Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Discussing Goalie Interference

02/11/2016 at 7:03am EST

from Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune,

Before this season, officials had to rule interference on the ice and could not consult replay. If you ask Quenneville, the new process is not going well.

"It has gone to a different level," Quenneville said. "I don't know the rules anymore or something has changed. … I think everybody has an interpretation, what's a good goal, what's a bad goal. But I can't believe it."

Quenneville did not stick around to elaborate on his point.

But it seems Quenneville was trying to say the seven sections in the NHL's Rule 69, which covers interference, is not ironclad in its current state. The lengthy explanation describes a number of scenarios in which a player could interfere with a goaltender.

But now that interference is a reviewable call it has muddied the waters, much like replay review in the NFL has caused controversy over what constitutes a catch or an incomplete pass. What may seem like a good goal to the naked eye can become interference when a play is slowed down with every instance of contact displayed frame by frame on video.

According to the rule, any contact with a goaltender in the crease will result in a disallowed goal, as will intentional contact when he is outside the crease.

But it is not cut and dry. Incidental contact can be allowed when the goaltender is outside the crease and when he is inside the crease during a rebound or loose puck situation. But just what constitutes incidental contact?

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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