One of the biggest changes since NHLers were last on the Olympic stage 12 years ago is how the games are being called. Without much fanfare, the NHL and IIHF have spent the last five years or so diligently narrowing the gap between rulebooks. “Not only standards, how we penalize different fouls, but also just the pure and simple labeling of penalties and what you can call different fouls. “In the last handful of years, those two rulebooks have come to the point where they are almost identical,’’ added Zelkin, a former NHL referee from 1997 to 2003. “There are a few nuances that are different, and the fans may see some differences, but in general, the rulebooks now are really, really close.

Source: International New York Times February 15, 2026 06:40 UTC