HOCKEY PROMPT

As technology gets better, calls for better video review are only going to grow louder, and for all the annoyances that come with video review, I do think it improves the game more often than not. At the most basic level, I can't think of any circumstance where I would argue that getting a call wrong improves the game, and the easiest place to implement that right now is for goals and offside calls. I won't go so far as to argue we should automate calling goals and offsides in real time, since I always want to err on the side of letting a play go on than stopping it preemptively, but I do think we should be willing to expand what is allowable for review to cover any non-penalty call, and to overturn major penalties, each requiring a coach's challenge. Having a goal called incorrectly, or missed when the puck did cross the line, is a massive influence on the end result, and there's no excuse to get it wrong for the sake of "old time" hockey. With the move to make all major penalties match penalties (a move I support for player safety), the opportunity to review and ensure the call was correct is essential to prevent a referee's call from unjustly removing a player from the game. We might see games take a few minutes longer, but that's absolutely worth it to ensure the game is called correctly.