re trying to score and stay out of the blue, and they’re tipping a puck, and make a contact [with the goalie in white ice], [that they are] doing it wrong? That comes into it as well … and then, how much is the contact? Is it extreme? Is it relevant?”
All of that first falls on referees to answer. Those on the outside bemoan how long video review can take and the way challenges slow down a game’s flow. But communication between those eyes in the sky and the ones at ice level is key to getting a correct call. Usually once the refs have seen new angles, they’ll be able to tell King and company if the coach was right to question their verdict.
Nuance is everything, though.
“The goaltender has to be afforded the chance to make the save,” said goaltending supervisor Kay Whitmore. “But we have to be careful on saying whether the goalie can make the save or not. [Former NHL referee] Danny O’Halloran got an earful from Jonathan Quick one time saying, ‘how the [expletive] do you know I’m not going to make that save?'”
In addition to talking coach’s challenges, the league went over examples of unique offside reviews. They emphasized to the team execs that part of the process includes questioning where the puck entered the zone and whether they can clearly see where the puck is before issuing the offside challenge.
Missed game stoppages — for hand passes and tipping pucks into the net above “normal shoulder height” — were also on the agenda.
The league’s goal was to emphasize again the consistency of their approach in making one call or another — not that they want to be influencing the outcome of a game if they don’t have to.
“The call on the ice is [most] important in every one of these [situations],” said Campbell.
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Max Olson
FRISCO, Texas — A dynamic new quarterback, a new offensive system and two projected first-round picks up front have Utah coach Kyle Whittingham feeling enthusiastic about the Utes’ chances of bouncing back from a disastrous debut season in the Big 12.
Utah was voted No. 1 in the Big 12 preseason poll last year after joining from the Pac-12, but a brutal run of injuries and inconsistency resulted in a seven-game conference losing streak and a 5-7 finish — the program’s first losing season since 2013.
After weeks of contemplation about his future and what was best for the program, Whittingham, the third-longest-tenured head coach in FBS, decided in December to return for his 21st season with the Utes.
“The bottom line and the final analysis was I couldn’t step away on that note,” Whittingham told ESPN at Big 12 media days Wednesday. “It was too frustrating, too disappointing. As much as college football has changed with all the other factors that might pull you away, that was the overriding reason: That’s not us, that’s not who we are. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not want to miss the opportunity to try to get that taste out.”
“The bottom line and the final analysis was I couldn’t step away on that note. It was too frustrating, too disappointing. … That’s not us. That’s not who we are. It just left a bad taste in my mouth. I did not want to miss the opportunity to try to get that taste out.”
Utah coach Kyle Whittingham on going 5-7 in 2024
Whittingham and Utes defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley conducted a national search for a new offensive coordinator and quickly zeroed in on New Mexico‘s Jason Beck. Then they managed to land Devon Dampier, Beck’s first-team All-Mountain West quarterback, via the transfer portal.
After finishing 11th nationally in total offense with 3,934 yards and 31 total touchdowns and putting up the fourth-most rushing yards (1,166) among all FBS starters, Dampier followed his coach to Salt Lake City and immediately asserted himself as a difference-maker for a program that had to start four different QBs in 2024.
“He’s a terrific athlete,” Whittingham said. “He’s a guy that, if spring is any indication, he’s an exciting player, and we can’t wait to watch him this season. … He’s got that ‘it’ factor. He’s a leader. Needless to say, very excited to see what he does for us.”
They’ve surrounded Dampier with 21 more newcomers via the transfer portal and will protect him with two returning starters at tackle in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, who are projected first-round NFL draft picks by ESPN’s Matt Miller.
“We feel they’re the best tandem in the country,” Whittingham said. “The offensive line in general, I feel, it’s the best since I’ve been there. And that’s quite a statement. We’ve had some really good offensive lines. We’ve got two first-rounders and three seniors inside that have played a lot of good football for us. That better be a strength of ours, and that’s what we’re counting on.”
Whittingham has previously said he did not want to coach past the age of 65. Now that he’s 65, he acknowledges that he might’ve arrived at a different decision about his future had the Utes ended up winning the Big 12 in 2024. He is reenergized about getting them back into contention, but he’s not ready to say whether this season might be his last.
“The best answer I can give you is, right now, I’m excited and passionate about going to work every single day,” Whittingham said. “As soon as that changes, I’ll know it’s time. I’m just counting on knowing when the time is right. I can’t tell you exactly what the circumstances will be other than losing the fire in the belly.”
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Jesse Rogers
The automated ball-strike system is coming to the All-Star Game next week in Atlanta.
MLB officials added the feature to the annual exhibition game knowing it could be a precursor to becoming a permanent part of the major leagues as soon as next year.
The same process used this past spring training will be used for the Midsummer Classic: Each team will be given two challenges with the ability to retain them if successful. Only a pitcher, catcher or hitter can ask for a challenge and it has to happen almost immediately after the pitch. The player will tap his hat or helmet indicating to the umpire he wants to challenge while any help from the dugout or other players on the field is not allowed.
MLB officials say 72% of fans who were polled during spring training said the impact of ABS on their experience at the game was a “positive” one. Sixty-nine percent said they’d like it part of the game moving forward. Just 10% expressed negativity toward it.
MLB’s competition committee will meet later this summer to determine if ABS will be instituted next season after the league tested the robotic system throughout the minor leagues and spring training in recent years. Like almost any rule change, there were mixed reviews from players about using ABS but nearly all parties agree on one point: They prefer a challenge system as opposed to the technology calling every pitch.
As was the case in spring training, once a review is initiated, an animated replay of the pitch will be shown on the scoreboard and the home plate umpire will either uphold the call or overturn it. ABS uses Hawk-Eye system technology which tracks the pitch trajectory and location in relation to the strike zone, providing an instant assessment which can be relayed to the home plate umpire.
The All-Star Game will be played at Truist Park in Atlanta on Tuesday.
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