NHL
2026 Olympic
Hockey
The NHL and IIHF have spent the last five years or so diligently narrowing the gap between rulebooks. Bruce Bennett / Getty Images
MILAN — One of the biggest changes since NHLers were last on the Olympic stage 12 years ago is how the games will be called.
Without much fanfare, the NHL and IIHF have spent the last five years or so diligently narrowing the gap between rulebooks.
“The last time the NHL players were at the Olympics, the rulebooks of the IIHF and the National Hockey League were significantly different,’’ Scott Zelkin, head of officiating for the IIHF, said in an interview with The Athletic on Tuesday. “Not only standards, how we penalize different fouls, but also just the pure and simple labeling of penalties and what you can call different fouls.
Advertisement
“In the last handful of years, those two rulebooks have come to the point where they are almost identical,’’ added Zelkin, a former NHL referee from 1997 to 2003. “There are a few nuances that are different, and the fans may see some differences, but in general, the rulebooks now are really, really close. So that’s the first thing that in our mind is helping to standardize the officiating really across the world.’’
It’s an IIHF tournament with an IIHF rulebook, but the overall sense is that a blended officiating standard will be unveiled in this men’s Olympic tournament, which kicks off Wednesday.
“There isn’t an IIHF standard, there isn’t an NHL standard, there’s just a standard,’’ Zelkin said of how far things have come. “And the standard is, call good penalties. Call penalties that impact the game in a manner that keeps the game safe and fair.’’
Which means, in theory — and we’ll see how it actually plays out — the likes of Tom Wilson or Brady Tkachuk shouldn’t have to deviate from their physical games at the Olympics.
In the old days, the officiating standards were so different between the NHL and the IIHF that a loud hit, even if clean, was often a penalty.
The idea now is that this blended standard means that’s no longer the case.
“We do not expect the game to have to change,’’ Zelkin said. “We want to let the players play. And look, whether it’s the NHL or the IIHF, we go out on the ice striving to provide a fair and safe environment for the players. That’s the same wherever you are on the globe. So whether you’re Brady Tkachuk or you’re Tom Wilson, or any other player that’s playing, if you play in a fair and safe manner, then we’re going to have no issues.’’
Probably where this uniform standard will be most put to the test is on illegal checks to the head. The difference in how that penalty has been called and interpreted in each rulebook has been pretty different over the past decade. But the hope now, with the IIHF and NHL working hard to narrow the gap in rulebooks, is that there won’t be as noticeable a difference in the Olympic tournament.
Advertisement
“A player who delivered a body check where the head is the main point of contact runs the risk of being removed from the game,’’ said Zelkin. “I don’t believe that is any different regardless of what part of the world the game is being played in.”
To be sure, that’s the penalty that will be most scrutinized as far as how much the IIHF and NHL rulebooks have been brought together.
But the mere fact that both sides have gone to this length to try to bridge the gap in rulebooks speaks to the relationship on the officiating side really improving over the past several years. Zelkin and his NHL contemporary, head of NHL officiating Stephen Walkom, have worked hard together with other officials as well to find that common ground.
“One hundred percent,’’ said Zelkin. “And that is the goal. The relationship between the NHL and the IIHF on the officiating side is excellent. When we talk about officiating, we’ve had NHL officiating leadership at all of our major tournaments the last handful of years. We’re talking to them on a regular basis. We’re discussing things. We’re working hand and glove together on all of this.’’
The NHL and IIHF held a camp in Buffalo back in August for the 26 on-ice officials selected for the Milan Olympics (13 from the IIHF, 13 from the NHL). All 26 were on the ice Monday evening in a skate that Walkom helped run.
“The IIHF went through an exhaustive process to select the officials that are here,’’ Zelkin said. “We spent the better part of two years working with a group of officials that we slowly but surely pared down to the 13 that are here right now. And we did that through a couple of world championships, a couple of World Juniors and the Olympic qualifiers.’’
