Tomas Holmstrom is out of the crease, but is questionable for goalie interference.
Playoff hockey is here, fans either jubilated or angry as hopes and dreams of their favorite team winning the Stanley Cup were extinguished like a dying flame or still flickering brightly. One thing that is constant though is the hatred of the referring. Be it the belief of a botched call to a giant conspiracy theory, the referees are under great scrutiny for their jobs in this post season, like many other post seasons.
I too fall within the category of questioning some calls, especially goalie interference.
Being a fan of the Detroit Red Wings, I am no stranger to seeing many goals taken away by prominent figures such as Tomas Holmstrom pitching a tent in front of the net keeper. What aggravates me is not that the referees are making the calls, as they are making the appropriate call, but that the rule needs to be re-addressed for contact outside the goal crease.
Rule number 69 – Interference on the Goalkeeper gives light to the current dilemma. Rather lengthy, I will paraphrase:
69.1 Interference on the Goalkeeper: Goals should be disallowed only if: (1) an attacking player, either by his positioning or by contact, impairs the goalkeeper’s ability to move freely within his crease or defend his goal…Incidental contact with a goalkeeper will be permitted, and resulting goals allowed, when such contact is initiated outside of the goal crease, provided the attacking player has made a reasonable effort to avoid such contact.
69.4 Contact outside the Goal Crease: If an attacking player initiates any contact with a goalkeeper, other than incidental contact, while the goalkeeper is outside his goal crease, and a goal is scored, the goal will be disallowed.
The gray area that comes from the rule is what really is “incidental contact” and “reasonable effort to avoid such contact”. Far too often a player is in front of the crease moving side to side to screen the goalie, the shot is fired and the goalie comes out to stop it and the two make contact. More times than not, the goal is disallowed, yet the majority of times the player did not even know the goalie was there because of his range of view. So, who has the right to the ice? The player trying to screen or the goalie moving out into the player? And more importantly, how can a player avoid such calls?
Right now the goalie has the right to the open ice as he has the right to move freely to defend his goal. As for the player to avoid the play altogether, he has to be completely aware of the goalie even in times where the goalie edges out of the net at the last second, otherwise be subject to interference. This however is frustrating as a fan and as a player, as it does not resolve the problem.
Perhaps make the crease larger giving the goalie more room to defend his goal, or allow the play to play out without a call when incidental contact is made between a goalie and a player fighting for the same ice. Either option would resolve the problem, but the question still remains if the league feels it is a problem. From a fans perspective, it would be nice to see that this be discussed in the off-season.
Do you feel goalie interference should be tweaked? Why or why not? If so, what would your resolution be? Feel free to comment or email me at EB@hockeyworldblog.com to spark some discussion.
