Flyers' Zegras penalized for tucking in his jersey

Trevor Zegras went to the penalty box Thursday night for the way he wore his sweater.

The Philadelphia Flyers forward was given a minor penalty for "improperly wearing the equipment" in the second period of a 2-0 preseason home win over the Boston Bruins, after officials had warned him about tucking his jersey into his pants.

"My jersey was tucked in at the start of my shift. So after a warning, they said that's an automatic penalty," Zegras said. "I started the game with it tucked, which is obviously how I usually play."

Scouting The Refs, a website that tracks NHL officiating, reported that Zegras was the first player penalized for a jersey tuck violation since 2013.

Rule 9.5 states that "all protective equipment, except gloves, headgear, neck protection, and goalkeepers' leg pads must be worn under the uniform." Under Rule 12.1, which covers illegal equipment, a player gets a warning before a minor penalty is imposed.

Flyers coach Rick Tocchet said teams were told a few weeks ago that proper use of equipment would be an officiating emphasis this season. His fix is simple: use the tie, the loop of fabric that secures a jersey to a player's pants.

"He's just gotta put his tie down. That'll keep the jersey down," Tocchet said. "He obviously can't [tuck] it anymore. When the regular season starts, we can't have a penalty like that."

The league last cracked down on tucked jerseys in 2013-14, and it did not go over well with everyone. Washington Capitals star Alex Ovechkin called the enforcement "kind of stupid" at the time and said it restricted players' individuality.