WHL makes rule changes on face-offs, offside challenges
By JAMES TUBB on September 14, 2023.
ojtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
The Western Hockey League has implemented two rule changes ahead of the 2023-24 season. The WHL is making changes to face-off violations and offside challenges on goals. Before this year’s preseason, the WHL has reverted the face-off violation rule to its previous form, meaning when a team commits a face-off violation the centre will be ejected from the circle and a teammate on the ice will have to substitute in and take the draw. Ahead of the 2021-22 season, the league instituted the rule that if a team commits a face-off violation, they will be warned by the linesman about their first “face-off violation” and any subsequent violation on the same stoppage by the same team would result in a bench minor penalty for “delay of game for face-off violation.” Medicine Hat Tigers head coach Willie Desjardins likes going back to the previous rule. “It makes you have to have other guys, players have to take other positions, it’s just better responsibility wise,” Desjardins said. Entering the 2023-24 season, WHL teams will no longer be able challenge whether a play was offside before a goal was scored. One of the reasonings behind the change is a need for more equipment in all buildings, which was not feasible. It’s a change that doesn’t go the Tigers’ way, as they were one of the few teams in the WHL who had success challenging offside goals. Desjardins says of the six successful challenges league wide in the 2022-23 season, three were by the Tigers and video coach Jayce Desjardins. Desjardins says those decisions to challenge were left to Jayce who would relay it to the bench. “He makes the call, he tells our bench if it’s there or not,” Desjardins said. “If he says it’s there, then we challenge, he’s good on video. He made the calls and helped us make a couple of big ones late in games that helped.” The 2023-24 WHL regular season gets underway Sept. 22. 12-11
