Flyers’ Trevor Zegras given penalty for having jersey tucked in

Consider it the NHL’s version of the ‘Tuck Rule’.

During Thursday’s 2-0 preseason win over the Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers forward Trevor Zegras was given a two-minute minor penalty for “improperly wearing his equipment.”

Zegras’ fashion faux pas was tucking the back of his jersey into his pants, something the NHL is stressing as penalizable coming into this season.

According to Elliotte Friedman, players will receive a warning from the officials if any of their equipment is being improperly worn. In the case of jerseys, they must be untucked at the beginning of a shift. If a player keeps his jersey tucked following an official’s warning, he will receive a two-minute minor penalty.

Zegras, then, must have been warned by the officials to keep his jersey untucked prior to taking the penalty.

The NHL’s newfound emphasis on policing tucked jerseys is preceded by a similarly attempted crackdown from the 2013-14 season. In 2013, the NHL sent out a memo notifying teams that players must not tuck their jersey in such a way that any padding or protection is exposed, keeping with an existing rule that all protective equipment, with the exception of gloves, helmets, and goaltender’s leg pads, must be worn under the uniform.

At the time, stars such as Alex Ovechkin would use the jersey tuck as a trademark look, and Ovechkin himself called the rule “stupid.” The NHL’s focus on the crackdown faded over time, leading to the league’s re-emphasis coming into this season.

The NHL’s insistence on making sure jerseys are untucked is probably to keep players’ jersey numbers unobstructed, as numbers are meant to help fans identify players on the ice.

At the very least, Zegras’ penalty came in a meaningless preseason game, and can serve as a warning that the NHL is taking these jersey fouls seriously.