The jersey of Philadelphia Flyers forward Trevor Zegras became a focal point during this NHL preseason, bringing about the resurgence of an ancient NHL rule: the jersey tuck.
During the second period of a preseason game against the Boston Bruins, Zegras was penalized for "improperly wearing the equipment" after being warned about having his jersey tucked into his pants. The penalty is the first jersey tuck penalty assessed in nearly 13 years, according to Scouting The Refs, and the third one on record in NHL history.
But what is the NHL's jersey tuck rule, exactly? In the NHL's rulebook, under Rule 9.5, it states that "all protective equipment, except gloves, headgear, neck protection, and goalkeepers’ leg pads must be worn under the uniform.
Should it be brought to the attention of the Referee that a player is wearing, for example, an elbow pad that is not covered by his jersey, he shall instruct the player to cover up the pad and a second violation by the same player would result in a minor penalty".
Basically, if a player is deemed to be improperly wearing their equipment, they'll be warned by the referees before being assessed a minor penalty if violating the rule a second time.
Trevor Zegras is officially the first victim of the NHL’s new penalty for tucking in your jersey 😭
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) September 25, 2026
Do you agree with the rule? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/MVtx0HYQmN
This season, it seems as if the NHL is cracking down on equipment violations, according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman. Should the player make a third violation after being assessed a minor penalty, a misconduct will be issued.
First one I've seen this preseason, but league has indicated it will warn players if equipment -- neck guards, visors, helmets (during warmup) -- is not being properly worn.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) September 25, 2026
Jerseys are supposed to be untucked at the beginning of a player's shift. (If it rides up during a shift,… https://t.co/95ydRULwlt
The jersey tuck rule infamously was cracked down upon by the NHL in 2013, where two penalties were assessed in the span of a few months of one another. After that, however, the rule fell out of fashion and had remained uncalled until Zegas was dinged for the infraction this year.
The rule is quite unpopular with NHL players, with Alex Ovechkin once calling the rule "kind of stupid" due to equipment shifting during play and with it also restricting player expression. In their next preseason game, the Flyers protested Zegas' penalty by tucking in their jerseys for warmups.
The Flyers all came out for warmups with their jerseys tucked today in protest of Trevor Zegras receiving a penalty for his jersey tuck last game 😭😂 pic.twitter.com/wlTMW0vOHh
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) September 26, 2026
We'll have to wait and see if the NHL continues to crack down on the unpopular jersey tuck rule or if Zegas' infraction was just a one-off to set the tone for a new season.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: The comeback of the NHL’s ‘jersey tuck’ rule, explained