Between the camp in Buffalo and more meetings the last few days after everyone arrived in Milan, the group of 26 officials was reminded again of the expectations for calling the games.
Advertisement
“We’ve gone through those subtle differences in the rules but also the expected standards and what we’re going to try and do when we’re out on the ice,’’ Zelkin said.
The seven NHL refs working the men’s Olympic tournament are Gord Dwyer, Eric Furlatt, Wes McCauley, Dan O’Rourke, Brian Pochmara, Kyle Rehman and Chris Rooney. The IIHF refs are Andris Ansons, Michael Campbell, Christoffer Holm, Mikael Holm, Jan Hribik, Sean MacFarlane and André Schrader.
There was a call with the head coaches from all the teams in the men’s tournament on Monday evening to discuss the officiating standard and what to expect in the tournament.
There was also a separate call with all the video coaches to go over the rules for coach’s challenge and video review at the Olympics.
“As much as anything, it’s meant to provide transparency and for them to understand where we’re coming from and answer any questions,’’ Zelkin said. “The main message to the teams was, ‘Look, we’ve got the best players in the world here. This game, this tournament, is something we all feel privileged to be a part of. And we want to allow the players to play the game in a manner that’s safe and fair. And we’re going to step in and do things we need to do when we need to do it, otherwise we want to let the players shine.’’’
Sweden head coach Sam Hallam said Tuesday that the call was informative as far as knowing what to expect.
“I feel that they’ve done a really good job merging because you have the international IIHF rulebook, which is a bit different than the NHL rulebook, so they just prepared us for a couple of things,” Hallam said.
“They just want to help us to put the players in a good situation and be prepared.”
While both rulebooks have come closer to each other, there remain some nuances, such as:
Coach’s challenge
In the NHL, in the last minute of play in the third period or at any time in overtime, the Situation Room in Toronto can initiate a review. In the IIHF, teams must initiate a coach’s challenge at all times in the game.
Advertisement
But also noteworthy, the refs in the Olympic tournament won’t have people in a Situation Room to help influence their decisions on video review. While they will be talking in a headset to someone helping them navigate what they’re looking at, only the refs will be involved in making the final call on video reviews.
Coincidental minor penalties
In the NHL, it’s four-on-four; here in the Olympic tournament, it’s five-on-five.
Fighting
In the NHL, it’s a five-minute major for each combatant. Here in the Olympic tournament, as per IIHF rules, each fighter gets a major plus a game misconduct penalty.
Helmets
Players back in the NHL must leave the ice or immediately put it on. Here at the Olympic tournament, players must immediately leave the ice when their helmet comes off.
Neck guards
Not required in the NHL, but mandated here in the Olympic tournament, both in warmup and games.
Overtime
Teams change ends in overtime in the NHL; teams do not change ends in the Olympic tournament for overtime or in a shootout.
Penalty Shot
In the NHL, the player fouled must take the penalty shot. In the Olympic tournament, any player (as long as he’s not in the box) may take a penalty shot when one is awarded.
Time Out
In the NHL, teams may use their timeout in order to take more time to determine whether to challenge a play after a goal is scored. Not so in the Olympic tournament, as per IIHF rules, teams may not use a timeout in order to extend their decision-making time on a challengeable play. There are 45 seconds given after a goal to quickly see TV replays on the bench; that 45-second clock is displayed for teams to see. A team may take a timeout after a goal is scored, but the team must challenge before the timeout is taken.
Spot the pattern. Connect the terms
Find the hidden link between sports terms
Play today's puzzle
Pierre LeBrun has been a senior NHL columnist for The Athletic since 2017. He has been an NHL Insider for TSN since 2011 following six years as a panelist on Hockey Night In Canada. He also appears regularly on RDS in Montreal. Pierre previously covered the NHL for ESPN.com and The Canadian Press. Follow Pierre on Twitter @PierreVLeBrun
Hockey News