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Thankfully the NHL is Cracking Down on Serious Issues, Like Players Tucking Their Jerseys into Their Pants
Published:
Trevor Zegras was penalized in Thursday night’s preseason game because his jersey was tucked into his pants:
Elliotte Friedman said this on X:
“First one I’ve seen this preseason, but league has indicated it will warn players if equipment — neck guards, visors, helmets (during warmup) — is not being properly worn. Jerseys are supposed to be untucked at the beginning of a player’s shift. (If it rides up during a shift, no issue.) Procedure is a warning, followed by a two-minute penalty. So, Zegras must have been warned earlier in the game. Next violation is supposed to be a misconduct. Kind of hilarious to see in action.”
Okay. This seems unimportant. What does it matter if the guy has his jersey tucked in? We know what the rule says. Rule 9.5 – “All protective equipment, except gloves, headgear, and goaltenders’ leg guards must be worn under the uniform…” The visor thing makes sense as a safety issue, because they don’t want guys taking a puck to the face. But there doesn’t appear to be any safety issue with jerseys riding up over your breezers. Maybe it obscures your number a little bit, and makes it hard for refs and broadcasters to identify you, but players have been doing this for years and it’s never been a problem.
Apparently now it’s a point of emphasis, for whatever reason. Good to see the NHL focused on the things that matter! Maybe they should shift their attention to things that are actually health and safety issues, like dirty Malkin hitting players with two high sticks at the same time (while his jersey is tucked, no less) –
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com