The PWHL removed the Coach's Challenge from their rulebook this season. They didn't give reasoning, and through the first 16 games of the season, the resulting review process has been painful to watch.
The PWHL did away with coach's challenges for the 2025-26 season. It was a head scratching move for fans, media, and many members of the league. It's believed it was a decision prompted by the coach's themselves.
The results have not played in the PWHL's favor with lengthy review after lengthy review, often for unclear reasons, slowing the pace of play, killing in arena excitement, and still ending with questionable results.
When the league did away with the coach's challenge rule, it was coupled with an announcement touting the league's focus on improved officiating.
“As the PWHL continues to grow and strengthen its foundation, it’s critical that we continue to elevate the standard of our officiating,” said Jayna Hefford, PWHL Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations in the rule change announcement.
“Officiating is central to the success of our on-ice product. It defines the standard of play, safeguards the integrity of competition, and contributes directly to the trust and confidence of our fans, players, and partners. The professionalism, preparation, and decision-making of our PWHL Officials reflect the League’s values and the competitive excellence we strive to deliver each night for our fans.”
Reviews have popped up repeatedly in the early days of the 2025-26 PWHL season. Without a coach's challenge, they're all league initiated, although coach's and players can, and still are, encouraging officials to check the tape.
It seems like teams want the review, but without the consequences of getting it wrong, which under previous rules would be a delay of game penalty. The problem is, the league took on this burden, and the new process is itself delaying the game.
While it's obvious the league is looking for the right call to be made, it's coming at a significant cost, and it's unclear if the right call is actually occurring. In the final games ahead of the PWHL's first international break, a number of calls were reviewed. One, a redirected goal off Marie-Philip Poulin's foot was called back due to the league's perception of a "distinct kicking motion." If you showed that video to 100 people however, it would be surprising if 50% believed Poulin kicked the puck. It clearly looked like a redirect, not a kick, yet the goal was overturned. Had the Coach's Challenge remained in place, it's unlikely the Sceptres would have initiated a challenge on the goal.
According to the PWHL's rulebook, Rule 49.2, "A puck that deflects into the net off an attacking player’s skate who does not use a distinct kicking motion is a legitimate goal. A puck that is directed into the net by an attacking player’s skate shall be a legitimate goal as long as no distinct kicking motion is evident."
Speaking to an official familiar with the NHL and PWHL's review process, they believed the Poulin goal was called back because it appeared her foot left the ice, which can be a measure of a kick, but is not the only measure, as deflections can occur with a foot off the ice as well.
Later that game, Laura Stacey fired a shot from the slot to score Montreal's third goal, and like clockwork the crowd in Place Bell was deflated as officials went to the box to again review the goal. They were looking for potential goaltender interference from Natalie Mlynkova. The thing was, Toronto goalie Raygan Kirk didn't go to the officials looking for a review, she knew it was a good goal. So did the bulks of the Sceptres and Victoire rosters. Mlynkova was outside the crease, and the only contact that occurred happened after the puck entered the net as Kirk slid into Mlynkova's legs. There was no question it was a good goal, yet a review took place slowing the game and removing the energy from the building. Too many times this season the sound in a home venue following a goal has been boos, not cheering.
While it would be easy to point a finger at the PWHL's last minute dismissal of their Central Situation Room staff only days ahead of the 2025-26 season, resulting in a trio of individuals with no PWHL or women's hockey background now making decisions that could alter games and seasons, the real culprit here is the removal of the Coach's Challenge.
Other leagues, including the Ontario Hockey League, have recently expanded the capacity for coach's challenges to more aspects of the game. This season the OHL added three new scenarios for coach's challenges to occur, and removed the barrier of a team having a timeout remaining. The NHL expanded their available challenges for coach's in 2024 as well. Leagues are increasing the value of coach's challenges, not decreasing, or removing them altogether as we saw in the PWHL.
Certainly, the first order of business for any league is to ensure their officials are accurately calling the game as consistently as possible. Beyond that, the PWHL can't continue to be Big Brother watching over and controlling every play if it's going to slow down the flow of the game as much as it has, and give the league unilateral ability to alter the outcome of play.
Bringing back the coach's challenge brings back the risk for a penalty if a team gets their challenge wrong. There is strategy in this, and shares the burden between the on-ice officials, and the on bench staff to ensure each team is receiving fair and accurate outcomes. But more than anything, the coach's challenge also involves the people who know what happened on the ice best...the players. Goaltenders know when they were interfered with. The players standing net front see the high stick. And the players digging for a puck at the goal line know if it crossed or not. At least they have the best vantage. And when they believe a mistake was made, they're often the first to inform the official, and to lobby their coach to make a challenge. Currently the call is being made by those without that vantage.
Every fan wants the calls to be correct, especially when a goal is involved. But fans also want to be able to celebrate legal goals without the urge to boo at yet another review halting the moment. Teams looking for momentum following a goal don't want to wait three or four minutes allowing tired opponents to rest and their own energy to fade either.
After review, it's time the PWHL accepts the challenge to return the coach's challenge.