NHL crackdown on faceoffs cheats, slashing sees parade to penalty box
MONTREAL — Faceoffs were a group effort and penalty boxes were full as the NHL opened it’s pre-season schedule this week.
Centres were repeatedly tossed out of the faceoff circles, while disbelieving players were sent to the box for what looked to be waving their sticks in the general area of an opponent’s gloves.
It was all part of the league’s crackdown on faceoff cheats and slashes to the arms and hands. And for as long as it lasts, players will have to adjust.
“We just felt we’d let it erode too much and it was time to shore up the faceoff procedure, especially the marks in the faceoff circles,” NHL director of officiating Stephen Walkom said Tuesday. “It was becoming unsafe for the linesmen, with (players’) feet behind them.