I think one of the biggest problems with the NHL rulebook is the penalty structure.
The same penalty is applied for getting your stick tangled up with the puck carrier in the neutral zone as tackling a guy about to jump on a loose puck in front of the net. Accidentally flipping the puck out of play from your own end earns the same penalty as cross-checking a guy face first into the boards.
It's even more ridiculous when you consider that more 'minor' and minor penalty is, the more likely it is that there will be a decent amount of 6 on 5 time; think overzealous forechecks or too many men vs. hauling a guy down on a rush (where defensive team is more likely to gain possession immediately)
IMO, there should be 1 min, 3 min, and 5 min penalties.
1 Min (accidental) – puck over glass, minor penalties outside your defensive zone (+ ‘free-path rule’ – ie. infraction in neutral zone on a developing odd man rush can be 3 mins), too many men, minor post-whistle scrum stuff, etc.
3 Min (aka careless) – defensive zone/removal of a scoring chance, dangerous play w/o intent to injure (boarding, charging, nasty slashing), drawing blood,
5 Min (aka reckless) – Fighting, intent to injure, etc.
I'd add a 1 min penalty after any missed penalty shot. For incorrect challenges, I'd consider 1 minute for 'insufficient evidence to overturn' and 3 minutes for 'call on the ice confirmed', but whatever.
This way, the refs could actually just call the rulebook, and the players could play to it. The toughest ambiguity here is going to be how to handle defensive zone penalties that aren't necessarily on scoring chances - I would probably keep it simple and make them all 3 minutes, as I think the increased risk would reduce the amount of 'gentle' slashes/hooks/holds.
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