The ECHL Board of Governors meeting was held last week at the New York-New York Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, and although nothing significant came out of the meetings, there are a few rule changes and important positions that were discussed during the two-day event in Sin City. Let’s take a look at all of the topics addressed in the 2023 ECHL Board of Governors Meetings, which included Utah Grizzlies CEO Kevin Bruder being re-elected as the Chairman of the board for the third consecutive season.
Memberships Increased
The ECHL membership group increased from 30 to 32, and the number 32 has some significance to it as 32 is the current number of teams in the NHL; the ECHL currently sits at 28. At this time, I know that the ECHL has looked into Athens, GA, and New Mexico. I believe that New Mexico is closer and was one of the topics talked about when Ryan Crelin came to Adirondack and made himself available to the media. He mentioned that “It’s not done yet, there are a lot of Irons in the fire here; I do think there is a vision for the league to get to 32,” said Crelin. I do believe that Athens, GA is a genuine possibility for the league, but a timeline for that is unknown at the moment. I would be very interested to see where the league goes with the two other teams. However, I think a vision of having all 32 teams affiliated with an NHL and AHL would have to be one of the things talked about.
Rule Changes
The ECHL implemented a number of rule changes, but the two biggest ones involved fighting. Rule #20.4 regarding Fighting Game Misconducts now states that a player who has two fights in one game will be assessed a game misconduct; the misconduct will be waived if the opposing player initiates the fight. Another rule change comes to rule #46.10, which now states that a player or players who enter into a fight prior to a puck drop or immediately following a face-off will be given a game misconduct. There were a few occasions of this happening last season, including when Adirondack’s Yannick Turcotte and Newfoundland’s James Melindy dropped the gloves right after the opening faceoff.
The rest of the rule changes can be found below and on the ECHL’s site:
- Rule #9 – Uniforms
Altered uniforms of any kind (i.e. Velcro inserts, over-sized jerseys, altered collars, etc.) will not be permitted. Any player or goalkeeper not complying with this rule shall not be permitted to participate in the game.
- Rule #9.6 – Helmets
A player on the ice whose helmet comes off during play will be assessed a minor penalty unless he immediately (a) exits the playing surface or (b) puts the helmet back (the chin strap may be unfastened if helmet is on player’s head).
- Rule #67.2 – Handling the Puck
A minor penalty shall be assessed for “Delay of Game – Face-Off Violation” to a player taking the face-off who attempts to win the face-off by batting the puck with their hand. The two players involved in the actual face-off (the centers) are not permitted to play the puck with their hand without incurring a penalty under this rule until such time as a third player (from either team) has at least touched the puck. Once the face-off is deemed complete (and a winner of the face-off is clear) hand passes shall be enforced as per Rule 80 – Hand Pass.
- Rule #74.4 – Faceoff procedure
At the eight face-off spots (excluding the center ice face-off spot), the defending player shall place his stick within the designated white area first followed immediately by the attacking player. When the face-off is conducted at the center ice face-off spot, the visiting player shall place his stick on the ice first.
- Rule #83 – Off-side
A player is on-side when either of his skates are in contact with the blue line, or on his own side of the line, at the instant the puck completely crosses the leading edge of the blue line. “On his own side of the line” shall be defined by a “plane” of the blue line which shall extend from the leading edge of the blue line upwards. If a player’s skate has yet to break the “plane” prior to the puck completely crossing the leading edge, he is deemed to be on-side for the purpose of the off-side rule.
