With missed calls impacting the outcome of games and player safety, should the PWHL be reconsidering their removal of the coach's challenge, and look to add other review protections like offsides and missed penalty calls?
Leading into the 2025-26 PWHL season, the league announced their annual rule changes. This time, it included the removal of the PWHL's coach's challenge rules.
The announcement came in conjunction with the league's assertion they'd be improving the standard of officiating saying "it’s critical that we continue to elevate the standard of our officiating."
“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," said PWHL executive vice president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford.
Early in the 2025-25 PWHL season, the of the decision was resulting in lengthy, often confusing reviews of plays. And while the league removed the coach's challenge rules, that punished an unsuccessful challenge with a delay of game penalty, it was clear the impetus for many reviews was still coming from coach's and players.
The league itself said that all reviews would be initiated by the league, whether it be the on-ice officials or members of the central situation room, it clearly was often not the case. The lengthy reviews were coupled with the fact the PWHL dismissed all of their experienced central situation room staff only days before the season started, along with some of the league's in-house video review staff. The dismissal came after central situation room staff requested a raise for what they considered would be additional work this season without a coach's challenge, and with an expanded schedule.
It's been a long season of lengthy reviews, and many, including players, believe the PWHL is no closer to consistent officiating than when this rule change was made.
"I think us, the referees, nobody really knows what’s a penalty. That gets frustrating because you go into a battle and you’re like, ‘Could I get called here? Maybe. Could I not? Maybe.’”
Those were the words of Vancouver Goldeneyes star Sarah Nurse following a game in March.
This week during the Walter Cup finals, game one and two both ended with missed penalty calls directly leading to overtime winning goals.
"That last game-winning goal, you know, our net front D is in the corner because she was tripped right beforehand," said Ottawa Charge head coach Carla MacLeod post game.
The two overtime goals weren't the only perceived missed calls however. There were other questionable plays, missed penalties, and calls that could have, and should have resulted in a penalty or stoppage, that are giving officials far more control and sway over results than is expected.
Mistakes happen, and the coach's challenge is a mechanism for catching those misakes.
The PWHL's removal of the coach's challenge was also perplexing coming at a time when every other league in the world is increasing the opportunities for challenges in an effort to protect the integrity of their product.
The NHL has coach's challenges for missed stoppages, offsides, goaltender interference, and delay of game penalties for a puck going over the glass. NBA teams get challenges, and NFL teams can challenge turnovers, catches, and marker spots. In Major League Baseball, managers get challenges for safe/out calls, force plays and tags, along with catches, and players can now challenge strike/ball calls at the plate.
In the NHL this season, 109 coach's challenges resulted in overturned calls. That's 109 plays that overwise would have been missed, many resulting in goals. That was compared to only 59 coach's challenges that were upheld. The result is a highly effective system of upholding the integrity of goals and games in the NHL.
Without such a mechanism, the PWHL has allowed many impactful missed calls to go unchecked.
Even at the PWHL league level with the central situation room, 77 of the NHL's challenges this season were challenging offsides. In the PWHL, offsides cannot be reviewed.
That again, has resulted in a number of goals being allowed this season in the PWHL that otherwise should not have been granted. In December, Kristyna Kaltounkova scored on a clearly offside play. Luckily, that game ended with Toronto winning, and the goal didn't factor into the result.
That hasn't always been the case however, as other goals in the PWHL's three seasons have impacted the outcome, while being offside, at times by feet not inches.
With players, coaches, staff, and fans struggling to understand what is and isn't a penalty three years into PWHL's existence, and the results of games clearly being altered by missed calls, from offsides to penalties, to missed stoppages, the absence of a coach's challenge is clearly impacting the PWHL's product and integrity.
The league has never been afraid to make changes on the fly. Will a return of the coach's challenge, and increased review potential for missed penalties, stoppages, offsides, and other elements of the game be their next move?
After the recent impact on the Walter Cup finals, and collaborative critique from players and coaches alike, it seems the logical next move for the league.