American Hockey League approves rule changes

The American Hockey League’s Board of Governors have approved a few rule changes during its 2014 Annual Meeting on Thursday. All changes will go into effect starting with the 2014-15 campaign.

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The following three rules were updated:

Rule 9.6 – Helmets

If a players helmet comes off while playing, the player must immediately exit the playing surface or puts the helmet back on with the chin strap fastened. If the player does not do either option, he will receive a minor penalty.

Rule 20.4 – Major Penalties

A game misconduct will be given to a player who receives two major penalties for fighting, or three major penalties for any infraction throughout the same game.

Rule 85 – Overtime

Sudden death over time will be seven minutes during the regular season after the dry scraping of the entire ice surface. Teams will switch ends at the start of the overtime and play 4 on 4 until the first whistle which occurs after three minutes of play. After three minutes, teams will play 3 on 3 for the remainder of the overtime period. If the game is still tied after the seven minutes of overtime, a three player shootout will determine the winner.

The change to Rule 85 seems the most strange. Splitting overtime period seems like extra effort, however it seems as if creating an environment where it is easier to determine a winner is the ultimate goal.

AHL president and CEO David Andrews stated, “With the full support of the league’s Competition Committee and Player Development Committee, the Board has approved these changes with the betterment of our game and the safety of our players in mind.”