Alex Ovechkin on the one NHL rule he would change if he could

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TJ Tucker
May 31, 2024 (9:08)

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NHL superstar Alexander Ovechkin has gone on record to talk about the one rule change he would make in the NHL if he had the ability to do so

With four teams still remaining in the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, league star Alexander Ovechkin is spending the summer at home in Russia after his Washngton Capitals were eliminated by the New York Rangers in the first round. The Great 8's mind is still on hockey, though and something he'd like to see changed as soon as possible.

Ovechkin was a guest on the Russian podcast "This is Hockey, Brother!" this week and was asked what rule in the NHL he would change if he had the power to do it, and why? Ovechkin was quick to respond.

"Video replay. Why? Well, first of all, when you watch the video replay, the referees make decisions that are not very clear, whether there was offside, whether there was a goal. Well, it's kind of unclear to me. Now they canceled [the goal], and the same situation at the next game they counted it."

Ovechkin was asked whether he believes video replay can be helpful in certain situations.

"Well, sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't. That is, you make a request, you realize that there is a goalkeeper, there should not be a goal, but it turns out that it counts, and if we have the same situation, on the contrary, they do not count. So you sit there and think why do you need it at all?"

Ovechkin's perspective on replays is not anything new. Several players and many fans have said the same thing. The main argument against video replay seems to be the time it takes for the review and how it messes with the flow of the game. That said, I don't expect it to go away any time soon.