NHL officiating is pretty awful. If you need a reminder of that fact, watch this hit from Ryan Reaves on Christian Ehrhoff. This shoulder-to-shoulder hit was ruled a charge which earned a five-minute penalty and a game misconduct for Reaves.
At most, this was a two-minute charge but that may have even been harsh.
That’s a horrible call. It may have been tough to see for the official who made the call, but one of the four officials should have seen the contact.
If the NHL is going to review the coach’s challenge, why not add in plays like this one? A five-minute penalty can completely change a game, so why not make sure you’ve made the right call?
