Trevor Zegras has built a career on flair. On Thursday night, that same flair earned him two minutes in the penalty box for a tucked-in jersey.
Midway through the second period of Philadelphia’s 2-0 preseason win over the Boston Bruins at Xfinity Mobile Arena, Zegras hopped over the boards with the back of his sweater stuffed into his pants. Officials sent him off for delay of game, logged as improperly wearing equipment.
The Bruins did not score on the power play. The internet scored plenty.
The league is emphasizing equipment this season, from neck guards and visors to how a jersey sits at the start of a shift. If a sweater rides up during play, that is fine. Start the next shift still tucked after a warning, and it is a minor. A third violation can become a misconduct. Zegras said he had already been warned.
“My jersey was tucked in at the start of my shift. So after a warning, they said that’s an automatic penalty,” he said, via ESPN. “I started the game with it tucked, which is obviously how I usually play.”
It was the first jersey-tuck penalty called since 2013.
Rick Tocchet said clubs were told weeks ago that officials would be watching. His solution was practical.
“He’s just gotta put his tie down. That’ll keep the jersey down,” the coach said. “When the regular season starts, we can’t have a penalty like that.” Tocchet even pulled Matvei Michkov’s jersey down on the bench.
The look has been Zegras’s habit since he was a kid. On Friday morning, he posted youth photos of himself playing with a tucked sweater, then added a picture of Tom Brady from the original Tuck Rule game.
Hockey’s version is less famous and, in a preseason box score, a lot harder to defend. Philadelphia still won. Zegras still looked like Zegras. The rulebook just asked him to leave the fashion statement on the bench.
