Oilers' Connor McDavid has Had It with Long Offside Reviews

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TJ Tucker
January 11, 2024 (11:10)

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While the Edmonton Oilers got the win last night, captain Connor McDavid made it clear after the game that long offside reviews are getting very old

The Edmonton Oilers continued their hot streak last night, defeating the Chicago Blackhawks 2-1 for their eighth straight win. There was one thing bugging Connor McDavid following the game, though and he made sure he got his opinion in.

At one point in the game, Edmonton Zach Hyman scored a goal that appeared to be a good one. However, after a long review by officials, it was ruled that Leon Draisaitl was offside, and that the goal didn't count. The play happened early in the third period, and would have given the Oilers a 3-1 lead.

Asked about the call after the game, McDavid was clear he's tired of offside reviews that take forever.

"If it takes you 15 minutes to determine if it's offside or not, it probably doesn't really matter. I talked to the linesman after. Ultimately, it's not their call, I guess. Obviously, they said it came down from the league. But, you zoom in, you keep zooming in until you can't zoom in any more, i guess it's offside. These are calls that change games, and ultimately it didn't go our way."

McDavid also insisted the goal was fine, and that the NHL needs a better process to review these plays.

"I believe it was onside. It's kind of possession, too right? The argument of possession, that whole debate can start again."

McDavid isn't the first player to express frustration with the offside review process, and likely won't be the last if these lengthy reviews continue. As McDavid mentioned, taking 15 minutes to review the play and determine a player was offside by a fraction of an inch seems to undermine the players, as well as the officials. Hopefully, the league will take action soon.