Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

If the NHL adapts 'in-post' cameras, should goal review 'stop there?'

01/17/2015 at 10:57pm EST

The New York Post's Larry Brooks reports that the NHL's hockey operations department is refining a technology that may help reduce the number of disputed goals via placing cameras inside goalposts...

“We are testing and experimenting with ‘in-post’ cameras and would like to introduce them when we are comfortable that they are completely functional and workable,” [NHL VP of hockey operations Mike] Murphy said. “We are not there yet. When we feel we have it right we will start to put them in nets throughout the league.”

The current plan is to place the cameras halfway up the posts, but, as per Murphy, “The league is testing different distances from the ice level.”

The NHL’s video review on goals at the moment is second only to the system used on the tennis tour as far as accuracy — probably as exact on MLB’s system on home runs. It’s not perfect, but it’s close. Cameras in the goal posts will bring the league closer to perfection … in this one regard, mind you.

But Brooks also takes the time to suggest that:

1. As soon as the puck touches the goal line, it should be a goal;

2. And that all plays in which the puck enters the net should not be reviewable:

[T]he goal/no-goal call is not subjective in the way of review on kicked-in goals or on sticks above the crossbar.

Or the way it would be if goaltender interference ever becomes part of a video review system. I’m not in favor of it. Never have been. The league simply would be replacing the subjective opinion of the referees with the subjective opinion of the league operatives in Toronto.

And just as what appears to be the very same play on a puck that goes in off a skate can, and has been, ruled a goal in one game but a no-goal in another because different people in Toronto are assigned the responsibility on different nights, the same scenario would apply when it comes to goaltender interference.

Football has been subverted by video review. It’s a good idea taken to such an extreme, it’s now bad in practice. Just because the technology exists doesn’t mean we have to use it. It’s kind of like, just because Twitter exists, it doesn’t mean we have to weigh in on every subject in the world.

Brooks continues at length (I happen to disagree with that; as far as I'm concerned, "Incidental contact" calls and, "We can only have the referee call the War Room to tell us hat he ruled" calls are stupid), and he also discusses the play of the Islanders and Martin Brodeur's future.

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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.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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