Every year, the NLL makes some changes to the rules. Some of them are significant while others are fairly minor, and a few changes are more clarifications than changes. For the 2024 season, there are a couple of brand new rules, some changes to existing rules (one quite significant), and a couple of clarifications. Here they are:

17.95 – MAJOR, GAME MISCONDUCT, MATCH PENALTY AUTOMATIC OFFICIAL REVIEW

This is a new rule. All major, game misconduct, or match penalties (except fighting and roughing) will be reviewed by the crew chief immediately. The crew chief can confirm the call, modify it to a less severe penalty, or rescind it.

32.6 – STICK CHECK MEASUREMENT REQUEST PROCEDURE

The only change here is that the Gait D and Gait D2 stick heads are explicitly listed as being illegal.

33.1 – REQUIRED EQUIPMENT LIST

In addition to the gloves, shoulder pads, and rib pads previously required, players must now also wear a chest/heart protection pad. Sounds like a good idea to me.

35.2 – APPROVED EQUIPMENT

A sentence was added indicating that goalies are allowed to wear 2022-2023 shin pads.

37.6 – COINCIDENTAL PENALTIES

This is the significant one I mentioned. When coincident minor penalties are given, the teams will now play 4 on 4, and the players can leave the box as soon as their penalties are over. Previously, the teams would play 5 on 5 and the players had to stay in the box until the next non-technical stoppage after the penalties expired. That’s still the case for coincident major penalties.

67.5 – NON-SHOOTER IN CREASE WHEN TEAMMATE SHOOTS

No change to this rule, just a clarification saying that no part of the player’s body may be touching the crease prior to the ball crossing the plane of the goal in order for the goal to count.

69.8 – CONTACT INITIATED BY DEFENDER ON ATTACKER INTO THE CREASE

This rule now explicitly applies to the non-shooter. If a non-shooter is illegally checked into the crease and doesn’t “use his best efforts to immediately vacate the crease”, any goal scored will not count. Also, if a non-shooter is legally checked into the crease but the defender impedes him from leaving the crease, the defender gets a holding penalty and any goal scored will count. The change to this rule is to use the term “non-shooter” rather than “attacking player” to make sure the goal-scorer is not included.

80.18 – FIGHTING FIVE MINUTES OR LESS IN THE FOURTH QUARTER

This badly-named rule is also new this season. Any player given a fighting major with five minutes or less remaining in the fourth quarter will get an additional game misconduct, unless the player is considered an “unwilling combatant”. The rule says nothing about fights in overtime.

95.13 – UNSPORTSMANLIKE ACTIONS BY A PLAYER ON AN OPPONENT

The rule said that actions by players not on the playing surface who become involved with players on the playing surface are “deemed as more severe and shall be dealt with accordingly”. This rule now also applies to players on the playing surface who become involved with players on the opposing bench.