With the NHL’s GM meetings going on in Florida, one of the hot topics was obviously the goaltender interference calls that have been confusing fans all year long.
With games going on at the same time, there was some unfortunate timing for the NHL. Last night, Evgeni Malkin scored a goal by sliding into Carey Price and after pushing him out of the crease, the puck bounced off of his body and went into the net. You can watch the full clip here, but this screenshot pretty much sums up the mayhem.
The Habs challenged the play and still, the play was not overturned and the goal counted. Luckily for Montreal fans, they’re probably not too interested in getting more points, but hockey fans everywhere are feeling the same as they have all season. It’s a worrying precedent that mainly scares people because if it’s not sorted out before the playoffs, it could quickly become a problem.
All of this comes on the same day that Gary Bettman seemed to refuse to acknowledge that the goaltender interference interpretations have been any different this season. Not great timing for this quote.
The NHL will apparently add a retired referee to the goalie interference review process, but if they’re given the same instructions for the reviews as everyone else so far, it’s tough to see how the problem will be solved.
